Car design round-up: Corvette ZR1, AC Cobra, Karma, Kia, Lancia, Coventry University, Volkswagen Transporter
There is a slight American muscle theme to this week’s round-up, with news-in-brief from Chevrolet and AC plus other stories from Kia, Lancia and Coventry University
Catch up on some of the stories that you may have missed away from the headlines this past week. But to start, a word on the fastest Corvette ever produced.
Return of an icon
The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 was revealed today. Understated, elegant and unassuming it is not. Led by Chevy’s executive design director, Phil Zak, this certified rocket ship aims to pay homage to the history of the Corvette, bringing back the iconic split rear window. “Not only does this element provide function,” he says, ”but we were able to integrate passionate design into the form.”
Full release here.
AC Cobra GT Coupe
Interested parties have been given an early look at the forthcoming Cobra GT coupe. The new renders show a very familiar silhouette updated with modern LED headlights, large ten-spoke wheels and clean surfacing. It is powered by a super-efficient three-cylinder diesel with a small hybrid system. Ah, we misread that last bit. It is in fact available with a range of V8 engines only, including a 799bhp supercharged variant.
Full release here.
Karma at Monterey
On August 16, Karma will reveal the production-ready interior of the Karma Kaveya super-coupe along with the global premiere of the as-yet-unnamed “GT-UV” Design Study. It says the latter will “create a new vehicle segment to be occupied by Karma alone.”
Full release here.
VW Transporter interior
Teasers of the seventh-generation Transporter continue. This time, it is a set of renders that show the interior revamp. Albert Kirzinger, chief designer at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, says the team has designed an interior that “transposes the layout of the successful T6.1 into modern times.”
Full release here.
Coventry lends its AV expertise
Researchers at Coventry University have contributed as technical authors for a new guide on the operation of autonomous vehicles (not from a driver’s perspective, of course.) BSI Flex 1887 aims to help businesses deploy fleets of AVs, correctly train staff and define “fundamental workstation design principles.”
Full release here.
Kia Picanto turns 20
First launched in the UK in 2004 (a year after its debut in Korea) the cute A-segment hatchback has reached its 20th birthday. The model has evolved somewhat over the years – anyone to experience the barebones original would be blown away by the equipment offered in the current generation – but the format for a compact, versatile and affordable car has remained the same.
Full release here.
Lancia x Spotify
And finally in a move that we assume absolutely nobody asked for, Lancia has launched its own set of curated playlists on Spotify for what it describes as “an increasingly immersive experience.” Hmm.
Full release here.
