No, that mystery SUV in the background isn’t a Corvette
Ten months after unveiling its ambitious flexible EV architecture, General Motors finally brought its impending tsunami of BEVs into sharper focus at the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). In the virtual keynote address, CEO Mary Barra offered a glimpse at The General’s headlong race into an EV future.
One bit in particular lit up the internet—fast-forward to around the 20-minute mark and pay close attention.
As Michael Simcoe, the vice president of global design, announces 30 new EVs due around the world in the next five years, he appears in front of a collection of shadowy vehicles. It’s easy to identify a few: The GMC Hummer EV sticks out like a sore thumb, and the Cadillac Lyriq is plainly visible. To the left of Simcoe, and just to the left of the Hummer, is a mysterious crossover-looking vehicle, whose headlights look eerily similar to those of the C8 Corvette. Naturally, folks took to their keyboards, proclaiming that GM had just tipped its hand.
The sky is not falling. The silhouette in question is actually a Buick, according to what Simcoe says in the presentation. He’s in the midst of touting Buick’s momentum in China, the world’s largest EV market, when he references new Buicks built on the Ultium platform, gesturing over his right shoulder to the crossover with the Corvette-esque headlights.
We’re well aware of the business case represented by slapping the crossed flags on a sport utility. We ran a story in print last year that said as much. However, we also laid out a convincing case for why this would be a bad move. GM certainly wouldn’t be the first to take an almost-sacred nameplate and, erm, reimagine it, but we shudder at a crossover future for the beloved Corvette.
You can put those pitchforks down—there’s no Corvette SUV. At least, not yet.
