Chevrolet unveils Corvette E-Ray

Hybrid power and a red-blooded V8 combine in a wild performance car package coming to Australian roads.

2023 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray.

This is the hybrid for hoons.

Chevrolet’s Corvette E-Ray combines an electric motor with a thumping V8 engine similar to those found in Bathurst-inspired Holden Commodores.

It has more power than Porsche’s 911 Turbo S and promises faster acceleration for less than half the price – in America, at least.

2023 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray.

Built to celebrate Chevrolet’s 70th anniversary, the new Corvette E-Ray has the same mid-mounted 6.2-litre, 369kW and 637Nm V8 engine as the Corvette Stingray already sold in Australia.

The big change is under the front bonnet, where an additional electric motor sends 120kw to the front wheels.

2023 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray.

The resulting 481kW of combined power is enough to send the coupe to 60 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds, which should translate to a 100km/h (62mph) dash in well less than three seconds.

Unlike the plug-in hybrid Ferrari 296 GTB supercar, the Corvette is a simpler affair similar to the “self-charging” petrol-electric machines in Toyota showrooms.

2023 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray.

A relatively small 1.9kWh battery allows for short periods of silent running in a new “stealth mode”, as well as explosive performance on the racetrack.

Wider than the regular Corvette, the E-Ray wears fat tyres measuring 275mm in the front and 345mm in the rear – some 30mm and 40mm more than normal models.

Carbon ceramic brakes help keep the car’s weight to a little more than 1700 kilos, or about 180kg more than the standard car.

2023 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray.

A spokesman for Chevrolet’s Australian arm, General Motors Special Vehicles, said the E-Ray is on its way to Australia.

“It is with great excitement that we can confirm that the next-gen Corvette, the E-Ray, will make its way down under,” he said.

“Stay tuned for more details.”

American customers can buy the E-Ray for $US104,295 ($150,000) plus on-road costs, or less than half the price of a Porsche with equivalent performance.

We don’t know how much it will cost in Australia, or when it will arrive.

2023 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray.

Tadge Juechter, chief engineer for the Corvette, says the machine remains true to Chevrolet’s performance car values.

“Corvettes must provide an exhilarating driving experience on backroads and tracks, and E-Ray nails it,” he said.

“The electrification technology enhances the feeling of control in all conditions, adding an unexpected degree of composure.”

2023 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray.

The E-Ray is the first hybrid Corvette and the first of its kind with all-wheel-drive. But it won’t be the last – Chevrolet is rumoured to be working on a significantly more powerful Corvette “Zora” that uses twin turbochargers to push power far beyond anything the brand has offered before.