Chevrolet has filed automobile trademark claims for the nameplate “E-Ray Corvette” as well as “E-Ray” on its own, which at the very least points to the automaker’s interest in designing an electrified version of its iconic muscle car. Whether it’s a pure EV, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, show car, or a production vehicle is unknown at this point — in fact Chevrolet may simply be calling dibs on the name to keep others from grabbing it — but it could be the perfect time to expand the Corvette model range.
The next-generation Nissan GT-R is likely to be a 2+2 hybrid, and with electrified vehicles from BMW, Porsche, Acura, and a small indie brand named Tesla constantly making waves, a Corvette E-Ray could fit right in. It’s far too early to predict cost at this point, but considering the potential competitive set, a base price of over $100,000 is certainly not out of the question.
Given the trend, a Corvette E-Ray would likely show up in concept form first at one of the upcoming auto events, the next of which kicks off January 11 in Detroit. CES 2016 also goes down one week prior, and though the tech conference is not purely focused on cars, manufacturers have used the event to debut new products and technologies before.
The number of performance hybrid vehicles on the road is seemingly growing every day, and one of those cars — the 2017 Acura NSX — has been officially granted its sticker price. Starting at $156,000, the striking two-door is firmly entrenched in supercar territory, with the available options pushing the damage all the way up to $205,700. Read more about the new NSX right here.
