The Chevrolet Corvette turned 70 years old Tuesday, and in celebration the iconic supercar showcased its first hybrid, all-wheel-drive model.
The $104,295, 2024 Corvette E-Ray expands the mid-engine, C8 model’s offering with a grand touring version to complement its ferocious, rear-wheel-drive, $109,295 Z06 performance model and standard, $65,895 Stingray. The E-Ray and Z06 share a wider track and more aggressive body panels compared to the base car, but they diverge under the skin. With a Stealth mode that runs on the battery alone and all-season, AWD grip, E-Ray offers more refinement for the daily driver. A $111,2954 hard-top convertible version of the E-Ray will also be available when the hybrid 'Vette goes on sale late this year.
Not that the E-Ray lacks performance. The Detroit News got a ride along in the E-Ray at General Motors’ Proving Grounds to witness its awesome power and all-wheel grip on a cold January day.
“We’ve long heard from customers they really want AWD to make it a three-or-even-four-season car,” said Executive Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter at Milford. “We weren’t able to do that with front engine architecture, but with mid-engine architecture, that freed up space to enable us to do it.”
With an electric motor up front and 6.2-liter V-8 driving the rears, E-Ray is the quickest Corvette in a straight line yet, accelerating from 0-60 mph in just 2.5 seconds. The hybrid-electric drivetrain makes a combined 655 horsepower and 595 pound-feet of torque (the e-motor’s 160 horsepower complementing the small-block V-8’s 495 ponies). The Z06’s high-revving, 8,500-rpm, GT3-racing-derived, 5.5-liter V-8 — the most powerful, naturally-aspirated production engine made — makes 670 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque for a 2.6 second 0-60 dash. The base, 6.2-liter, 495-horse Stingray also boasts a sub-3-second 0-60 number at 2.9.
Paired with Z06, Juechter says E-Ray “splits the family” in similar fashion to Porsche, which offers parallel grand touring and track-focused models. Think of the all-wheel-drive 911 Carrera 4 compared to the rear-wheel-drive 911 GT3, for example.
In prior generations, Corvette has expanded on its standard model with three performance variants: Grand Sport, Z06 and ZR1. With the addition of E-Ray, The Detroit News anticipates the eighth-generation Corvette lineup will include six trims — including a new Zora hypercar at the summit that will combine electric power, AWD and a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8 for more than 1,000 horsepower.
The 70th birthday celebration is no coincidence. GM sees the hybrid ‘Vette not just as a game-changer with its unique talents, but as a bridge to an electric future where all of the General’s products will be battery-powered.
Corvette engineers say E-Ray was always at the center of plans to build Corvette’s first mid-engine car.
“Starting at the inception of C8, we thought an electrified front axle was the way to go. It’s independent of GM’s commitment to zero emissions,” said Juechter. “The Z06 is mission-specific. It’s focused on the track experience, whereas the E-Ray is an all-arounder. We like to say the Z06 is the scalpel — a sharp instrument for a specific purpose. E-Ray is more of a Swiss Army knife — it’s good at all sorts of things. It’s capable on track, but a great daily driver, and it’s great in inclement weather.”
Juechter noted the similarity to Porsche’s offerings, but for thousands of dollars less. A Porsche Carrera 4 starts at about $115K and a 911 GT3 at $170,000. Significantly, Porsche does not offer a hybrid version. And with the $170,000 Acura NSX hybrid exiting the market at the end last year, the E-Ray is the only electrified supercar in the market for less than $200,000. Other hybrid models range from the $237,500 McLaren Artura to the $2,640,000 Lamborghini Countach.
True to its “affordable supercar” calling card, the Corvette offers performance and comfort to rival European exotics.
“Corvette’s value proposition is part of our history,” said Juechter. “Just because we are going electrified, we don’t feel like we can charge an arm and a leg for that. We want to keep it a car that’s reasonably accessible. It’s not inexpensive, but we feel like we are giving you a really good value.”
At 2.5 seconds, the E-Ray beats the McLaren and Lamborghini to 60 mph, and nearly matches the $524,815, 969-horsepower, three-motor, twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V-8-powered Ferrari SF90 hybrid’s 2.3-second sprint.
The E-Ray achieves its “bargain” status by choosing carefully from the family toolbox.
The hybrid ‘Vette shares its fiberglass body with Z06, which was widened 3.6 inches from the base Stingray to handle more power with bigger tires. E-Ray options the same massive, 11-inch front and 13.5-inch rear Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires that are standard on the Z06. The base tire is a Michelin Pilot Sport all-season wrapped around staggered, 20-inch front and 21-inch rear rims.
Obsessed with lightweighting — at 3,774 pounds, the E-Ray coupe weighs about 300 pounds more than Z06 — engineers kept the powertrain simple compared to three-motor, torque-vectoring systems found in competitive hybrids. The 1,609-horsepower motor and 1.9-kWh battery were developed exclusively for the E-Ray application. Even the lithium-ion, 12-volt battery (which operates the car’s electronics) is bespoke to reduce weight.
Under the rear bonnet is Corvette’s workhorse, 6.2-liter, push-rod V-8 making 495 horses. E-Ray is the only hybrid model that GM offers.
“If you look at the way we do out electrification, it’s very Corvette-like,” said Juechter. “It’s not a replica of technology that you see in other electrified vehicles all the way down to the chemistry in the battery pouches. Everything about this car is designed for performance. You see the same kind of material usage you’ve seen on Corvettes — composites like the battery cover, which is carbon fiber. Our magnesium case for the front drive unit is probably the lightest in the industry — it only weighs a little over 80 pounds.”
Packaging is key to a supercar that promises utility and performance. In that spirit, Juechter’s team used a compact e-motor up front and re-engineered suspension so as not to compromise the “frunk” — front truck — space that fits a small bag. The rear hatchback retains its familiar two-golf bag capacity.
Badging aside, E-Ray is distinguished from Z06 by its tailpipes. E-Ray spits its quad pipes to each corner (like Stingray), while Z06’s quad pipes are centered under the rear license plate.
You may not hear the E-Ray coming either.
The Corvette offers a Stealth mode (along with Tour, Sport, Track, Weather, My Mode and Z-Modes), that runs on the lithium-ion battery under 45 mph. You can wake the neighbors in the morning with a healthy BLAAATT! from the V-8 — or creep around the neighborhood in Stealth mode, emitting only an eerie, federally-mandated electronic noise.“Anybody who has driven a Corvette knows that when you start it, it’s not a subtle thing,” smiled Juechter. “But there are times when you don’t want to wake your neighbors. So we thought: why not use the electric ability to do a neighborhood exit feature.”
The Corvette team developed a unique screen for Stealth mode, and an E-Ray Performance App in the infotainment display to monitor hybrid data. As with the standard Stingray, E-Ray’s twin, digital, driver-focused screens are graphically rich with the infotainment display run by Google’s operating system. You’ll want to keep your eyes glued to the speedo, too — E-Ray gulps landscape in a hurry.
I rode shotgun with engineer Erin Link on “Black Lake,” an enormous asphalt test pad at the north end of GM’s Milford (Michigan) Proving Ground. Link initiated launch control by burying the throttle and braking with both feet. Then he released the brake.
With a V-8 roar, the Corvette e-bliterated 60 mph, cresting at 100 mph moments later. There was no drama. No wheel spin. No fish-tailing. Just relentless acceleration interrupted by lightning-quick shifts from the 8-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
The electric motor assists with “torque fill,” enabling instant twist from the already capable 6.2-liter. Fink said highway mpg numbers should be impressive (when available later this year) as the e-motor works in tandem with 4-cylinder deactivation. The E-Ray doesn’t skimp on stopping power, boasting standard carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes.
Moving to the skid pad, Fink flicked the wheel left, then drifted the E-Ray in a huge circle. Like an AWD rally car, E-Ray makes for easier throttle management with power at all four corners. Magnetic Ride Control is standard, enabling multiple suspension settings.
Buyers can customize their E-Ray from a buffet of additional features, including four aluminum wheel finishes, three carbon-fiber wheel finishes, 14 exterior colors (including new for 2024 Riptide Blue, Seawolf Gray and Cacti), E-Ray-exclusive Electric Blue striping, black exhaust tips, bright badging and two carbon-fiber packages.
Inside, E-Ray offers a choice of three seats and seven interior colors — including a deep-green, Artemis Dipped interior.
E-Rays start rolling off the assembly line in Bowling Green, Kentucky, this summer.
“In 1953, the enthusiastic reaction to the Chevrolet Corvette concept kicked off seven decades of passion, performance and American ingenuity,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “E-Ray, the first electrified, AWD Corvette, takes it a step further and expands the promise of what Corvette can deliver.”
2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray
SpecificationsVehicle type: Mid-engine hybrid, all-wheel-drive, two-passenger sports car
Price: $104,295 for 1LZ coup; $111,295 for 1LZ convertible
Powerplant: Mid-engine, 6.2-liter-liter V-8 combined with front electric motor and 1.9 kWh lithium-ion battery
Power: 655 horsepower, 595 pound-feet of torque (total system power)
Transmission: 8-speed, dual-clutch automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.5 seconds (mnftr). Quarter-mile, 10.5 seconds at 130 MPH
Weight: 3,774 pounds (coupe), 3,856 (convertible)
Fuel economy: NA
