It looks like Chevrolet is still keen on a hybrid or all-electric supercar flagship.
The General Motors (GM) subsidiary has once again filed a trademark application for the name ‘E-Ray’ with the US Patent and Trademark Office, sparking reports out of North America that an electrified Corvette is still on the cards.
It’s not the first time we’ve heard of a potential Corvette E-Ray, however, as Chevrolet originally filed a trademark at the end of 2015, before the latest mid-engined Corvette C8 had even been revealed.
Now, the trademark doesn’t specifically link the E-Ray name to the Corvette, but given both the current and previous Corvette generations have been given ‘Stingray’ branding, it’s not hard to draw the link.
Chevrolet and GM have been very tight-lipped about any notion of an electrified supercar, with no mention of an E-Ray the company’s recent EV Day product presentation in March.
However, recent reports indicate the E-Ray name could be used on a hybrid ‘Vette, pairing a 6.2-litre V8 driving the rear axle and an electric motor on the front – making it the first Corvette with all-wheel drive.
The Corvette E-Ray is said to be joined by upcoming Grand Sport, Z06, ZR1 and ‘Zora’ versions of the new ‘Vette, though it’s unclear whether COVID-19 will shuffle the company’s plans in terms of investing in a low-volume performance flagship. Time will tell.
So far the only confirmed EV models from GM are the revival of the Hummer nameplate (under the GMC brand) due in 2021, the production version of the Cadillac Lyriq concept in 2022, as well as a number of other new EV products under the Chevrolet and Buick brands – with 20 new models due by 2023.
Just 13 out of the 20 new models has been outlined officially by GM, so it may only be a matter of time before a Corvette E-Ray is detailed in the lead-up to the company’s 2023 deadline – though if the E-Ray is a hybrid, not an electric vehicle, it could see a different timeline.
The electrified product onslaught forms part of General Motors’s mission to sell 1 million electric vehicles per annum in China and North America by 2025.
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