Chevrolet News:Hybrid Corvette? GM's President Says 'Don't Laugh'

[William Maley]

William Maley

Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

September 3, 2013

The thought of hybrid Corvette could send a good amount of people into convulsions. But mention this to General Motor's North American President and he has a different take on it.

"Actually, don’t laugh," said Mark Reuss to the Los Angeles Times. "I think it’s a very attractive idea, actually. I think it would be really fun to do, I think it would build capability inside our company and I think people would love it."

Now don't take this as confirmation that General Motors is working a hybrid Corvette. Instead, Reuss' comments suggests that GM is at least thinking about the potential of hybrid systems in sports cars. Look at LaFerrari and the McLaren P1 as examples.

Source: Los Angeles Times

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

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[G. David Felt]

Hybrid would be wise to be one of the first out there with a killer application of high power and torque for a sports car. Be interesting to see what the concepts end up being.

Pure electric to the rear wheels with a diesel or CNG powered generator?

[Drew Dowdell]

Why not? The battery placement makes balance interesting and if they put big enough magnets in it, the low end torque would be astonishing.

[hyperv6]

It is not a matter of if but when.

I would expect systems similar to what is already out there in the limited space of the Corvette. At most it will be a power assist system.

It will be interesting to see how GM keeps the cost in check. These systems are not cheap.

[aurora97]

Ferrari is already developing their own hybrid.

[loki]

use an updated 2mode-6speed with the 5.3L? or if the 2mode is astonishing, just put a mule out with the 4.3L hahahhaa....turbo.

[ocnblu]

Just kill the Corvette now. 60 years is a good run.

[aurora97]

Take your pick; the V8 or the Vette.

Either (or both) will sadly be gone soon.

[TPhoenix]

I like the idea of a Hybrid Corvette. I agree with Mark Reuss that people would surely turn their heads with interest in the concept.

[ZL-1]

A KERS Corvette?

[G. David Felt]

Just kill the Corvette now. 60 years is a good run.

Take your pick; the V8 or the Vette.

Either (or both) will sadly be gone soon.

To you both for even thinking of killing off these awesome items.

[Drew Dowdell]

The new Corvette is supposed to get over 30mpg as is...

[NOS2006]

I think the Corvette should get a diesel engine.

[Drew Dowdell]

I think the Corvette should get a diesel engine.

I like it!

[NOS2006]

Please tell me you remember these days:

http://www.cheersandgears.com/topic/3009-remember-when/

I think the Corvette should get a diesel engine.

I like it!

[Drew Dowdell]

I can barely remember what day of the week it is....

[Z-06]

I am on fence on this one.

[hyperv6]

We all need to learn to be open minded and willing to accept change as the government has given us change. To meet numbers and keep performance we will have to learn new and different ways and adapt of just take the bus.

We have all been though the doom and gloom before. We lived through the 70's and now have the best products we ever have had! But I still get those who are stuck in the 60's and refuse to use anything with electronic ignitions or fuel injection.

I hated turbo engines and 4 cylinders and today I have one that is faster than any stock Big Block I ever owned and can be modified to be as fast as any modified Small Black I ever owned.

The only thing I fear is the cost involved to build, buy and repair these cars and what that will mean to the used car market or the operating cost as these cars get older. I expect we will have some very fast vehicles but will be have to toss them out once the electronic begin to fail as they will be more expensive to repair than they are worth.

[Drew Dowdell]

As long as it is the best hybrid sports car in the segment and is an option along with more traditional power trains, I say "why not!?" It's not like they're going to build a Pruis fighter.. though the Vette would have the aerodynamic advantage there.

[aurora97]

Just kill the Corvette now. 60 years is a good run.

>Take your pick; the V8 or the Vette.

Either (or both) will sadly be gone soon.

To you both for even thinking of killing off these awesome items.

You think anyone on this forum likes such possibilities?

This is the way the regulations and the industry is going.

[hyperv6]

I expect hybrid technology to be used with the V8 starting out and as time passes and new technology comes along I suspect the gas engine part of the equation will be pared down. As cars lose weight and size also more power in other forms is made the gas engine will be less and less an need.

I am not going to say I am happy about the tried and true ways of performance going but I am not going to shut my eyes to the future either.

Hell we all would not be here bench racing if it were not for technology so never underestimate it. If we can take out targets in Yemen from Nevada we can pretty much do about anything with enough time and money.

[justusforus]

I think it is going to be a reality. Detroit and the American auto industry has always been said to be behind the curve. Combining a hybrid with a tried and true sport classic is innovative and should be applauded. Hybrids are typically ugly little cars with no breeding, so the Corvette should set the mark!

[NOS2006]

I think it is going to be a reality. Detroit and the American auto industry has always been said to be behind the curve. Combining a hybrid with a tried and true sport classic is innovative and should be applauded. Hybrids are typically ugly little cars with no breeding, so the Corvette should set the mark!

To be honest, that mark has already been set by vehicles like the BMW i8, LaFerrari, McLaren P1, Porsche 918, etc. The Corvette would be quite late to the game if they debuted a hybrid Corvette for the C8.

That being said, I don't care for the "this is what the government is forcing us to do!" argument. I am not a supporter of the CAFE regulations by any means, but if they government says we have to have an average of 54.5 MPG by 2025 and we can get the 20,000 Corvettes sold to 35 MPG (should be easy enough to do without getting rid of the V8), then we'll need the rest of the lineup to make up for the Corvette's inability to make 54.5 MPG. Therefore, each of the 4.5 million vehicles sold by Chevy (minus the Corvette and not including any trucks) would have to average 54.587 MPG (just 0.087 greater than the CAFE regulation). If they can't get the other cars they make in larger volumes to exceed that regulation, they've got bigger fish to fry than if the Corvette should have a V8 or not, IMHO.

[hyperv6]

I think it is going to be a reality. Detroit and the American auto industry has always been said to be behind the curve. Combining a hybrid with a tried and true sport classic is innovative and should be applauded. Hybrids are typically ugly little cars with no breeding, so the Corvette should set the mark!

To be honest, that mark has already been set by vehicles like the BMW i8, LaFerrari, McLaren P1, Porsche 918, etc. The Corvette would be quite late to the game if they debuted a hybrid Corvette for the C8.

That being said, I don't care for the "this is what the government is forcing us to do!" argument. I am not a supporter of the CAFE regulations by any means, but if they government says we have to have an average of 54.5 MPG by 2025 and we can get the 20,000 Corvettes sold to 35 MPG (should be easy enough to do without getting rid of the V8), then we'll need the rest of the lineup to make up for the Corvette's inability to make 54.5 MPG. Therefore, each of the 4.5 million vehicles sold by Chevy (minus the Corvette and not including any trucks) would have to average 54.587 MPG (just 0.087 greater than the CAFE regulation). If they can't get the other cars they make in larger volumes to exceed that regulation, they've got bigger fish to fry than if the Corvette should have a V8 or not, IMHO.

Even 35 is not going to be enough as the rest of the lines will struggle to get to this number themselves let alone pass it up in a size and style the average person will want.

The fact is the government is push it the limit far past what the technology will permit. If they do not back off there will be issues for all in the auto industry that sell anything other than electric or micro cars.

[loki]

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2011/11/16/can-cars-meet-the-new-54-mpg-cafe-standards-yes-they-can/

“CAFE mpg still comes from the original pair of tests that are now widely viewed as bad predictors of real-world mpg. The 34.1 mpg CAFE target for 2016 is actually equal to only 26 mpg on a window sticker. The talked-about 2025 CAFE standard — usually described as 54.5 mpg — amounts to a figure of 36 mpg combined [highway and city driving] on a window sticker,” writes Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing at Edmunds.com, on the company’s detailed CAFE explainer.

36 combined is .... high for the impalas' of the road... but not impossible for the cruzes' of , maybe even in a few years.

[aurora97]

The government and the car industry are two trains running at each other on the same track when if comes to CAFE standards. At some point, there will have to be a compromise on the fuel economy expectations. The government cannot legislate technological breakthroughs to make the flux capacitor a reality and the car industry cannot simply be "yes men" to every regulatory mandate. The Big Three are barely recovering from the Recession/Bankruptcy years. The last thing they need to do is go through it again within the next 10 years.

[hyperv6]

The government and the car industry are two trains running at each other on the same track when if comes to CAFE standards. At some point, there will have to be a compromise on the fuel economy expectations. The government cannot legislate technological breakthroughs to make the flux capacitor a reality and the car industry cannot simply be "yes men" to every regulatory mandate. The Big Three are barely recovering from the Recession/Bankruptcy years. The last thing they need to do is go through it again within the next 10 years.

The development cost will damage the bottom line on even the strongest and may eliminate or force the merger of the weak.

If the government wants progress they need to work with the industry not dictate what they think can be done.

[smk4565]

I don't think it would really sell, these hybrid sports cars cost a lot, and are more novelty cars. Is there a business case for it? Most Corvette buyers are 55-65 years old and fans of old school muscle cars. It could attract new buyers, but I think if you were going to go with a hybrid, you'd want a boosted V6 or a smaller engine than what is in there now.

I suppose come 2025 everything will have a hybrid or diesel option to hit the CAFE target.

[hyperv6]

I don't think it would really sell, these hybrid sports cars cost a lot, and are more novelty cars. Is there a business case for it? Most Corvette buyers are 55-65 years old and fans of old school muscle cars. It could attract new buyers, but I think if you were going to go with a hybrid, you'd want a boosted V6 or a smaller engine than what is in there now.

I suppose come 2025 everything will have a hybrid or diesel option to hit the CAFE target.

10 years from now the 65 year olds will be ex Corvette owners and the 45 year old Prius owners will be looking for a more interesting toy.

Besides it may be that if you want a Corvette or any other performance vehicle you will have to accept what Is offered or do without.

[Lamar]

Besides it may be that if you want a Corvette or any other performance vehicle you will have to accept what Is offered or do without.

Even FWD?

[hyperv6]

Besides it may be that if you want a Corvette or any other performance vehicle you will have to accept what Is offered or do without.

Even FWD?

You are smarter than that and know what I mean.

[Lamar]

Besides it may be that if you want a Corvette or any other performance vehicle you will have to accept what Is offered or do without.

Even FWD?

You are smarter than that and know what I mean.

There's precedent...

[J Reinhardt]

I don't think anyone is laughing after seeing the Porsche 918 run the Nurburgring in 6:57. I would love to see GM come out with a Corvette hybrid that could beat that time. Stick it to zee Germans.

And electric powertrains are the future. It is inevitable.

Edited September 19, 2013 by J Reinhardt

[hyperv6]

Besides it may be that if you want a Corvette or any other performance vehicle you will have to accept what Is offered or do without.

Even FWD?

You are smarter than that and know what I mean.

There's precedent...

I don't give a damn about the President!

LOL!

[hyperv6]

I don't think anyone is laughing after seeing the Porsche 918 run the Nurburgring in 6:57. I would love to see GM come out with a Corvette hybrid that could beat that time. Stick it to zee Germans.

And electric powertrains are the future. It is inevitable.

This is just it all the prime major players are moving this way as they know they need to open the market to new ideas and new ways to generate performance.

Now while I do not expect the Corvette to challenge the 918 anytime soon this technology will find its way into the cheaper performance models at some point and GM will be faced with dealing with it.

While not soon they must face the V8 will not do it alone and there is a chance they may not have a V8 someday. Yes GM has considered that in the past and again at some point in the future. The Vette team has to be open minded as to where they may end up in 20 years if they are to survive.

We may see some show cars with some tricks that may be tested for use in the future with the V8 and they may do some limited editions with some ideas.

[hyperv6]

Just read there may be some 4.5 TT V8 Corvettes testing.

If we thought we saw gnashing of teeth with the tail lights just wait till they see more of the changes that are coming.

It is funny but those who want to just keep rehashing the same old stuff over and over are just what could finish the car off. Thank God they were not here in 54 or we would still have a I6 2 speed auto.

[Nub_Cannon]

As long as the keep the V8 I would mind it being a hybrid. Small V8 + electric motor = tons of torque!

[Drew Dowdell]

4.5tt hmmm, so the Elmiraj motor could be real.