What did Tony Roma say about the next Corvette?
GM’s Corvette chief engineer Tony Roma said in October 2026 that the C9 “needs to be a Corvette at its core,” that there is “runway left on C8,” that a manual is something he would love but may not make business sense, that an electric Corvette will come “someday” but “not today,” and that a Z06X “could make sense” at almost ZR1 money.
Four questions, four answers
Every quote on this page comes from Tony Roma on the record: The Drive’s Drivecast published October 14, 2026, The Drive’s follow-up stories on the electric Corvette and the Z06X, and his March 2026 comments at Sebring. No anonymous sources, no rumor mill. I own a C8 ZR1 and plan to buy a C9, so these are the answers I wanted too. The bigger C9 picture lives on the C9 Corvette hub.
Who is Tony Roma?
Tony Roma is the executive chief engineer for Chevy Corvette and Performance Cars at General Motors. He leads the engineering program behind the C8 lineup, including the ZR1 and ZR1X. On the Drivecast he said “there’s probably six or seven hundred people that charge their time against Corvette” at GM.
Will the Corvette get a manual transmission?
Not as things stand. The C8 is sold only with an 8-speed dual-clutch, and Roma will not commit to a manual for the next car. On the Drivecast he said:
“I love manual transmissions, I would love to do it. I just don’t know if we can make it make sense.”
Tony Roma, The Drivecast, October 14, 2026
His reason is cost. The front-engine C5, C6 and C7 could offer a manual because the transmission already existed. A mid-engine Corvette would need an all-new manual transaxle designed, validated and emissions-certified for it, for a slice of buyers that, by the team’s own account, had shrunk.
The Tremec 6-speed transaxle, and why Roma called it “not real”
Tremec announced a 6-speed manual transaxle in October 2025 and showed it at SEMA. Tremec’s own release rates it at about 800 lb-ft and 1,000 hp input, says it keeps the packaging and mounting points of the C8’s TR-9080 dual-clutch, and pitches it at custom builds. It never said the part was coming from the Corvette factory.
At the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 2026, Roma shut down the idea that it was a C8 option: “Tremec showed something at SEMA last year that I wish they wouldn’t have shown, that is not real.” He added, “We don’t have any plans to talk about a manual transmission,” and “The car is faster and essentially better with the transmission we make.” Corvette engineer Josh Holder explained manual demand fell late in the C7 generation: “The market was voting with their wallets, and we didn’t get enough votes.” Tremec declined to comment on the remarks.
| Date | Who | What was said |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | Tremec | Announces an aftermarket 6-speed manual transaxle that bolts up like the C8’s TR-9080 DCT |
| Mar 2026 | Tony Roma, Sebring | “that is not real” and “We don’t have any plans to talk about a manual transmission.” |
| Mar 2026 | Josh Holder, Corvette engineer | “The market was voting with their wallets, and we didn’t get enough votes.” |
| Oct 14, 2026 | Tony Roma, Drivecast | “I love manual transmissions, I would love to do it.” / “I just don’t know if we can make it make sense.” |
If you want a three-pedal mid-engine Corvette, the only path on record today is an aftermarket conversion with the Tremec unit. Roma has softened from “not real” to “I would love to do it,” but he has not committed to anything, and a C9 with a factory manual is not something GM has said.
Is an electric Corvette coming?
Yes, eventually, and GM will not say when. GM’s Mark Reuss said on CNBC in 2022 that GM would build electric Corvettes. Four years later none has appeared. Roma did not walk that back:
“Someday we will fully electrify Corvette. But not today.”
Tony Roma, The Drivecast, October 14, 2026
He also told The Drive: “The electric cars are the end game, so someday there will be an electric Corvette,” and “I’m not going to take anything away from Mark’s statement, it stands on its own.” Note the wording: today’s Corvette hybrids, the Grand Sport X and ZR1X, already pair a V8 with a front electric motor. “Fully electrify” is the step GM has not dated.
Will there be a Corvette Z06X?
Possibly, and it would not be cheap. A Z06X would pair the Z06’s 5.5-liter flat-plane LT6 with the front electric motor already used in the Grand Sport X and ZR1X. Roma told The Drive on October 15, 2026:
“It would have to end up being almost ZR1 money for a car with a different kind of performance envelope, right?”
Tony Roma, The Drive, October 15, 2026
He said “I think it could make sense” and, on whether GM could build it, “yes.” He also said: “Obviously, you predicted my answer is I’ve got nothing to announce today.” For scale, the 2027 Z06 starts at $121,695 and the ZR1 at $197,495, both including destination. Roma said he turns the question around on customers: “would they buy one?”
He also said the team “always had the ZR1X in mind” while developing the E-Ray, and called the ZR1X “just phenomenal to drive: 8.67 in the quarter-mile.”
What Roma said about the C9 and the rest of the C8
- The C9: “The C9 needs to be a Corvette at its core.” That means a V8 sports car people recognize as a Corvette, not a reinvention.
- The C8: “we’ve got runway left on C8, so stay tuned.” No finale or final edition has been announced.
- Screens stay: “I don’t see us going back to like all analog gauges and getting rid of all the screens anytime soon.”
- The Z06: “the Z06 is the spiritual center of the Corvette lineup.”
- Zora: on the name rumors, “we renewed the trademark for Zora” and “We tell our story when it’s time.”
- The X badge: the Grand Sport X takes over from the E-Ray, and “X” now marks the all-wheel-drive hybrid system rather than a separate model line.
Roma said more on the record here than GM usually does a generation out. My read as someone who plans to buy a C9: expect a V8 Corvette that evolves the C8, no factory manual unless the math changes, and no full EV on the C9 timeline anyone has reported. If a Z06X happens, it will be priced near the ZR1, so do not wait for it expecting a bargain.
FAQ
Who is Tony Roma?
Tony Roma is the executive chief engineer for Chevy Corvette and Performance Cars at General Motors. He leads engineering for the Corvette lineup, including the ZR1 and ZR1X.
Will the Corvette get a manual transmission?
Not as of October 2026. Tony Roma said he would love to offer a manual but does not know if GM can make it make sense, because a mid-engine Corvette would need an all-new manual transaxle.
Does the C8 Corvette come with a manual?
No. Every C8 Corvette uses an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. Tremec sells a 6-speed manual transaxle for custom builds, but Chevrolet does not offer it.
Is there going to be an electric Corvette?
Eventually. Tony Roma said, “Someday we will fully electrify Corvette. But not today.” GM has not given a date.
Will Chevy build a Corvette Z06X?
Nothing is announced. Tony Roma said a Z06X could make sense but would have to be priced at almost ZR1 money.
Related posts
Sources: The Drivecast with Tony Roma, The Drive on the electric Corvette, The Drive on the Z06X, The Drive on the Sebring comments, Tremec.
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