Corvette Sales Slip 21% in Q1 Despite GM's Strong Overall Performance
General Motors reported its strongest first-quarter sales since 2018 on Tuesday, but the company's sports car icon, the Chevrolet Corvette, saw a steep decline, with deliveries dropping 21 percent compared to the same period last year.
Chevy delivered 6,794 Corvettes in the first three months of 2025, down from 8,576 units in Q1 2024, according to GM's quarterly report. The drop comes amid signs that interest in the C8-generation Corvette may be cooling as it enters its sixth year of production.
While GM's overall sales surged 17 percent year-over-year, with gains across GMC, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Buick, the decline in Corvette sales raises questions about the future trajectory of the brand's flagship performance car. Thousands of unsold Corvettes reportedly remain on dealer lots nationwide.
Still, GM executives highlighted the automaker's strengths elsewhere. 'GM's sales growth outpaced every other major automaker, and the driving force is our portfolio,' said Rory Harvey, GM executive vice president, in a statement. 'We're the industry leader in trucks and affordable small SUVs, Cadillac is growing significantly in luxury, and we have the broadest portfolio of EVs in the industry.'
The company reported electric vehicle sales up 94 percent in the quarter. Highlights included 6,187 deliveries of the Chevrolet Blazer EV, compared to just 600 in Q1 2024, and 1,956 units of the new Cadillac Escalade IQ. Buick posted its best quarter in nearly two decades with a 39 percent sales gain, buoyed by strong Encore GX demand.
As for the Corvette, the drop may reflect saturation among early adopters and the mid-cycle maturity of the C8 generation. Chevrolet hopes high-performance variants like the upcoming ZR1 — priced from $174,995 — can sustain interest until the C9 arrives later this decade.
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