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Is General Motors Readying A Sporty All-Electric Coupe?

Last week, General Motors announced it will bring 20 new battery-electric cars to market by 2023 and two of them will arrive within the next 18 months. That’s a lot of product.

GM also attached a teaser photo to the announcement, which shows the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, the automaker’s first step in its aggressive electrification plans, flanked by what we assume are a handful of the coming electric cars. At first glance, there’s nothing special about the silver sheets sitting the background, but a closer look reveals one interesting silhouette.

Unlike the other cloaked cars, one doesn’t have a tall roof or a long wheelbase: it looks short, features a long hood and a pronounced rear wheel arch. We think GM may have a sporty electric coupe in the pipeline.

GM announces 20 new electric vehicles - Chevrolet Bolt

While we can’t confirm what kind of car it is, its proportions lend itself to the Camaro with the long hood, sloping roofline and muscular rear hips. But, it could be an all-new vehicle, too, or even a Cadillac. It’s safe to say this is a two-door model, however, noting the point where a side mirror sits and the space from the door to the outlined wheel shape.

We should note, Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser previously said a Camaro hybrid—and presumably an electric variant—is not on the table “while I have the keys to the store.” “It’s not in the DNA. I wouldn’t say ‘never’ but it’s not in the DNA of the Camaro. Those of us that work on the Camaro are purists, we love the original, long hood, the strong shoulders, the mantra that ‘nobody needs a Camaro, they want a Camaro,'” he said last year.

Therefore, the jury is out on what this particular car may be. But, it’s real, and it’s coming by 2023.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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Comments

  1. Why not? Tesla’s Roadster was their first car.

    Reply
    1. Except Tesla is failing with sales horrible, targets not met, financial trickery, and a whole lot of excuses. Dont know if that is something that should be copied.

      Oh, and you seem to forgot that GM already had an all electric car decades ago (way ahead of Tesla) and again with the Chevy Bolt.

      Reply
    2. Not a good example. It was not a good sports car, it was not even a very good EV. It was the best at the time as there was little else in EV out. Even worse it did not make money.

      Reply
      1. That is not the issue.

        The point is that Tesla’s first all-electric car was a sports car, and that Tesla followed a sound commercial marketing strategy: since EV can’t avoid to be significantly more expensive than a petrol buring car, start with cars for those people who have money to spare for something extravagant, do not try to start with a car for the masses who have to turn every penny three times before they can spend it.

        Reply
        1. The truth is they could not afford to do their own first car and relied on Lotus as a vehicle to save development cost. They gained enough stock value to do the S model.

          The Lotus saved them much in cost and it helped Lotus who is always struggling to make money.

          Reply
          1. BTW, Lotus is now 100% owned by Geely.

            And Geely does have enough money to spend.

            Reply
  2. If it’s not a bigger crossover given the way that the market it, it’s a mistake.

    The new Volt should have been more of a traditional hatchback instead of a hatchback that looks like a sedan without the added room of a hatchback.

    Reply
  3. Fingers crossed for a new model from Buick or Cadillac. It’s about time the sporty American luxury coupe made a comeback!

    Reply
    1. Cheque and pen in hand.

      Reply
  4. We should be happy that GM is working on an elektric Sportcoupe. This could be a successor to the Cadillac ELR now as Elektric ELR as Coupe and also as a roadster sports car. You can also develop a SUV, sedan and estate. The customer then has the choice and can no longer whine. It is also important that finally large trailers can be pulled. This requires a 6-speed gearbox, so that the e-motor also has the power. you can save energy immensely and increase range. GM has understood the customers! This is interesting in a 4X4 version. A race series would be great.

    This is an exclusive GM market milestone. Of course I also want a Buick, Vauxhall, Holden and OPEL on this base.

    For OPEL and Vauxhall an FIA R5 rally car would be super, whereby the current recharge could be omitted during the rally. Should GM / OPEL times simulate and then real test.

    Reply
  5. I hope that the electric coupe is a Cadillac and that it is also offered as a convertible

    Reply
  6. Whatever it is, I hope they release it sooner rather than later – really no competition in the coupe hybrid/EV segment right now. I think that vehicle looks like a Camaro, which would be cool and I hope GM execs have enough foresight to put that into production despite what “purists” like that engineer think (they can still make the V8 too of course). If it’s decently quick and gets 40+mpg I’ll buy one right away!

    Reply
  7. A coupe is fine and it needs to be its own model. I would say a Cadillac would be the best to start with as a couple as it could support the lower volume at the higher price better and support Cadillacs image as a high tech brand.

    The transformation to all electric is not going to be overnight or with these models. It will take time to gain the support for charging, advances in technology and the ability to make them as profitable as ICE models.

    If China and parts of Europe push an electric agenda GM will be in a good place to pick up volume there to help with lowering cost.

    This is a good move but this is only the start of the journey and it will be a long road.

    Reply
  8. If General Motors is going all in with electric and/or fuel cell vehicles, it would be insanity to leave one segment of the market open for a competitor to take; thus, we should expect GM not to have just one sporty EV as we should expect General Motors to build a couple of electric or fuel cell sports cars just like they have now with the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette.

    Although it could be a serious mistake to stop building current cars when there is no infrastructure in place to recharge EV.

    Reply
  9. There is no plan to stop building ICE vehicles anytime soon. Something has to pay the bills for EV development.

    Reply
  10. you all do realize that those are just current chevy’s that are cloaked to give the impression that they have finished products waiting. Those are all gas powered vehicles. Gm does have prototypes for about half of the models that they want to release, but no finished products that is available to roll out onto the stage. Even for the two or three that they do, would they let them get that much exsposure this far away from release? I think not. That’s a standard camero just as there is a standard last gen traverse two cars to its left. they might build a mild hybrid camero by 2025, but my guess is that Cadillac and corvette will make them first. Camaros are traditionalist muscle cars. electrification is a sure fire way to sell more mustangs

    Reply
    1. This. Exactly.

      Reply
    2. Well the Mustang is getting a hybrid in 2020, and obviously long-term that’s the way sportscars are going (many of the fastest recent sportscars are hybrids or electric – LaFerrari, Porsche 918, NIO EP9, Tesla S P100D, etc.). No one is saying they need to scrap the ICE models as soon as a hybrid/ev is in the lineup, it’s silly to delay progress and put yourself behind the competition because some people feel it doesn’t fit the car’s image.

      Reply
  11. I would be okay with this…other than the fact it would probably make me want to sell my 2nd gen Volt (which I adore) and buy it instead!

    Reply
  12. Chevrolet Camaro will have some forum of hybrid system on it in these future, count on it.

    Reply
  13. Cadillac Sports car/Coupe.

    Reply

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