The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette, set to be released in the second half of 2023, will use a hybrid of gas and electric power to become the classic brand’s fastest edition ever. The E-Ray can go from zero to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds. According to General Motors, the car can cover a quarter mile in 10.5 seconds.
“This car’s mission is to go fast. And a hybrid matching the electric motor in the front and the ICE in the rear is meant to go fast,” Mark Wakefield, an automotive analyst with AlixPartners, told The Associated Press last week. “Yes, it has some benefits of being slightly more environmentally friendly. But this is not a Prius.”
In addition to being the fastest Corvette ever, the hybrid E-Ray is also the first all-wheel drive version of the car. Even though its slightly faster than race track-ready Corvettes like the Z06 and Z07, Corvette’s executive chief engineer said the E-Ray is better for the daily commute.
“For the same money you can get all-wheel-drive, and comfort, security, and the livability that comes with a car like this,” Tadge Juechter said. “We’ve really divided the family into pure track and to everyday utility.”
The price for the E-Ray is $104,000. It is being unveiled exactly 70 years after the first Corvette was introduced in New York back in 1953. The hybrid version of the vehicle is considered a step toward an all-electric version of the car that will come out at an unspecified date.
“This is going to propel the Corvette to a new set of markets,” Wakefield said. “Corvette has never meant anachronism or sticking to the past. Corvette has been the best of what General Motors can do in a sports car.”
As Wakefield touched on earlier, unlike most hybrids, the new Corvette is not really made for efficiency. While it will get a little better city mileage than a standard Stingray at 16 mpg, it will do worse than the standard Corvette’s 24 mpg on the highway. This is due to higher mass and air drag.
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