GM opens new UK advanced design studio, showcases Corvette-inspired concept car [Photo Gallery]

General Motors has expanded its global design studio footprint with the official opening of a new advanced design studio in Royal Leamington Spa, about 20 miles from Birmingham.

In connection with the opening, GM revealed an advanced design study Chevrolet Corvette concept car developed by the UK team as part of a global design project involving multiple studios that will see additional Corvette concepts revealed throughout 2025.

The studio opening also provided a first glimpse of a GMC concept vehicle to be revealed later in 2025, developed in partnership with the GMC design team in Detroit.

GM’s design teams regularly work on conceptual design studies that are intended to drive ideation, innovation, and collaboration across the company.

With the opening of the UK studio, GM continues to demonstrate its commitment to Europe as the company scales its Cadillac electric vehicle business there, while also preparing to launch Corvette sales across the UK and mainland Europe.

The UK design studio is an integral part of GM’s global design footprint, providing valuable insights into European customer and cultural trends and introducing new talent and fresh perspectives into GM’s global network. GM’s global design footprint also spans studios in Detroit, Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Seoul.

The UK studio is led by Julian Thomson, a deeply experienced automotive designer who has worked with some of the industry’s most recognized brands. The 24,584-square-foot Royal Leamington Spa studio, which employs more than 30 designers and creative team members, is outfitted for both digital and physical clay model development.

“Our advanced design team’s mandate extends well beyond creating production vehicles,” said Michael Simcoe, senior VP of global design. “While they collaborate within our global design network on production and concept vehicle programs, these teams are primarily tasked with imagining what mobility could look like five, 10, and even 20 years into the future and driving innovation for GM.”

The Corvette nameplate has long been leveraged to introduce experimental cars, concepts and prototypes that push the boundaries of automotive design and engineering, and the new UK design concept is no exception. While there is no production intention behind this concept, the GM UK Design team undertook this exercise to rethink what a Corvette could be with a true blank-page approach.

“As part of the Corvette creative study, we asked multiple studios to develop hypercar concepts, which we’ll see more of later this year,” Simcoe said. “It was important that they all pay homage to Corvette’s historic DNA, but each studio brought their own unique creative interpretation to the project. That is exactly what our advanced design studio network is intended to do – push the envelope, challenge convention and imagine what could be.”

The UK team’s concept subtly incorporates Corvette’s iconic design heritage into a futuristic aesthetic focused on clean forms and muscular shapes. The design draws inspiration from the aviation industry, both in the sculptural and functional elements.

“One of the most unusual and significant aspects of our concept’s design is a feature known as Apex Vision,” said Thomson. “A nod to Corvette’s centerline focus, and inspired by the iconic ‘split window’ 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, this feature emphasizes a singular vertical central spine that is also a structural element, also providing a panoramic view of the road and surroundings.”

The exterior design includes a distinctive division between the upper and lower halves of the vehicle. The upper half captures the Corvette’s classic design elements, but in a futuristic manner. The lower half focuses on functional technical design, including EV battery technology embedded into the structure and aerodynamics elements designed to channel air efficiently without the need for wings or spoilers.

Concept technical specifications and assumptions:

Body structure:

• Additive manufacturing body structure
• For low mass, manufacturing efficiency, part count reduction and driving agility
• Halo roof structure with wind shield center spar

Body panels:

• Additive manufactured structure exposed for light weight authenticity
• Part integration, panel count reduction

Closures:

• Full wrap around side glass to deliver Apex Vision
• Powered wing door design

Aero-Duality:

• On-road efficiency and on-track performance in harmony
• Fan assistance and active ducting to redirect air over and through the vehicle
• On-road: flowing forms, functional intakes and vented surfaces
• On road: air directed through vehicles to fill its wake, increasing efficiency and range
• On track: like an aircraft wing, aero surfaces reconfigure, dorsal fins deploy and spoiler venting creates aero vectoring to enhance cornering performance
• Sculpted underbody, lowered ride height and fan assistance delivers ground effect

Chassis:

• Racecar inspired, package efficient, pushrod suspension set-up

Interface:

• Windshield center spar augmented display

Dimensions:

• 1033mm tall / 2178mm width / 4669mm length
• 22inch front wheel / 23inch rear wheel
• 127mm seat height – race car inspired