Almost everything about the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette is positively sublime, but one of its more polarizing features is a high, cockpit-style center console that splits the cabin. It's a distinctive element, and not everybody loves it, but if that's the price of admission for something as great to drive as the C8, we can live with it, but we may not have to for much longer.
Per a story in the April issue of Motor Trend (which comes from MidEngineCorvetteForum.com via The Drive), GM's new head designer, Michael Simcoe, is reportedly not a fan of this component of the C8's interior styling, and it may be going away as soon as the 2023 model year.
The criticism appears to be focused on the controls incorporated into the console, rather than the broader design of that cabin element. The layout of these switches is a bit awkward at first blush, and the sheer quantity of physical controls present is made all the more visually impactful by their linear placement. This execution de-clutters other elements of the interior, but apparently Simcoe isn't satisfied with the final product.
Here's the MT excerpt, as quoted by the forum:
The C8 Corvette’s somewhat fussy styling was already locked and loaded when Michael Simcoe took over at GM Design Chief.
But sources in Detroit say the mid-cycle re-design Simcoe had originally planned for 2025 has been put on the back burner as GM pours money in its electrical vehicle program. However, inside say an interior redesign aimed at among other things fixing the array of button and switches cascading down the buttress on the right side of the center console has survived the bean counters. The redesigned interior will reportedly appear on 2023 C8’s.
In our experience, the button layout hasn't been much of an issue, and some of us have actually liked it and appreciated the unique design. We do see how it's inconvenient for the passenger, with all the controls facing toward the driver and hidden by a tiny wall.
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