CX and CX.R Gran Turismo Vision Concepts Offer Glimpse of Corvette’s High-Performance Future originally appeared on Autoblog.
It’s been more than 60 years since the first Chevrolet Corvette hit the road and the bowtie brand has pushed the limits of performance ever since, most recently revealing the 1,250-horsepower ZR1X hybrid.
During that debut, despite referring to the $207,395 sports car as the “ultimate” Corvette, Chevy officials broadly hinted that there will be more to come. And we’re now getting a glimpse of what they have in mind in the form of the Corvette CX and CX.R Vision Gran Turismo Concepts set to be unveiled during the annual Monterey Motor Week.
Designed and fabricated at the Chevrolet Performance Studio in Warren, Michigan, the CX show cars are the latest in a series of concept Corvettes to be revealed this year. And sources tell Autoblog the automaker is closely watching public and media reaction as it starts moving forward on what will eventually become the C9, or ninth-generation Corvette.
The Game is Afoot
“While the shape of a Corvette has always been expressive and forward-looking, each crease and line has its roots in the generations that came before it,” said Phil Zak, executive design director for Chevrolet. “The CX and CX.R Vision Gran Turismo demonstrate our design teams stepping away from the constraints of production vehicles and unleashing their creativity. Through this exercise, we’ve added to Corvette and defined the design direction for Corvette moving forward.”
As the full name of the two concepts suggest, Chevy developed them with the intent to let them come alive in the long-popular Gran Turismo vide racing game. That required the development of more than just an exterior design. To make the CX and CX.R accurately come to life, Chevy said, “the Corvette design team created detailed blueprints for the chassis, drivetrain, and aerodynamic features.”
Related: GM Reimagines the Corvette as an EV Hypercar Inspired by the Stingray, And We Want One
Considering most of that work is today done digitally for production automobiles, the Corvette team was then able to transfer their files to Polyphony Digital, an arm of Sony Interactive Entertainment. In the end, it will be able to give fans a chance to put the new sports cars up against the best the rest of the world can come up with as part of Gran Turismo 7 later this month.
Corvette CX Concept
The Corvette CX Concept was conceived to be as comfortable on track as it would be on public roads. Fans of the ‘Vette will likely spot a number of design cues, including the dual-element taillights, though the show car is lower, wider and more curvaceous than today’s production model. The roofline, for one thing, is just 41 inches high. And one of CX’s more intriguing features is the way the upper part of the front body structure “lunges” forward to let occupants enter and exit the two-seater.
The silver-bodied CX pushes aerodynamics to the limit, with aero channels built into the body and the suspension’s front A-arms winged shape to reduce lift. A “Vacuum Fan System” sucks air through those open channels to control airflow over the rear diffuser and further enhance downforce. Both the rear wing and front diffuser actively adjust to control airflow, as needed at any moment.
CX’s cabin resembles more a fighter cockpit than a traditional interior – something likely to click with videogame fans. Drivers don’t have to go hunting around the instrument panel while pushing the sports car concept to the limits. All major controls are built into the steering wheel. And the windshield uses new digital technology, explains Chevy, to provide “an immersive surround display with real-time performance data. The seats are heavily bolstered to keep driver and passenger firmly planted. They’re finished in Inferno Red ballistic textile, while other cabin surfaces use silicone leather, low-gloss carbon fiber and milled aluminum.
CX Drivetrain
While Corvette officials recently said it’s likely to be some time before we see a fully electric version of the sports car go into production, the CX Concept suggests what such a drivetrain eventually might be like. It relies on the instant torque only electric motors can deliver to yield “ultimate straight line performance,” while the suspension and aero components of CX let it handle even the tightest corners at blinding speed.
CX uses four electric motors, one for each wheel, a layout that gives precise control to the torque vectoring system and traction control software. A 90-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery sits under the load floor to provide an incredibly low center of gravity. Chevy claims the system is capable of delivering as much as 2,000 horsepower, about 60% more than the new Corvette ZR1X hybrid.
Corvette CX.R Gran Turismo Vision Concept
While it might seem difficult to imagine pushing the Chevy sports car to even greater extremes, that’s where the Corvette CX.R Gran Turismo Vision Concept comes into play. It “imagines the future of Corvette GT racing,” Chevrolet explains, by “embodying Corvette’s history while looking to the future of automotive performance.”
The CX.R starts out with the CX Concept but rides even closer to the ground and integrates even more aggressive aerodynamic design elements. Mass has also been shaved out to further enhance performance. The instrument panel, for example, is made of a lightweight carbon-fiber weave. The seats, meanwhile, are larger and even grippier, with more aggressive shoulder and headrest padding.
The race concept’s powertrain hews closer to that of the new ZR1X hybrid, here pairing three electric motors with a high-revving, mid-mounted 2.0-liter DOHC twin-turbo V-8. There are two motors up front, one for each wheel, a third integrated into the 8-speed gearbox. The V-8 itself can rev up to 15,000 RPMs and delivers a peak 900 hp. The combined powertrain package takes that up to 2,000 ponies – the same as the CX. But it can keep running a full race without having to wait for its smaller battery pack to recharge. It picks up power through a regenerative braking system.
Related: The Corvette ZR1X Just Made These 5 Sports Cars Look Slow And Expensive
What’s Next
Don’t count on seeing either version of the CX Concepts go into production anymore than some of the other radical Gran Turismo prototypes that have rolled out over the history of that popular videogame.
That said, Chevrolet is clearly looking for what needs to come next after bringing out the C8, the most radical reconceptualization of the Corvette in its long and storied history. At least some of the design cues and technology seen on the two concepts will likely be incorporated in future generations. And the same is true for the two powertrains. Indeed, we’ve already been given a heads-up that the Corvette team is working up a performance package that goes beyond the new ZR1X. While Chief Engineer Josh Holder said last month that an all-electric Corvette is “not soon” in the planning stage, he also said it will all but certainly require a hybrid system to deliver the next step in performance.
CX and CX.R Gran Turismo Vision Concepts Offer Glimpse of Corvette’s High-Performance Future first appeared on Autoblog on Aug 15, 2025
This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
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