Time to fire up the eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette speculation machine, folks. Just one year after the C7 Corvette Stingray came kicking and screaming into the world, it’s been confirmed that work on the C8 is already underway. The tidbit comes from the Detroit Free Press , which buried the news in a story about employee morale at General Motors.
We’re not sure anything could rally the troops like developing GM’s next-generation halo ride. And that ride could be even more interesting: The Freep‘s report is based on conversations with GM product chief Mark Reuss, who also “would not rule out a hybrid or electric Vette.”
Such information from Reuss could simply be lip service to our eco-obsessed era, or it could be indicative of Chevrolet’s thought process surrounding the next Corvette. In our view, it’s a mix of the two. GM would be wise to explore alternative powertrain options for the next Corvette both to comply with ever-tightening regulations and to extract even more performance from America’s sports car. But rather than serving up the next Vette one way, it’s plausible that Chevy plans to build C8 variants with and without alternative powertrain tech.
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A Corvette using even light electrification might sound heretical, but so did the idea of a hybridized Ferrari. Consider that frontier properly and expertly explored. Cars like the LaFerrari, McLaren P1, and Porsche 918 Spyder prove that electrification and internal combustion can deliver dizzying performance, so if it makes the next Vette (or one version) zestier, why not? Don’t worry, it probably won’t be named “Corvolt,” “Corvamp,” or “Priusray.” “Corvectron” sure has a nice ring to it, though . . .
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