Chevrolet’s iconic Corvette sports car range will expand with both electrified and fully electric variants, General Motors’ president Mark Reuss confirmed during an interview on Monday morning.
Speaking to Phil LeBeau on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Reuss said that an electrified Corvette C8 will arrive in 2023 followed by a full-electric version later on. He didn’t clarify if the sportscar will use a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid powertrain, nor when we are going to see the EV.
Chevrolet officially confirmed the news after the interview through a teaser video of the hybridized version – as evidenced by the ICE sound and exhaust pipes seen at 9 seconds into the clip. The electrified Corvette can be seen spinning both the front and the rear tires, hinting at all-wheel-drive.
See Also: Could This Be The Hybrid Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray Testing Near The Nürburgring?
Hybrid Corvettes have been spied testing at the Nürburgring for some time now. It is believed that Chevy could use the E-Ray moniker which GM has trademarked since 2015 for the hybrid model(s). Take this information with a grain of sale, but a leaked document from 2020 that was obtained by Hagerty claimed that a range-topping hybrid model under the ‘Zora’ nameplate (or codename) will combine a 5.5-liter turbocharged V8 with an electric motor producing 1,000 horsepower and 975 lb-ft (1,322 Nm). If it’s a plug-in hybrid, then the battery pack will certainly add some weight but it could also allow for a pure-electric driving range of at least 35 miles (56 km). On the same document, there was a second hybrid model listed under the Grand Sport name with a 6.2-lier V8 delivering 600 hp and 500 lb-ft (678 Nm), which could be a regular hybrid, though at this point, it’s all speculation.
Read: Future Corvette C8 Lineup Allegedly Leaked, Includes 1,000 HP Zora Hybrid
While rumors of a fully electric Corvette have been circulating for years, we have very little information on the sports car’s specifications. Back in 2020 and during his campaign, president Joe Biden said GM was working on a Corvette EV that will be capable of hitting 200 mph (322 km/h), although GM spokespersons declined to comment at the time.
Mind you, Chevrolet could also be working on a Corvette-branded SUV that was spotted during GM’s presentation at CES 2021, while the company’s design studio recently shared a sketch that strongly hints at a crossover Corvette. Some sources speculate that it could arrive in 2025, with a possibility of the Corvette nameplate evolving into a fully-fledged sub-brand.