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GM Considering Electric Corvette Sedan To Battle Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan

The eighth-generation Chevy Corvette C8 is unlike any production Corvette to come before it, offering a mid-engine layout and, as is the case for the upcoming C8 E-Ray, an all-wheel drive hybrid powertrain. Now, GM Authority has learned from sources familiar with the matter that GM is considering a new electric Corvette sedan to rival the Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S.

News that GM is thinking about building a new purely electric Corvette shouldn’t come as a surprise. Back in April, The General teased the new C8 E-Ray with a brief video showing the hybrid supercar spinning all four across a blanket of snow. That same week, GM President Mark Reuss confirmed that GM would also offer a “fully electric, Ultium-based Corvette in the future.”

Indeed, with GM poised the pivot to all-electric power across its new passenger vehicle lineup by 2035, the prospect of an electric Corvette model is, at this point at least, inevitable. Although Reuss declined to provide any specifics in April, GM Authority has already examined the various scenarios in which such a model could come to market, with the most likely scenario being an all-new vehicle beyond the current Y2-based C8, thus supporting GM’s head-first dive into the EV segment.

In terms of platform, then, the most obvious candidate is the new GM BEV3 architecture, likely the low-roof variant. Providing the motivation will be the next-generation of GM Ultium batteries and GM Ultium drive motors, which, as GM Authority covered previously, are expected to provide a maximum driving range of 500 to 600 miles.

The new electric Corvette will also be relatively large in terms of exterior dimensions, likely around the same size as the Porsche Taycan or Porsche Panamera, a requirement to fit the new, rather sizable batteries. The underpinnings will also share similarities with the upcoming range of Cadillac EV sedan models.

Further highlights for the new electric Corvette sedan will include a variety of different performance levels, as well as extensive weight saving techniques, the latter of which is particularly important for a performance-oriented EV.

Expect the new electric Corvette sedan to launch roughly mid-decade.

What do you think, dear reader? Does the idea of a new electric Corvette sedan entice, or repulse? Let us know in the poll below, and make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more mid-engine Corvette news, Corvette C8 news, Corvette news, Chevrolet news and around-the-clock GM news coverage.

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Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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Comments

  1. This is as bad as Olds naming everything Cutlass in the 80’s

    Taking a model name and placing it on several unlike models is just a way to to destroy great name equity.

    If the so called Corvette sedan and SUV were good enough they would create their own name equity. If you need to glom on the corvette name you had better see what you could do to improve the product.

    This is as bad a Mach E using the Mustang name.

    I can see why they are doing this as they want to race them in NASCAR. That is coming as they all have told NASCR they want to racecEV products in some way.

    Reply
    1. Leave the car as a sports car not a taxi

      Reply
      1. Leave the Corvette alone as a sports car. Maybe make the Camero a high performance Electric sedan that chould also race in Nascar

        Reply
    2. Idk if they are even doing it as how often has any idea bad or good actually been approved by GM bean counters?

      But while we’re here….. corvair anyone?

      Reply
    3. @C8.R – I absolutely agree. You mention Oldsmobile and Ford diluting strong model nameplates. Another example is Chevy pasting an SS badge on nearly everything in the first decade of this century. A lot of FWD pooches!

      Reply
    4. Face it: Eventually all cars will be EV so Corvette should get started. Stellantis is doing the same with Charger, Challenge and my bet is a Viper built on Maserati blocks. Covervete can’t be late to the game.
      Tesla, Lucid & others prove EV sport can be amazing!

      Reply
    5. I agree with you, even though Porsche is doing very well with sales with the Panamera .
      GM already has a four door corvette in the CT5-V Black wing.

      Reply
  2. Leave Corvette alone other than the coming eRay. Use the Camaro nameplate for sports sedan

    Reply
    1. please do not make the Camaro a sedan. The thought of it makes me want to cry.

      If anything a Corvette sedan makes more sense than a Camaro sedan. I could see a Corvette sedan in the likes of a Porsche Panamera. Corvette has a touch of luxury to go along with the sportiness. Camaros are straight up sports cars, not passenger cars, not luxury cars.

      Reply
      1. I agree, corvette has prestige. Camaro has no prestige. The idea is to lure buyers that aren’t fan boys, corvette can do that

        Reply
        1. but at the same time having a Corvette sedan would dilute the brand. I dont think most Corvette fans want the casual consumers who buy cars for prestige to be the ones driving Corvettes. Corvettes were made to compete with those prestige cars for the working class.

          Reply
          1. There will be no water downing, I currently don’t see much of corvette on the streets of any generation, and the price of a EV sedan or suv won’t make it like your seeing Malibu’s all over. I believe if anything help keep corvette brand alive. In the 80’s and 90’s the auto traders magazine had its own section for vette s mustangs and camaro’s, now those same buyers buy SUV’s and trucks. Someone who like vettes can’t with a family but maybe will if a suv or sedan

            Reply
            1. Well that’s the point. Corvette was built from a history of race cars. If you’re trying to haul around a family, maybe a Corvette isn’t the car for you. Having a Corvette sedan or luxury car just makes the name so gimmicky.

              It’s like the case of a Camaro. If you want to haul around passengers and you want luxury, a Camaro isn’t the car for you. But there is a Cadillac CT4 and CT5 which is based off the same chassis. If GM wants to make a Corvette luxury 4 door, make it a Cadillac.

              Please don’t ruin the Corvette and Camaro name. Keep it true to its heritage. The whole Mustang Mach E thing was a bad move in my opinion. I think what GM did with the Blazer EV SS to make a “Camaro SUV” was such a smarter move. Give the Blazer EV SS the same love you would give a Camaro, but don’t use the Camaro name.

              Reply
              1. Can’t argue with anything you said there lol.

                Reply
  3. Hopefully all of these 100k+ pave the way for some interesting 50k or under EVs. I think GM is fixated on being a higher end brand. That is going to leave a lot of current customers in play for Ford, Japanese and Korean makes. But maybe that is their business plan

    Reply
    1. What made Camaros and Corvettes cool to me was that they were affordable sports cars that were able to beat cars that costed double or triple the price. It was never about flexing social status, it was about being faster than the cars that flexed social status. But that’s just my humble opinion.

      Reply
    2. yeah I was thinking about that, if GM wanted to go high end they have the Celestiq, and the idea of a Corvette branded sedan…I wonder how would they price something like that and I would be hard pressed to see it under 55k

      I think the 55k price point cutoff for an EV sedan is reachable just not as a Corvette-branded one, perhaps all this talk of an electric Camaro, or maybe use the Chevelle branding to go toe to toe with the Dodge Charger EV where as the Corvette Sedan E-Ray would be closer in price to the Taycan, E-Tron GT and such

      Reply
  4. The C8 in current form as a mid-engine super car is a fulfillment of Zora Duntov’s vision. Though I could accept an EV version of the Corvette as a true sports car, any other configuration such as sedan or SUV should not use the Corvette name. I’d suggest the following which draw on Chevy history and may be more appropriate for a sporty EV sedan or SUV : Impala, Lumina, Caprice…..or how about SSE

    Reply
  5. LOL, what a huge waste of money! Build something people want!!!

    Reply
  6. Wow. GM is really smoking the wrong stuff. No one is thinking about just how they will generate the power to charge those batteries. Most all electric is generated by some form of fossil fuel. The country let alone the world, is not ready or capable to make and carry enough electricity, to cover al these proposed electric vehicles. The grid can’t handle the pull now. Going electric is nice, but we can’t drop fossil fuels all at once and hope everything will work. It won’t. Bring this along slowly. Maybe then it will work. Shoving all this new tech down everyones’s throte is not the answer. Lets hope we do this right.

    Reply
    1. I agree tell that to the current administration

      Reply
    2. Amen Pete!
      I live in the Houston area and when I look at all the cars driving down the freeway and think “ Wow! So all of those cars, if they were electric, will be plugging into the electric system tonight to charge. It’s gonna totally overload the system.” We can either charge our cars or have air conditioning. In Houston in August I’d rather have air conditioning. We’re going to need to build more power plants, which we haven’t done since when…the ‘70’s?

      Reply
    3. And don’t for this! If you run out of power on a desert highway, AAA can’t bring you a gallon of electricity!!!

      Reply
  7. What’s next, Corvette school buses?

    Reply
  8. Please leave the Corvette a true two seat sports car and pick another model to give this sedan a name. Corvette should always remain a world beating sports car.

    Reply
  9. Seen one of those ugly EV Mustangs recently? Give me an E-Ray sports car, but leave this dumb idea where it belongs – at Cadillac. .

    Reply
  10. Go legacy. Bring back the Chevette name for 4 door

    Reply
    1. Good idea. Bring back the Chevelle or make a new Impala for a sporty sedan. Leave the Corvette and Camaro out of this sedan nonsense!!!!

      Reply
    2. Chevette, Corvair or even Monte Carlo

      Reply
  11. AWD corvette , yes! All electric Corvette Yes!
    2 seater, Yes!
    If it stops being a two seater, not a corvette.

    Reply
  12. Come up with a totally new name plate. Leave the Corvette and Camaro name plate alone. I’m sure the brain child of the bunch can come up with something.

    Reply
    1. How about the name “Castrate”, because that is what they will be doing.

      Reply
  13. Ford did this in 1958 and the name Thunderbird was ruined forever. I get stopped all the time in grocery store parking lots asking me if my C8 is a Ferrari. You should have seen the bag boys smile on his face yesterday when I popped the from frunk. Please GM. Dont ruin an American icon.

    Reply
  14. Impala eSS

    Reply
    1. exactly. Use the Impala name for a sports sedan.

      Reply
  15. The car was ruined in 2020 when the engine was moved. Unfortunately, Corvette died in 2019 with the final C7; the last TRUE Corvette!

    Reply
    1. lol what are you even talking about? I’d take a C8 over a C7 any day. Mid engine will always have better track performance over a front engine RWD platform because of weight distribution. If you want a front engine RWD sports car you can still buy a Camaro.

      Reply
      1. For now.

        Reply
  16. You are prostituting a great and special brand name associated with a specific type of car. Lincoln tried that with a pickup truck and failed.

    Reply
  17. Hard Pass on this ‘concept.’

    Reply
  18. This makes no sense. They can’t produce enough C8 cars as the market demands now so why bother?

    Reply
  19. Why not a Malibu based SSE Nomad?

    Reply
  20. Sure! That sounds like a fandamntastic idea! Then maybe Dodge can make a Viper EV/Crossover thing too…can’t let Ford have all the fun! Well, I should go now…used up my day’s allotment of sarcasm.

    Reply
  21. Unlike Porsche having several models the Corvette is a sub-model of Chevrolet built by GM. If a Chevrolet EV sedan could beat a Tesla Plaid it could beat a Corvette. If its name was something other than a Corvette it would diminish the Corvette stature hence, GM is stuck. A Cadillac Blackwing name might be a better choice. Teslas beat most everything, Porsches, Ferrari’s, etc. to 60 and the 1/4 also.

    Reply
    1. Teslas are only fast in a straight line, they have terrible handling and track performance. A Tesla Model S Plaid doesn’t even stand a chance against a Camaro ZL1 1LE on the track. Look up Nürburgring lap times if you don’t believe me.

      Reply
  22. Creating a four-door Corvette will destroy the sports car’s image and brand. Porsche didn’t build a four-door 911. They called it Taycan. Build the E-Ray and the Zora but not a Corvette four-door sedan. Zora Duntov is turning over in his grave!

    Reply
  23. Corvette Sedan ?????? OMG – that would really ruin the brand. Use the Impala – not the Corvette

    Reply
  24. In my opinion, if GM wants to build a low roof sedan to compete with the Porsche Taycan , they should build with a Cadillac badge and call it Sevill-E.

    Reply
  25. I’m holding out for the eventual Corvette minivan with a camper pop-top and side pop-outs.

    Reply
  26. Don’t you ever do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  27. Typical GM. Taking the names of iconic vehicles from our past and destroying them. just look at the Blazer and Trailblazer for instance. Now you want to take one of the best and only true two- seat Sports car in the GM lineup and turn it into a four-door Saloon? Just leave the Corvette alone and revamp the SS name and call it the ssev or something.

    Reply
  28. Can someone honestly explain to me why they believe this to be a GOOD idea? Because I just don’t get it.

    Reply
  29. GM has a habit of getting the name wrong (early 2000’s GTO jumps to the front of my mind) as if the name of the car is going to make it sell. Seems if anything it can only hurt sales and confuse the customer. Trying to make the Corvette a sub brand of Chevrolet will do just that. The 4 door Porsche and SUV is not called a 911 for that reason. They have their own names.
    When Ford put the Mustang name on the Mach E the blue oval faithful hated it. I understand why Ford did it. Tesla was successful by marketing EVs as performance and luxury. Ford wanted it’s customers to know the Mach E is about performance also. Not a tree hugging, wallet conscience compromise. GM has plenty of other great sedan names to rehash. For Ford, the Mustang name was really the only name that was going to get that done.

    Reply
  30. This is total B.S. Corvette is a MODEL of Chevrolet. Not a Brand of car.
    Porsche is a Brand. Tesla is a Brand.
    Leave the Corvette alone. Do Not bastardize it like Ford did with the Mustang E car

    Reply
  31. The EV push makes it tougher, if it diminishes the sport character of vehicles. Porsche could struggle too. The mid-engine is on an island. Not saying don’t do it, the hype exists in certain circles.

    The muscle-car+ Vettes could have served within a family of part sharing vehicles. At a lower tier, and not breaking out a separate brand though.

    Reply
  32. It is going to be big, so why not resurrect the Monte Carlo name for the 2 door and Impala for 4?

    Reply
  33. don’t go feigning that this was not planned from the start, the space for an electric motor in the front has been design in from the very start.

    Reply
  34. Should NOT have discontinued C7 or front end engines.
    Most Corvette owners are not race car drivers. They are weekend pleasure drivers, mostly.
    WHY IS THE NEED TO TRY TO COPY ALL THE FOREIGN CARS CONCEPTS.
    C6 and C7 Corvettes were some of nicest best styled driving Corvettes.
    Ton of value for the money.

    Reply
  35. Bad idea – playing catch up. Leave the corvette for what it is. If you want a new EV like Tesla, then design it and rename it something new. EV just helps China, 70% of battery supply and dominator of global Cobalt markets, but that’s a different story

    Reply
  36. Mary and the bean counters need to go away. Make the sedan an Impala or a ChEVelle. Don’t bastardize the Corvette!

    Reply
  37. GM must not do this! There are too many storied GM names and marques that could go on a super fast high performance EV sedan. Bring back Oldsmobile and push out a Jetfire or Jetstar. Even Cadillac could continue with a hypothetical Meteoriq or Hypersoniq super sedan EV.

    Reply
  38. Its been a cool sports car for 70 yrs. Leave it alone,you have enough UGLY suv”s on the road now.

    Reply
  39. This is a great opportunity for GM to leverage the legacy of the Corvette name on a CUV type vehicle that can undoubtedly generate a lot of profit. This is the beauty of Ultium. It’s highly flexible so a Corvette-styled body with a performance-themed interior can be married with the common EV skateboard and as many as four of the generic electric motors can be affixed to produce a product as fast as the classic Corvettes but with more utility and substantial cost savings. Selling them at $200,000. or so will make GM a lot of money and with the government subsidy on EVs they become even more attractive.

    I would suggest that GM might want to do a 6.2 L V8 soundtrack to pipe in some of the noise consumers are used to and maybe use their vibrating seats to recreate that thrilling visceral feel but the beauty of that is that it could be turned off for those buyers used to Sienna minivans. For those looking for a sedate driving experience, it could all be turned off but they’d still have that Corvette look and the image. Lots of opportunities for GM to make money though.

    Reply
    1. Barf.

      Reply
  40. There are a lot of Corvette “fans” on other fan sites who think that this is a good idea. They believe that if Porsche can do it, then so too can Corvette. There are a lot of differences between the status of Corvette and Porsche win their corporate structures and in the public imagination.

    I bet dollars to donuts that these “fans” believe that Porsche is a manufacturer of upscale sports cars that now all manufacturers premium SUVs and sports sedans. It is not. Porsche is a manufacturer of premium SUVs and sports sedans that still manufacturers upscale sports cars. In fact, I cannot recall the last time that I saw a two-seat Porsche. However, I see Porsches that seat more than four often. Yesterday, I saw two of them.

    Corvette-branded sedans and SUVs would have to be priced above the two-seaters in order to be true to the marque. This price level is cheap for high-performance sports cars, but it is high for most American sedans and SUVs. In fact, the vehicles would be priced above most Cadillacs. The market confusion will be devastating, and not only for Corvette.

    Reply
    1. I don’t know where you live but I Rarely See four-door Porsches more 911s and boxers

      Reply
  41. No thanks! Give me a ’23 Z06, all I need!

    Reply
  42. Why take a successful flagship vehicle for 70 years now that is a 2 seat performance sports car with tons of racing history and make it a sedan? Someone needs to sit me down and explain this whole theory to me as being a great idea.
    I am not a Ford fan and totally didn’t understand Fords thoughts when doing this with the mustang for the same reasons even though the mustang was a four seater.
    If I was the top brass at GM and this idea was proposed to me I’d have that person or group with this crazy stupid idea out looking for jobs before lunch time.

    Reply
    1. No you were wrong they are top asses at GM thinking about making this a sedan to ridiculous

      Reply
  43. The Corvette name is understandably sacrosanct to many, but taking it from being only a single car and into becoming a brand could be a very successful business decision if, and it’s a big IF, GM ensures the products carrying the Corvette name also will be carrying the Corvette soul. Top level style and performance are key ingredients which absolutely must be present.

    Reply
  44. GM has plenty of good names they could resurrect rather than destroying the Corvette legacy. Monte Carlo, Bel-Aire, Byscane, Chevelle (but as someone who owns Chevelles, I’d rather they wouldn’t) Nova, or Chevy II. They could use a Z-(you choose the number) Baretta, Cavalier, Citation. Etc….

    Reply
    1. I saw a Hyundai concept called the N Vision, basically a retro looking BEV sports car. If GM made a BEV sports sedan with a retro design and used the Chevelle/Impala/Monte Carlo name it would be a hot item.

      The Corvette should remain a 2 seater sports car that’s inspired by race cars, and the Camaro should remain a 2 door coupe made for the streets with track capabilities.

      Reply
  45. Come on GM!!
    No EV Corvette sedan…
    No EV Camaro sedan…
    Find something else to EV sedan….
    Those two are Sport/Muscle car icons, don’t ruin their namesake!!

    Reply
  46. If GM wants to build a high performance low roof, Electric sedan to compete with Porsche’s Taycan and Tesla’s Model S. It should carry the Cadillac badge. It should a 4 seat, low roof sedan, with coach doors and it should be called SevillE. Cadillac can build High Performance Luxury cars, Chevy can build high performance, but luxury is a stretch. Chevelles and Impalas are low to medium priced cars and will not attract high end buyer.

    Reply
  47. This is a fantastic idea. It’s a new market segment not a replacement for the corvette. It takes the brand and expands it into a new segment. A segment that will continue to grow with our without GM. If they produce a cost effective solution, they could redefine their future, which at the moment is in question.

    Reply
    1. Maybe you should put your order in now for one take a good sports Car and Ruin it take apart of American history and destroy It

      Reply
    2. Chevys and Corvettes were made for the humble working class. That’s what makes them cool. If they take the Corvette name and turn it into a sub-brand of luxury sedans, it takes away from the cool-ness of it. When I see a Ferrari or Lamborghini I rarely look twice. When I see a Corvette I can’t help but stare. The Corvette isn’t about flexing prestige or social status, it’s a race track focused street car for the working class.

      Reply
  48. I said it earlier, the grid can’t and won’t handle the pull!!!!! When we all go electric, we will have to worry if we have enough “juice” to handle our homes, business and our Evehicles. The power grid has a VERY long way to go. They just have to K.I.S.S the whole program. It’s just that simple.

    Reply
  49. Porsche did that with the Panamera or the Taycan, so why not? I would certainly consider a 4 door Corvette. What I would never consider is an SUV.

    Reply
  50. What everyone is forgetting here is, EV’s are not the way to go, at least not for now. Think power grid.
    I can’t see going all electric by 2035. The power grid can barely handle it now in the Summer months, and it would take longer to improve the grid in the first place. There is not enough lithium on earth to go all electric, and it takes fossil fuels to dig it up.
    I travel all over the the U.S., and have to get from point A to point B in 24 to 48 hours for catastrophe work. You cannot use an EV, due to charging time.
    The Camaro and Corvette, need to stay as they are. I love my Camaro SS convertible, as is, and plan to keep it.
    I am tired of the government shoving this down our throats.
    How will people charge an EV, if they live in a condo, or apartment, or rent a house, ect.
    I will consider an EV only after AIR FORCE-1 is all electric.

    Reply

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