DETROIT — General Motors has unveiled the latest version of its iconic sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette, set to become the most powerful model in the brand’s history.
The 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 will feature a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that produces over 1,000 horsepower and 828 pound-feet of torque. This significant increase in power positions the ZR1 among the elite supercars, typically priced in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“This car accelerates like a freight train,” noted Tadge Juechter, Corvette’s executive chief engineer since 2006, at a recent media event. “We expect this to be the fastest car we’ve ever built, by a considerable margin.”
The previous record holder for most powerful Corvette was the 2019 ZR1, which boasted 755 horsepower and 715 pound-feet of torque from its supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine.
According to Juechter, the new ZR1 is expected to surpass the previous model’s top speed of 340 km/h.
Pricing details for the 2025 Corvette ZR1, including the optional “ZTK” performance package, will be announced closer to the car’s production start next year. The 2019 model started at $121,000.
The ZR1 will join Chevrolet’s “Corvette family,” which includes models such as the Corvette Stingray, starting at about $70,000; the E-Ray hybrid; and the Z06, a track car starting at about $112,000.
Brad Franz, Chevy’s director of automotive and crossover marketing, commented on the new ZR1, saying: “We’re pleased with the current lineup. The ZR1 represents the next evolution of our strategy.”
GM has hinted at an all-electric Corvette in the future, though details and timing remain unknown. Discussions about a potential Corvette SUV are also ongoing, but Franz declined to elaborate.
Wall Street analysts such as Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas have speculated that expanding the Corvette brand could significantly increase its value, estimating a potential value of between $7 billion and $12 billion.
Chevrolet has sold about 34,500 Corvettes annually for the past two years. In 2019, the Corvette underwent a significant redesign, moving from a front-engine configuration to a mid-engine configuration for improved performance and handling.
Limited-production models like the ZR1 are designed to generate excitement and drive sales of more affordable Corvette variants. “The ZR1 is our flagship model, commanding attention and driving sales across the lineup,” Juechter said. “This approach is part of our long-term strategy to maintain product relevance.”
The introduction of high-performance models has increased the average transaction price of Corvettes to about $106,000. With the launch of the ZR1 and growing sales of the Z06, whose buyers typically have a household income of $311,000, that average is expected to rise even further.
Additionally, Franz said, GM plans to increase production of the Corvette E-Ray hybrid, which currently retails for about $105,000, from 2-3 percent to 10 percent of total production capacity.
Since 2019, the success of these models has also led to increased production shifts at GM’s Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
