This fab fob reveals more than one key detail about the C8 Corvette
By now we all have a good idea of what the long-awaited mid-engine Corvette C8 will look like, but here’s a fresh perspective—on the key fob. New images were posted on an FCC application page from supplier Huf Huelsbeck & Fuerst, and not only does the outline of the car on the key buttons clearly appear mid-engine, but the Corvette logo is slightly different than in years past.
Road & Track’s Bozi Tatarevic was first to break the story. He notes that not only does the FCC documentation indicate that the mid-engine Corvette is in the pre-production phase ahead of launch as a 2020 model-year vehicle, but that the key buttons suggest a power-folding top in addition to front and rear trunks. A diagram of the fob’s interior also illustrates markings for regulatory agencies that point to global availability, including in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Europe, the U.S., and Canada.
The Corvette logo on the key fob is a bit narrower and more upright than on the current C7, lending further credence to the fact that this is indeed a new type of Corvette. Most interestingly, the key fob is more or less exactly the same as the mystery Cadillac fob that was leaked to Jalopnik earlier this month. It’s still not totally clear if GM will also build a Cadillac version of the mid-engine C8 Corvette, but it isn’t impossible.
Right now the best indication we have of how the Corvette will look are from spy shots of prototypes out testing. Chevy obviously hasn’t confirmed anything yet, but our sources indicate that when it comes to the engine, the C8 will use a pushrod V-8, good for around 600 horsepower, to start. A hybrid version with 1000 hp, an electric motor on the front axle, and a twin-turbo V-8 at the rear axle could follow.
With a 2020 model-year designation, we could see the mid-engine Corvette first revealed as soon as the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It would be one hell of a way to celebrate on home turf, and it would no doubt rain on Ford’s Shelby Mustang GT500 parade.
