Hybrid Corvette Due in 2023, Lambo Builds the 20,000th Huracán

Intake: As early as 2017, we’ve suspected that electrification is coming to America’s favorite sports car. This morning, GM president Mark Reuss shared on LinkedIn that the first hybrid Corvette is due as soon as next year. Given the eerily quiet test mules—such as the one flaunted in the video below—skulking about the Nürburgring in October of 2021, and the reassignment of Corvette engineers to the Autonomous and Electric Vehicles team back in 2020, a hybrid Corvette comes as little surprise. Though Reuss also officially promised an Ultium-based all-electric Corvette “in the future,” his announcement of “other phenomenal gas-powered variants” in the works indicates that Chevrolet is remaining sensitive to the Corvette’s combustion-powered legacy even as it (like nearly every other automaker around) leverages a decades-old nameplate for its electric offensive. As we speculated, the all-electric Corvette will likely debut as the C9. That said, Chevrolet’s decision to fund and develop not one but two new engines (LT2 and LT6) for the eighth-gen Corvette says much about its sensitivity to Vette history and to the company’s awareness of its combustion-centric engineering prowess.

Exhaust: Reuss’ most immediately important announcement, which diehard fans will find consoling, is official confirmation that hybrid models will be sold alongside combustion-powered cars in the C8 Corvette family. Our best guess, as we reported back in October of 2020, remains that this first hybrid model will be named “E-Ray” and use a front differential incorporating an electric motor to supplement the mid-mounted LT2’s output. Such an all-wheel-drive model would replace the Grand Sport in the Vette hierarchy, slotting above the base model but below the track-oriented Z06. It would likely be followed by a “Zora” model—essentially a hybridized Z06. Expect Chevrolet to send combustion out with a seriously proper fanfare, however. What might these “other phenomenal gas-powered variants” be? ZR1, is that you?

Speaking of race versions, it looks like Lambo is about to add a fourth version to that list. A recent Instagram post showing a second-generation Huracán GT3 EVO featured the caption, “Our story began on April 2015 with our first GT3 win in Monza. The STOry continues…” Expect this raging bull to be dubbed the Huracán GT3EVO2. The styling at either end of the race car (deliberately obscured in the teaser) will likely emulate that of the recently announced Huracán Tecnica. If the hashtags are any clue, the second-gen Huracán race car might make its debut at next year’s 24 Hours of Daytona.

Exhaust: Whether you’re into a minimalist look in the vein of the Huracán Evo, or you want the loudest styling possible (hello, Huracán STO), Lamborghini has done a commendable job of making one platform appeal to a wide variety of customers. Even though it’s approaching 10 years old, the supercar continues to sell and helped Lamborghini kick off 2022 with its best-ever first quarter of sales. We’re looking forward to seeing the next iteration of the Huracán GT3 battling on track with the likes of Corvette, Porsche, and even Ford in the coming years.