Chevrolet hopes the mid-engine Corvette will attract buyers as sales go down

The new engine configuration of the Chevrolet Corvette is a radical change from decades of tradition, but the parent company General Motors could attract a new public well deserved to the venerable worker's sports car, say industry observers. And that could create a lot of competition.

The high-performance car retains an element of its working class identity: a starting price of nearly $ 60,000 that has shocked many people in the world of the automobile.

The car has consistently delivered performance that could match the high-end exotic Italian brands Ferrari and Lamborghini, but at a fraction of their price. But over time, the Corvette has developed a rather unique identity, built around a rare American sports car in a sea of ​​mostly European rivals.

In addition, the front engine design has remained longer than many other manufacturers. For decades, the engine of the Corvette has remained in front of the driver, like most car engines. The car has remained true to the common front engine configuration while many sports car manufacturers have changed their own designs to favor a central engine configuration, where the car's power rests just behind the driver.

Since the engine is one of the heaviest parts of the vehicle, its placement in the center of the car balances the weight evenly, which improves performance. Even the first chief engineer of the Corvette, Zora Arkus-Duntov, has tried unsuccessfully for years to get a mid-engine Corvette.

Now that it has a mid-engine design, it is moving further into a territory dominated by high-end manufacturers.

"It's always fascinating to watch the supercars segment," said Karl Brauer, executive editor of Cox Automotive. "It's a segment that does not stop, it never stays still."

Every few months or so, it seems like another super car is coming on the market, he added, and it's very hard for a car to stay in the spotlight for too long. This means that the hype on the Corvette could fade quickly. But that also means that the surprisingly low starting price of the Corvette – it caused public hiccups at the unveiling of the car – could push other manufacturers to innovate and drive down prices.

"I think GM has entered this competitive segment with a very capable input, and it will be fascinating to see how effectively they compete at this price level with these much more expensive vehicles," Brauer said.