Chevy Makes Shocking Change To Its Corvette
Chevy has announced that major changes are in store for its iconic Corvette.
As the demand for electric vehicles continues to spike, the world’s leading car manufacturers are scrambling to build the best versions. General Motors told the New York Times it plans to go mostly electric by 2035. Now, the Detroit-based company is living up to that promise. Early this week, GM President Mark Reuss said the carmaker will produce a fully electric Chevy Corvette followed by an all-electric version of the iconic sports car.
Reuss made the announcement in a post on LinkedIn. But he didn’t say exactly when the electric Chevy Corvette would be released, or whether the electrified model would be a traditional hybrid or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. However, in an interview with CNBC, he hinted that it would be available relatively soon. “We will have an electrified Corvette next year, so it’s coming very quickly,” Reuss told the publication.
“This is in addition to all of the great performance that Chevrolet and Corvette have been known for, for many, many years with our internal combustion engines.” As such, the American automaker will continue to manufacture traditional models with internal combustion engines alongside the electric version of the Chevy Corvette. A video was also posted to GM’s Chevrolet Twitter account, showing what appears to be a hybrid Corvette.
And in another first, the mini clip also showcases the front wheels of the Chevy spinning and throwing snow as if being powered independently. This is very interesting since all Corvettes previously produced by the company have been rear-wheel-drive only. So perhaps the new models will feature four-wheel drive capability too.
Although the announcement implies the upcoming hybrid Chevy Corvette will be based on the vehicle’s current generation, it’s not clear if the EV version will be a variation of the flagship design or completely different. Rumors that the current generation of the Corvette, with its gasoline engine mounted behind the seats, could be built with a hybrid system. Reuss has also previously hinted there would be electrified variants of the car, CNN Business reports.
At present, the Chevy Corvette only comes in the base Stingray version with a 6.2-liter V8 engine producing up to 495 horsepower. A 670 horsepower Corvette Z06 with a 5.5-liter V8 was unveiled in the latter part of 2021. The previous generation of the vehicle included a 755-horsepower ZR1 version. While nothing similar has been announced for the current model, engineers at General Motors say the biggest reason for putting the engine in the back was to allow for better performance at extremely high horsepower levels.
An all-electric or hybrid Chevy Corvette would be the next logical step for the company. Besides saving on gas, hybrid systems can also be used in high-performance cars to add additional power. They can also provide quicker acceleration since electric motors can power the wheels more quickly than gas engines.
General Motors’ electric Chevy Corvettes reveal comes amid increased pressure for legacy car manufacturers to better compete against Tesla. As such, GM announced plans to exclusively sell electric vehicles by 2035. The company is in the process of releasing 30 new EVs worldwide by 2025 through a $35 billion investment in electric and autonomous vehicles, according to CNBC.
