The all-new eighth-generation mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette won’t be available to purchase until early 2020, and that might be a good thing.

What was your impression when you first saw the finished product? 

There are two ways of looking at the final product. There’s a sense that we have various design gates that we go through to finish a design. Our major one is DSO, which is Design Sign Off, and that’s done well before there is a functioning vehicle. But if you were to see the model of it, these things look dead on, they look like real-life automobiles.

However, it was a completely different experience when you got to the actual unveil, which was inside this hangar that felt three miles long. I got to see the car from about a quarter-mile away, and that was my first time seeing it that far apart. But being able to see it so far away, there’s this awe-inspiring feeling, this moment of “this is real, this is incredible.”

What were you guys trying to accomplish with the new Stingray emblem and how did it end up on the rear deck?

With our branding and badging, in general, we try to make it fresh and updated to what the theme is going toward. Everything is a modern iteration of where we last were, so the Stingray was nothing different than that. There were a lot of variations and a lot of interpretations of what that design was, and it just modernized it and brought it into the next generation. [Its placement] integrates so well. It looks like it pulls the window graphic over the motor right into a point. It just finalizes at the Stingray.

What are some advantages over the C7? 

The main thing is wider visibility, so you can see the road that surrounds you. The pillars are sort of pulled back and around the driver. The other standpoint is camera placement for the rear side, because blind spots aren’t nearly as dramatic as they are on the C7.

How did you decide to make that change? 

Myself and Ryan Vaughan had spent time on C6, C7, and now C8, and that was something that we tried to do in the middle of C7. The reason we wanted it is pretty much what I laid out. We wanted a stronger visual. It provides a lot of depth in a simple way. It elevates the way you interpret the interior, and the way it feels is such a haptic tie to what the quality is.

Tags:  2020 Chevy Corvette interior