A few days ago, a 2024 Corvette E-Ray leak revealed new details about the upcoming Corvette hybrid model’s exterior and interior, including its widebody treatment, colors and wheel choices. Now, GM Authority has exclusively learned that the E-Ray will be offered in both left-hand-drive (LHD) and right-hand-drive (RHD) configurations.
The decision to offer the Chevy C8 E-Ray in both LHD and RHD will enable GM to sell the electrified sports car in various right-hand-drive markets, which could potentially include Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, among others.
This means that the E-ray will be the third C8 model, after the Stingray and Z06, to be manufactured in right-hand-drive at the GM Bowling Green plant in Kentucky, making the C8 Corvette variant more competitive and accessible in those markets. That, in turn, should result in higher levels of interest and, ultimately, sales volume.
Anticipation for the future Corvette hybrid is building, as fans and buyers alike wait for the official unveiling. In the meantime, GM Authority photographers have been hard at work capturing spy shots of the upcoming Vette. Back in July 2022, an E-Ray prototype was spotted running laps on the infamous Nurburgring racetrack in Germany.
Meanwhile, another C8 E-Ray prototype burnt to the ground while undergoing testing in Spain. It’s believed that the fire was caused by an oil leak in the prototype’s engine bay. GM was quick to tell us that this particular prototype was equipped with components that it did not ultimately plan to include on a production model, meaning that the fire was isolated to that particular prototype.
As a reminder, the 2024 Corvette E-Ray will mate the 6.2L LT2 V8 found in the C8 Stingray with a supplemental, independently controlled electric motor providing power to the front wheels. The LT2 V8 develops 490 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque in the Stingray, while the electric motor is expected to produce about 100 ponies. This would bring the E-Ray’s total output to roughly 600 horsepower, slotting between the C8 Stingray and C8 Z06, while also being the first Corvette with all-wheel-drive as well as the first hybrid Corvette.
Beyond the powertrain, the E-Ray will feature the same widebody treatment as the C8 Z06, resulting in a more planted appearance as well as the ability to fit 275-wide front tires and very meaty 345-wide rears. Additionally, the E-Ray will be available in both Coupe and Convertible body styles, as GM Authority was first to report last year.
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Comments
Right hand drive and all wheel drive. The perfect car for the US Mail Service. Seriously, it will be an amazing car.
What’s stopping Chevrolet from offering the more potent LT7 V-8 from the Z06 to create a second, more potent E-Ray?
If they can’t even build & deliver the current models in the US, I hate to see the spending on extra R&D for other markets…
Regarding the car itself, I can get onboard with an AWD hybrid if the performance is there…the name is (to me) stupid though, and the rear-end design is still too busy…Eray just doesn’t sound as good as Grand Sport did (recognizing it’s not exactly what the GS was, it’s still replacing it). Missed oppty to do something cooler with the tail lights to make the eray more easily distinguishable from the other Corvettes.
The name reminds me of the Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice…I liked those cars, but both names seemed to me like what a teenage girl would have picked…maybe I’m just holding onto the old-macho days too much for my own good.
Anyway, I like being able to get the intake blade in body color, but just like the same SR option, I think they should keep the rear vents black…use that little bit of paint to make the edges of the transparent top match the car. The new Cacti color looks cool…and I’d like to see even more solid (non-metallic) color options in the future.
This Corvette will probably be oriented more towards the foreign markets with their stricter emissions standards. The electric motor and the stop start will hopefully help in that regard. And slightly better fuel economy perhaps as well. I am Chevy will sell it in the US using better performance and AWD as the main selling points.
does it make those tight hand curves easier to take.