Yes, Chevy Really Is Planning on an Electric 4-Door Corvette—and an SUV

• Power for the future EV Corvettes will come from the latest iteration of GM’s modular Ultium battery packs, although the structural platform will be unique to Corvette.

• This latest intelligence on timing for the long-rumored Corvette sub-brand conflicts with recent stories that the crossover EV could launch as early as next year as a 2025 model, which would be an ambitious timeframe.

• Meanwhile, the 2024 Corvette E-Ray hybrid (above) is expected to launch in the second half of this year.

Latest intel on the impending Corvette sub-brand lineup of EVs says the four-door model comes to market in calendar 2026, followed by a crossover version in 2027.

These battery-electric Vettes will not be built on General Motors’ Ultium flexible “skateboard” platform that is the basis for everything from the Cadillac Lyriq and Celestiq to the GMC Hummer and Chevrolet’s Silverado, Blazer, and Equinox EVs, but instead will be built on a premium architecture unique for Corvette, according to AutoForecast Solutions and a separate source wishing to remain anonymous.

Power for the EV Corvettes will come from the latest iteration of GM’s modular Ultium battery packs.

Given the special Skunkworks-style treatment granted to Corvette development over the years, this “prime” EV architecture will certainly be optimized for chassis performance.

GM is emulating Porsche’s brand strategy, which has used 911 DNA to expand into SUVs for a couple of decades now, and more recently has brought the Taycan, 911-style four-door EV to market.

This latest intelligence on timing for the long-rumored Corvette sub-brand conflicts with recent stories that the crossover EV could launch as early as next year as a 2025 model, which would be an ambitious timeframe considering all the more conventional battery-electric Chevys, Buicks, GMCs, and Cadillacs that GM has already confirmed for production.

Meanwhile, the 2024 Corvette E-Ray hybrid is expected to arrive in the second half of this year—think Volvo’s Polestar launching with the Polestar 1 hybrid before going all-EV with subsequent models.

If Chevrolet delivers any new Corvette for the 2025 model year, it will be the ultimate V8 Corvette, a 1000-hp Zora, named for the famed engineering chief Arkus-Duntov, another source indicates.

What about a plain old, two-seat Corvette EV sports car?

AutoForecast Solutions does not have such a model on its future timeline in concert with the four-door and crossover models. Another source suggests a two-seat Corvette EV will come after the other two battery-electrics about the 2028 model year, designated C9, marking the ninth generation of the sports car.

Are you ready to see the Corvette evolve into a battery-electric sports car? Please comment below.