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Chevrolet Says Its In No Hurry To Fully Electrify The Corvette As Thunderous V8 Remains
In the latest statement to the media, Tony Roma, head of Chevrolet’s engineering department for the Corvette model, clearly confirmed that Chevrolet is still not thinking about ‘Vettas that will be powered by electric motor(s) instead of the famous thunderous V8 engine. The reason is extremely simple: For now, there are no interested buyers who like the idea of an electric Corvette.
In keeping with trends, Chevrolet has meanwhile done work on the first Corvette C8, whose centrally located 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine is assisted by an electric motor above the front axle, so buyers of the partially electrified two-seater with drive through both axles can count on a combined 655 horsepower, which is enough to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.7 seconds and 257 km/h.
“I talked to many people, enthusiasts, friends, fellow engineers… and we agreed that there is no need to go full electrification of the Corvette just because of imposed trends that, as time goes by, show many shortcomings. At the end of the day, why make a car that no one wants to buy?” says Roma, whose thinking is supported by Chevrolet director Mary Barra, who also stated that one should be guided by the wishes of customers.
Regardless of all the disagreements, Chevrolet is sticking to its earlier plan that starting in 2035 it will no longer have models powered by internal combustion engines, and time will tell if the plans will be sustainable.
