Photo: cochespias/Instagram
Hybrid and fully electric variants of the Chevrolet Corvette are on the way, General Motors president Mark Reuss confirmed back in April. The former will launch in 2023, most likely as a 2024 model, while the latter will follow about a year later.
The names have yet to be set in stone (“E-Ray” has been mentioned by some, like an electrified Stingray, of course) and we still don’t know whether the hybrid variant will be a plug-in or not, but Chevy released a short video teasing the car in cold-weather testing.
Another video from a few days ago is setting social media ablaze. No wonder: it shows a prototype catching fire during tests in Spain’s Sierra Nevada.
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The scene is pretty awful to watch, and as the latter part of the video shows, there is not much left of the car following the work of firefighters.
According to Road & Track, testing began back in the spring. GM sent the magazine the following statement about the incident:
“A Corvette development vehicle undergoing extreme testing by one of our suppliers last week had a thermal incident. All who were involved are safe as this is our top priority. We are investigating the situation with the supplier… The car was a specialized testing mule with a setup that’s not indicative of what an actual customer would receive, so it is different than what many people are speculating the car might be.”
Information obtained by the Society of Automotive Engineers in March of 2021 suggests the hybrid Corvette will combine the Stingray’s 6.2-litre V8 engine (495 hp, 470 lb-ft.) with a pair of electric motors and generate a total of more than 600 horsepower.
A reveal is likely to take place later in 2022 if the car indeed goes on sale next year as GM announced. As usual, keep following The Car Guide for the latest news on the Corvette.
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