The first hybrid Chevrolet Corvette is coming soon.
Chevy confirmed the debut of the electrified Vette for January 17 in an Instagram post on Tuesday, posting a video showing part of the car, which will be called the Corvette E-Ray.
The video reveals that the car will feature a stealth mode, allowing it to drive on its own with electricity. However, there are no details on what range or top speed will be possible in this mode.
Unmasked prototypes are currently being tested in the wild, and photos of the car briefly surfaced on Chevy’s website last month. They confirm that the Corvette E-Ray will feature the same wide-body styling as the Corvette Z06 that arrived for 2023, although the Z06 features black accents for its aero parts, while the E-Ray sticks with the body color.
The E-Ray is expected to feature one, or possibly two, electric motors driving the front axle and the regular Corvette Stingray’s 6.2-liter V8 driving the rear axle. An electric motor integrated into the C8 Corvette’s 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and capable of driving the rear wheels is also a possibility, according to a recent patent.
The peak power should be between 600 and 650 hp. A more powerful hybrid configuration is expected during the C8 Corvette product cycle and rumor has it that it will be a top-of-the-line variant called the Zora.
Corvette E-Ray sales are scheduled to begin this summer.
Chevy is eventually planning to introduce an all-electric Corvette, though most likely not before the arrival of a redesigned C9 Corvette. General Motors has announced that by 2035 all of its light vehicles will run on electricity. What might surprise some is that we may eventually see the electric Corvette lineup expand with additional body styles like an SUV. However, nothing has been confirmed in this regard.