While we’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of the 670HP 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the folks at GM have been working on what’s next for the Corvette… and if you thought the idea of a mid-engine Corvette was sacrilegious, you guys might want to sit down for this one!
General Motors President Mark Reuss sat down this morning with CNBC’s Phil LeBeau, where he confirmed that the company will release an electrified and a fully electric Corvette in the very near future, with the hybrid model coming as early as next year.
The electric Corvette will use GM’s Ultium battery platform, and based on the video above, it would appear that the electrified Vette will be all-wheel drive, as you can see the front wheels start spinning before the rears. My guess is that the hybrid Corvette will retain a gas motor powering the rear wheels and an electric motor(s) for the front wheels.
No word on whether the hybrid Corvette will use the regular C8’s 6.2-liter pushrod V8 or the Z06’s new 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8, but either way, we expect the car to make a combined horsepower north of 700HP, with some rumors stating it could be pushing 1,000-horsepower!
Reuss posted the following statement on his personal LinkedIn page:
Some time ago we moved the Corvette team into the EV space in Warren, Michigan, and when we revealed the new mid-engine Corvette, I said there would be “more to come.” This morning I sat down with Phil LeBeau of CNBC and finally answered the question I’ve been asked countless times.
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.
In addition, we also announced today Ultium Platform’s energy recovery system, a patented onboard system that takes the heat generated by EV batteries and uses it to warm the cabin, create more efficient charging conditions, and even increase vehicle acceleration. And it can boost the vehicle’s range by about 10%. It’s a perfect example of how developing a ground-up EV platform like Ultium enables unique features not easily done with a retrofit.
Big news day at GM!
Now before anyone gets their panties in a wad, Reuss says that Chevrolet will continue selling internal combustion engine versions of the Corvettes alongside fully electric versions.
That said, an all-wheel drive Corvette with crazy amounts of horsepower, that sounds like a whole lot of fun. So what say you, are you excited for the Corvette’s electrified future? Let us know in the comments section below.
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