General Motors has unveiled the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, the most powerful iteration of the iconic American sports car ever produced. This new model is powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8 engine, capable of delivering over 1,000 horsepower, a first for Corvette, and 828 foot-pounds of torque. This puts the ZR1 in the same league as supercars that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Tadge Juechter, Corvette's executive chief engineer since 2006, described the ZR1 as having the pulling power of "a freight train". He expects the new ZR1 to be "essentially the fastest car we've ever built by a long measure," comfortably exceeding the previous Corvette's top speed of 212 mph.
The previous most powerful Corvette was the 2019 ZR1, which produced 755 horsepower and 715 foot-pounds of torque with a 6.2-liter, V8 supercharged engine. The new ZR1 surpasses this model significantly, offering a substantial leap in power and performance.
While the exact price of the 2025 Corvette ZR1, including the "ZTK" performance package, will be released closer to production next year, the 2019 Corvette ZR1 started at $121,000.
The ZR1 joins the expanding "Corvette family," which now includes the "everyman's sports car" Corvette Stingray (starting at $70,000), the hybrid E-Ray, and the track-focused Z06, priced at around $112,000.
"We're happy with the way it's going. This is the next step in that whole approach," said Brad Franz, director of Chevy car and crossover marketing.
GM has confirmed that an all-electric Corvette is in the works, but no timeframe has been announced. A Corvette SUV has also been under consideration for several years, but Franz declined to comment on either vehicle.
Wall Street analysts have suggested that GM could benefit from expanding the Corvette brand, potentially creating a sub-brand that could be worth between $7 billion and $12 billion.
The Corvette's sales have remained strong, averaging around 34,500 units annually for the past two years. In 2019, GM redefined the Corvette, transitioning from a front-engine design to a mid-engine build to enhance performance and handling.
The ZR1, a low-volume model, serves as a halo vehicle, drawing attention to the brand and influencing consumers towards less expensive Corvette models.
"The ZR1 is the range-topper. It's the halo vehicle. It'll bring tons of attention to the car and actually help sell the other models," Juechter said. "It's part of the ongoing business strategy to keep the product relevant over a relatively long lifecycle."
High-performance models like the ZR1 have contributed to Corvette's average transaction price rising to approximately $106,000. The introduction of the ZR1 and the continued strong sales of the Z06, whose average buyer has a household income of $311,000, are expected to further increase the price point.
The hybrid Corvette, starting at around $105,000, will also contribute to boosting Corvette revenue. GM plans to increase production of the E-Ray to 10% of total production capacity from the current levels of 2% to 3%.
The performance trickle-down effect from these models has also helped to keep the sole Corvette production plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, operating on two shifts since 2019.