Most people hate it.
Hold onto your gear shifts, Corvette enthusiasts! The notorious "wall of buttons" that debuted with the eighth-generation C8 model may soon become automotive history—or so the rumor mill suggests. Introduced as an ambitious redesign, this button-clad monolith has garnered both fanfare and eye-rolls since its unveiling. Now, insiders are murmuring that 2025 may witness the fall of the Great Wall of Buttons.
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It's been said that the path to controversy is paved with bold design choices. Chevrolet's Corvette C8 took that literally, with a dash and console set-up that put a plethora of controls at your fingertips, though perhaps too many. But the whispers about this infamous feature's potential last days have been around almost as long as the car itself. As soon as 2021, rumblings began that Chevy might be readying the metaphorical sledgehammers. Now, new whispers suggest 2024 may mark the last year we see the feature.
Before we put the wall on the chopping block, it's worth noting that these reports are far from confirmed. In fact, the rumor itself seems like the third cousin twice-removed from the horse's mouth: Corvette Blogger says it's a second-hand account, overheard from Chevrolet engineers during a casual event. A dollop of skepticism is in order, but the timing—five years after the 2020 model hit the streets—makes this buzz harder to dismiss.
Moreover, Michael Simcoe, the high priest of GM’s design sanctuary, reportedly isn't a member of the Button Wall fan club. Although official channels from Chevrolet have offered the classic "no comment" when pressed on the matter, Simcoe's purported distaste for the feature adds a dash of veracity to these whispers.
It's not all doom and gloom for the wall. Owners who've grown fond of the panel argue that the layout is intuitive and easy to use, despite its unconventional approach. The button array may run back-to-front instead of side-to-side, causing some initial head-scratching, but it offers quick access to a range of features. Nevertheless, the towering nature of the wall has been criticized for making the cockpit feel a bit more, well, snug than one might prefer in a sportscar.
Will the wall persevere or fall into the annals of automotive quirk history? It's survived speculation of its disappearance before, so only time—and perhaps future models—will tell. Keep those seat belts fastened; the Corvette story is far from over, and it promises to be a ride full of twists and turns.
