Rob Loszewski
Details of the upcoming 2020 Mid-Engine Corvette have been slowly coming to light over the last few months, and the latest proof that the mid-engine Corvette exists is an FCC filing from June of this year for a key fob with a Corvette logo on it.
The application was submitted to the Office of Engineering and Technology at the Federal Communications Commission back on June 2nd of this year by Huf Hülsbeck & Fürst GmbH & Co. KG, a German company that develops and produces mechanical and electronic key systems, lock sets, steering locks, remote control systems, and telematic and tire pressure monitoring systems for the automotive industry.
Looking at the logo on the back portion of the FOB, we notice a Corvette emblem, which some people are quick to call the “C8 logo”.
As you can see above, the current C7 Corvette logo is superimposed above the “C8” logo. While the logo embossed on the FOB does appear to be more slender and taller, clearly not much has changed in the logo design! However, flip the key FOB over, and that’s where the interesting stuff appears.
There’s a total of seven buttons on the face of the FOB indicating, remote start, standard lock, unlock and alarm, front trunk hatch open, rear engine compartment open and what and what some folks believe, could be a remote hard-top feature.
In looking at a recent spy shot above, it’s our belief that it’s unlikely a remote hardtop system will come on the mid-engine Corvette as we can’t imagine enough space to store the roof panels on top of the engine without cutting into rearward vision. What we could be seeing in the FOB is a provision for a remote soft top function similar to the one that currently comes on the C7 Corvette. Either way, it will be interesting to see what this button truly does!
Moving on to the schematics of the FOB submitted with the filing, we find a little more information. Click on the images below for a larger view:
In looking at the Laser Labeling Schematic, it appears that GM is making provisions for the 2020 mid-engine Corvette to be sold in Europe, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Canada. If you recall earlier this year, GM trademarked “ZORA” in capital letters in the United States, Asia (China, Japan, Korea) and the United Kingdom. This is further proof that the next generation Corvette will truly be a global supercar available in countries where it’s never been allowed for sale before.
Finally we see that this Key FOB isn’t just a prototype unit, but it’s checked off for pre-production indicating that the key FOB we see here is pretty close to production ready and already carries the GM Part Number of 13529177
The 33+ page filing continues on with all of the testing that was done with the FOB as it relates to frequencies, reach and distance, etc.
2020 Mid-Engine Corvette Unveiling in 2019 but When?
The big question on everyone’s mind is when will the mid-engine Corvette be officially unveiled to the world? THAT is the big question.
Initially, we heard faint rumblings that it might be unveiled at the North American International Auto Show, this coming January. However, lately, we’ve been hearing rumors that the New York International Auto Show in April is the more likely venue for an official unveiling. Either way, we expect that all will be revealed in the Spring of 2019.
