For its eighth-generation, Chevrolet threw out the Corvette playbook and put the engine in the middle instead of up front. That wasn’t the end of its desire to shake things up, though. The automaker is now promising another variant that is unlike any model that came before it, and it will unveil on Tuesday, January 17. Chevrolet made the announcement today with a short video that it shared on Facebook. Showing a version of the Corvette driving on a snowy test track, as well as on city streets, the automaker promised that “after 70 years, we’re introducing one like none,” next week. We anticipate that this will be the long-awaited hybrid version of the model, the Corvette E-Ray.
Indeed, the model seen in this video
features a “Stealth Mode,” which could allow owners to start their vehicle in
electric mode, silencing the 6.2-liter V8 engine that is still expected to
power the car. Although details of the hybrid drivetrain remain a mystery,
leaked documents suggest that it will be capable of making up to 600 hp and 678 Nm of torque.
A video of the car that was previously
published by Chevrolet, meanwhile, showed its front wheels spinning and kicking
up snow under acceleration. That suggests that the hybrid model will gain some
form of propulsion at the front wheels that is likely to come in the form of at
least one electric motor. Although this is expected to be a slightly more
luxurious model, rather than an out-and-out performer like the Corvette Z06,
the model featured in this video does have carbon ceramic disc brakes, to help
slow the presumably heavier model down.
Many questions remain about this model,
though. Late last year, the car’s configurator went live ahead of schedule,
revealing a number of design details, and color choices. On that rendering of
the Corvette, though, a charging port could not be seen, raising the
possibility that this will be a simple hybrid, and not a plug-in hybrid.
Small print seen in leaked images of the
Corvette E-Ray’s build-and-price tool, meanwhile, revealed that hopeful buyers
will have to wait until the summer before they can finally get their hands on a
production model. Check back in with us on January 17 for all the details on
the new Corvette E-Ray when they become available.