Back in April, Chevrolet gave us the briefest of briefs on upcoming electrified versions of the iconic Corvette sports car. There would be a hybrid, then an all-electric model. When? “As early as next year.” Other details? It would have all-wheel drive. That’s it.
Now, GM has offered up a bunch of other juicy details about the new editions of the eighth-generation Corvette, albeit but not intentionally. An online visualizer for the first-ever hybrid Corvette was allegedly accidentally published on Chevrolet’s website and was quickly taken down, but not before some forum users captured and posted screenshots, per Jalopnik.
So what information was revealed? First, there’s the name: the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray. It’s a play on the Stingray, a historic name in the Corvette lineage, and the current name of the base C8 ‘Vette. As MotorTrend explained, “E-Ray” has not only been trademarked by GM for almost a decade, but the trademark was renewed in 2020 “generating speculation it could finally arrive for the C8 generation.” In other words, this was an exciting confirmation, but not an unexpected one.
Now, the unexpected reveals. As Jalopnik pointed out, the first E-Ray hybrid appears to not have a charging port in the visualizer images that leaked, which means this will not be a plug-in hybrid. Instead, the outlet expects the powertrain to feature the base Stingray’s 6.2-liter V8 engine paired with an electric motor (motors?) on the front axle. The body appears to take on the higher-powered Corvette Z06’s shape (wider, with more macho details, though there are some differences), but with new five-spoke wheels. For add-ons, there’s a new ZER Performance Package that will include Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, among other upgrades.
On the inconsequential but delightful side, the color palette is expanding with new hues like a green Cacti and Sea Wolf Grey. And for those who live in right-hand drive countries, the E-Ray will also be offered in that configuration, as the blog GM Authority learned.
The most important detail of all? According to the visualizer, the first E-Ray hybrid will be available in the summer of 2023. So don’t worry, this one (hopefully) won’t get pushed to next December or later because of supply-chain issues.
But the most interesting tidbit to come out of all of this, in my humble opinion, is a quote provided by a Chevy representative to a Corvette blog after the supposed visualizer gaffe: “Looks like the holidays came early for a few astute Corvette fans. Stay tuned for more.”
Wait a second, that sounds a little too cheery. Did Chevy “leak” this info themselves? Are they trying to drum up interest in the lead-up to the legitimate reveal by “accidentally” publishing a visualizer knowing that these voracious bloggers and tweeters and posters are going to find it? That’s a conspiracy theory I can get behind.
More Like This
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
