A prototype Corvette shown off earlier this year. | Image: Chevy
Chevy has accidentally leaked a few details about its upcoming electrified Corvette, with a virtual model of the sports car appearing via the companyās online virtualizer, according to Corvette Blogger. This has revealed some new details about the car, known as the 2024 Corvette E-Ray, such as what colors itāll come in and what packages will be available, as well as hints about exactly how itāll make use of electric motors.
When Chevy announced that it was making an electrified Corvette earlier this year, it wasnāt clear whether itād be a plug-in hybrid or just a regular hybrid, which would rely solely on regenerative breaking to fill its batteries. The model in the visualizer (which you can see some pictures of below ā itās since been yanked from Chevyās site) doesnāt appear to have a charging port, which would imply that you wonāt be able to plug it in and drive it purely on electric power.
If you want to be able to plug in your car, Chevy has said it has a fully electric Corvette in the works that will be ācoming very quickā after the hybrid.
While the visualizer revealed a lot of things that Corvette buyers may care about (you can get a red interior and carbon fiber wheels), there are still a lot of details left unanswered. As The Drive points out, the configurator didnāt have any information about fuel economy, price, battery specifications, or which buttons would activate regenerative braking.
For that first point, the E-Ray seems more like a car that goes with hybrid tech, not for the fuel savings ā itās paired with a V8, after all ā but for the instant, off-the-line torque that sports car drivers crave.
As General Motors goes big on EVs, announcing things like electric midrange SUVs, trucks, and monstrosities like the Hummer EV, the company has hinted that it could spin Corvette off as its own separate brand by 2025, according to Car and Driver. The lineup would presumably include the hybrid and fully electric two-door sports cars weāve discussed today, as well as a four-door version and even an SUV (because nothing screams speed, handling, and road feel like an SUV).