Say it isn’t so; a Corvette hybrid? Just the thought of any Corvette being fitted with an engine based on its ability to get a lot of miles for a gallon of gas instead of a lot of horsepower is enough to make any Corvette fan pass out. But indeed hybrid may be were GM is planning on taking the American Icon in the future.
These rumblings are more than mere speculation and rumor and even those who are high up in GM are saying it is a possibility. Tom Stephens, who is the vice chairman of global production at GM, admits that even though it would only be as a last resort, the day may come when the Corvette features a hybrid engine. Why the urge to make the Vette green?
Just as the Corvette had to deal with in the past it is the ever increasing Government regulations on gas mileage that needs to be achieved and is forcing those at GM to consider the move. In fact by 2016 all vehicles that are produced will have to get a minimum of 35.5 miles per gallon of gas and that means that super cars such as the Corvette are in danger of losing their super status.
Already there is a surge of the super cars heading down the hybrid path and name pates such as Porsche, Mercedes, and Audi are already showing off their future alternative fuel vehicles at each and every car show that passes. Add to that names of electric fast flyers such as Tesla Motors and Fisker and the actual survival of the Vette may just lie in a hybrid engine.
However, before you get too upset there is still much that GM can and will do before this drastic step has to be taken. There are many ways to lighten the Corvette of the future and there are new technologies constantly being developed by GM that allow for a smaller and more compact engine to still produce a big kick.
If a hybrid does ever have to live under the hood of a Corvette you can bet it will be tweaked out to the max. After all there are no better innovators of speed, especially as of late, then the brains that live in the GM engineers. It is totally feasible that between now and the fateful year of 2016 that they could in fact produce an engine that is both a hybrid that gets good gas mileage and is still capable of putting out the ponies.
Only time will tell, but for now the powers that be at GM know what the Corvette Nation wants; speed. They will continue to put their noses to the speed producing grind stone and seemingly will not rest until the Corvette has reached even faster 0 to 60 miles per hour speeds and the see the American Icon have its name permanently etched in sports car history. If the Vette ever does become a hybrid, you can bet your paycheck that it will still be bad to the hybrid bone.
