GM’s Mark Reuss confirms on LinkedIn the hybrid and battery-electric Corvette.
- The Chevrolet Corvette Hybrid could hit dealers as early as next year.
- Chevrolet will adapt General Motors’ Ultium platform to underpin an electric Corvette in the future.
- The hybrid ‘Vette will very likely use an electric motor on its front axle to give it all-wheel drive.
Automakers expend a ton of effort to keep their precious secrets safe from corporate espionage. Though, some decisions are so obvious that it’s hard to keep them under wraps. For example, since the latest-generation Corvette’s launch, it was expected that America’s sports car would see a hybrid drivetrain. Well, General Motors President Mark Reuss went to LinkedIn to confirm the Corvette team is working on both a hybrid and a battery-electric ‘Vette.
Reuss writes, “Yes, in addition to the amazing new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and other gas-powered variants coming, we will offer an electrified and a fully electric, Ultium-based Corvette in the future. In fact, we will offer an electrified Corvette as early as next year. Details and names to come at a later date.”
While we expected the hybrid Corvette because of a few interesting notes in the owner’s manual, the battery-electric Corvette was speculated but far from confirmed. Sure, we saw General Motors file for the E-Ray trademark, which pointed toward a battery-electric ‘Vette, but nothing was concrete. This week, Reuss confirming that the Corvette team is working on an Ultium-based Corvette basically puts an end to the speculation.
Now, Reuss specifically notes that names and specifics are still to come. What we can see from the video are a few details the company wanted out in the open, including one detail: Corvette is going all-wheel-drive—you can see all four wheels throwing snow. Chevrolet doesn’t explicitly mention that this camo-covered Corvette is either model, though you can see the heat distortion coming from the Corvette’s rear, which points to an internal-combustion engine. Combine that with an electric motor at the front axle, and it points to this video likely being the Corvette hybrid.
As you saw in the quote above, this is happening soon. Reuss notes that an electrified Corvette could launch as early as next year. That would make sense, as it would be a follow-up to the latest Zo6 variant. Of course, details and specifics are to come, but you can almost expect a surge in performance metrics to help compensate for additional weight that comes with hybrid hardware. Regardless, it looks like the C8 Corvette is going to bring bigger changes to the Corvette name than just where the company puts the engine.
Keyword: Chevrolet Confirms Corvette Is Going Electric