During the gathering at Corvettes at Carlisle, we heard second-hand about an interesting conversation that occured in the Chevy Engineers Tent and believe it or not, it was about future products!
Specifically, the conversation was about the C8 Corvette’s Great Wall of Buttons that divides the cockpit between the driver and passenger. The discussion as it was relayed to me suggested that engineers had already made the decision to remove what is easily the most polarizing design feature in the C8’s interior, and apparently that change is going to come on the 2025 models.
We’ve heard previously that the Great Wall of Buttons was on the chopping block going back as far as April 2021 as MotorTrend’s MT Confidential column first to indicate the wall of buttons was going away, and MotorTrend points to Michael Simcoe, GM’s Design Chief as leading the change. We first heard the GWOB would go in 2023, and then again in 2024 as a rumor from GM Authority, but so far the wall of buttons which contain controls for the Corvette’s HVAC system has remained.
Most C8 Corvette owners we’ve talked with actually like the Great Wall of Buttons and most find the combination of controls to be easily manipulated once you’ve lived with the car for a while. The buttons are ordered in a certain way, and many of them offer a unique tactile feel so that you can easily find and activate the control you are looking for.
And while we’ve called the Great Wall of Buttons “polarizing” in this article, that description comes mostly from the automotive media and those who don’t drive a C8 Corvette every day.
We had this conversation with our friends over at the MidEngineCorvetteForum.com about the Great Wall of Buttons going away. As we were talking about this, John and I put on our interior designer hats in trying to figure out where these buttons may be relocated. It was actually easier than we thought. You can move the passenger’s controls over their door console, while the central car controls like windshield and rear window defrosts can be moved to a section of the interior directly under the Stop/Start button.
However, the one thing both of us really wanted to see return to the cockpit was the C7’s passenger grab handle, or as owner’s call it…the “Oh Sh*t” handle. We had Peter Chilelli of Fast Pixels do an interior rendering of a redesigned center divider that features a limited set of HVAC controls and a grab handle for the passenger and we think it came out pretty well:
What’s your thoughts on the C8 Corvette’s Great Wall of Buttons going away? Would like to see a change there or is all this much ado about nothing. GM reads the comments, so let us (and them!) know your thoughts!
Source:
Rendering by Peter Chilelli / Fast Pixals
Related:
MotorTrend Says An Interior Redesign Is Coming For The 2023 Corvette
RUMOR: Interior Changes Coming to the C8 Corvette in 2024?
Bloomberg News Puts the 2020 Corvette On Its Worst Interiors of the Year List
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GM has made the near perfect exotic European sports car all wrapped in the perfect C8 body don’t mess up what you have created leave near perfect ALONE!!!
Everything is exactly as it should be, Thanks General Motors
I actually like the “wall of buttons”. They are easy to use and you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to do it (after you have had the car long enough to learn which buttons do what things).
Leave it like it is, Chevy!
Jake is right – if it ain’t broke, as the saying goes. And ADD a grab handle, a fine idea, hell, the C1s had one, if I remember correctly.
Love the wall but give the passenger something to hold on to.
Elementary my dear engineers.
I actually like the wall and I’ve owned corvettes for 40+ years and driving my 21′ C8 for 2+ years. This cockpit is a true driver’s environment. I also don’t think GM is going to spend the money to “refresh” the interior as most of the engineering / design time and dollars that ISN”T going to C9 Electric is going into the E-Ray, ZR1 and Zora!
Just 1 week ago I traded in my 2015 Corvette stingray for a new 2023 .I love the wall of buttons display .There easily accessible ,Why make the change if the buyers like them ?
I like the wall. Its space-age aircraft look. I only use 2 buttons on it just to turn on the seat coolers. The a/c and heater work automatically no need to touch them.
I have had 3 C8’s and my wife and I take long road trips. We like the wall because it’s easy to find what you need to change.
My view is that its best to leave it alone and “fix” this in the C9
I would just like them to add a second volume control knob floral the passenger side. Might make sense to relocate the passenger side items!
The buttons are such an iconic thing! It’s like removing the split window! You wouldn’t remove a split window now would you? Are ya crazy? LoL
YES!!! Finally get rid of the wall of buttons!!
I like the button wall after getting some seat time in my 70th. HTC. Just takes time to get familiar with them. Seems to keep my wife quieter when I nail it.
I have 21 C8 and I love the hvac controls. They areasily manipulated and after having it more than two years now. I don’t have to take my eyes off the road to operate it.
I also like the wall, what really needs moved somewhere else is the ebrake button.
I have 19. C7 and a 21. C8..I like the wall as give me good access to control the car….make the sissy bar a option…..The driver control should be Primary…
I don’t own a C8 but I think the rendering without the wall looks better.
I’ve owned 2 C8s, along with a number of other Vettes. I found the “Wall” to be 1) Uncomfortable under relatively normal driving conditions such as driving at night in the rain. Not a comfortable situation to be hunting for the defog/defrost. 2) An uncomfortable divider between the driver and the passenger. I always feel like the passenger is inferior. – and I’m guessing they do too.
I’ve had my C8 almost 3 years now and I really like the Great Wall of Buttons. All the HVAC is right at your finger tips.
The wall of buttons is first a safety issue. I drive my car often enough and still have to take my eyes off the road to find the right one. Taking more than a quick glance. There is no vision of the road, thus the safety issue. Yes the passenger buttons need to be moved over to their side. There is a horizontal bar under the media screen that could be used for the buttons. Also, the location of the phone charger is impossible to get to while seated if your over 45. Move it to the right of the media screen, facing the driver.
I forgot to add that my wife feels separated and does not have a handle to assist her.
I do not have a C8 (on a list for a Z06) but I like the rendering with the wall lower, but with all of the controls available to the passenger as well as the driver. The handle, similar to my C7 would be a nice touch. I would prefer to not ‘have to get used to’ the controls being where they are; but making the cockpit a bit more open I feel is a better alternative. I like reaching across the center console and grabbing my wife’s hand when we drive!
Who cares about the Media’s liking\disliking if owners like it. I think it looks great. Functional is being key. Owners, key word here, can still upgrade their audio system w\o losing key interior features like so many other vehicles that put all HVAC, seat controls in the radio head units. This keeps the cockpit organized and good looking while enabling the upgrade of radio head units.
Duh!!
Stop listening to people who won’t own a Corvette.
Yes reduce the size of the roadhead blocker!
I like the controls right where they are. I can find them with my hand without looking. This is a good thing because I don’t get distracted when driving.
I also like tapping my hand on the side of the wall when listening to a favorite song.
As far as a grab bar I think it would look like something hanging on a shower wall.
The GT 2 seats hold us in just fine for aggressive driving.
Remember boys and girls if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
The cockpit is set up very nice in the C8 in my opinion.
Love my Chevy!
Please dont do it
It looks great
It works great
and is unique to the Corvettes
If it aint broke dont fix it
As a C8 Z06 owner the wall is fine leave it alone. If anything were to change I would like to see a passenger grab rail.
I asked my 10 grand kids last night if the wall of buttons should be removed and they all said no.,t would no longer look like a jet fighter cockpit. I like it because when I nail it it seems my wife’s screams aren’t as loud.
Guys you haven’t experienced a Oh Sh.t till you watch your passenger grab the handle above the glove box on a C2( mine is a 1963) as you roar up to a 100mph and the nose starts to lift!
I have a C6 ZR1 – it’s my third Vette thus far but the wall keeps me from liking the interior! Will buy one when they get rid of it!!!
I was offered a C8 Z06 by the dealer for $75k over sticker. Hard pass on that one, it’s a shame that this is happening..
Based on these comments, the majority don’t have any “intimacy” in their C8s!
“Tear down that wall!”
The button wall is fine. It’s unique and looks like a fighter jet cockpit. The cell phone charger.is the problem. It’s in a completely impractical place.
I agree with the “if ain’t broke don’t fix it”. I love the interior the way it is. No problem with the wall.
As a future owner of a C8 (I’m on a list). I cant stand the wall of buttons. it completely separates the driver and passenger and absorbs a gargantuan amount of interior space. When the C8 came out, it baffled me why they did it. Clearly I now understand that it is for the e-ray batteries. Fine put the wall of buttons on the e-ray but clean up the rest of the c8’s. Mclaren, Lamborghini, and Ferrari have al managed to make their interiors cleaner and better laid out. It is time for a change and remove the entire wall.
The only poorly placed buttons on the C8 are the audio favorite/volume controls and the emergency brake button, not a big deal.
I owner 2023 C8 HTC and have on previous C6, C4 and C3 Corvettes.
All of them had unique differences about them for driver interaction with radio and air conditioning controls.
The C8 office, both touchscreen as well as the wall of buttons.
I like the wall or buttons. I hope they leave them there gives a real true sense of driver control, and interaction.
After a little getting used to everything is pretty much second nature to operate.
To the GM designers of the interior, C8, I love what you did to it and keep it the way it is.
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