When even Ferraris these days can be a hybrid, enthusiasts should perhaps not be surprised that America's sports car is getting "electrified."
Even draped in speckled test-mule camouflage, the silhouette is unmistakably C8 mid-engine Corvette as it slides into view. But the teaser video shared by General Motors President Mark Reuss in his recent LinkedIn post shows not only the familiar guttural growl as the rear tires claw for traction on the frozen landscape, but also something new: there's propulsion at the front wheels, too, for the first time in the storied model's almost-70-year history. It's an electrified 'vette, with rear-wheel-drive thrust provided by some type of V8 (either the base model's pushrod 6.2 LT or the upcoming ZO6 DOHC 5.5L V8 LT6) and one motor powering each front wheel. It's unknown at press time where the battery will be housed, although the combination promises to provide not only increased fuel economy but lower the already blistering 3.3 second 0-60 and 11.5 quarter-mile times of even the base model 'vette.
"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," Reuss revealed in the post. "In fact, we will offer an electrified Corvette as early as next year. Details and names to come at a later date."
It's not yet known whether the new — let's call her "Evette" for now — will be a plug-in (such as the Ferrari SF 90 Stradale) or regular hybrid, although for repairers, the same precautions apply. GM has already committed to producing 30 new global electric vehicles by 2025 in "multiple styles and price points," so repairers will want to prepare now for a growing population of them, including how to assess a battery in a collision-damaged vehicle is intact. Proper safety techniques for working on Hybrid/EV electronics will be just one topic G. Jerry Truglia will cover in "HYBRIDS & EVS: Understanding and Diagnosing Hybrid / Electric Vehicles" at Accelerate: A Motor Age Training Event, Oct. 15, in Rosemont, Ill.
