The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray Is the Do-Anything Budget Supercar
Barring the release of a fully electric Chevrolet Corvette in the next few years, the Corvette E-Ray is the most revolutionary step in the nameplate’s history. For decades, the Corvette formula remained the same: front-engine, rear-wheel drive (RWD). However, the C8 evolved the model into a mid-engine platform, and the new 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray added hybridization for the first time ever. As such, the E-Ray is the Swiss Army Knife of modern supercars.
With 655 horsepower and grippy AWD, the Corvette E-Ray pushes the model’s performance envelope
The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, like the high-revving Z06, serves as something of a range-topper for the Kentucky performance car’s lineup. At its core, the E-Ray is familiar. The E-Ray’s 6.2L LT2 V8 produces the same 490 horsepower that it does in the base Stingray.
However, the Corvette E-Ray is GM’s first production hybrid supercar, so the engineers didn’t stop at the LT2 engine. Instead, the E-Ray has a 165-horsepower electric motor sending power to the front wheels. As a result, the E-Ray is the first production Corvette with all-wheel drive (AWD).
That’s good news for Corvette fans who want a sure-footed alternative to the tail-happy antics of the Z06 and its 670 horsepower 5.5L flat-plane LT6 V8. In fact, to promote the car, engineers lowered E-Ray models onto The Rink at Rockefeller Plaza and had them perform “cyclone” stunts. The AWD Corvettes danced in a circle without hitting the walls of the New York City ice skating rink.
What’s more, the E-Ray’s hybrid AWD platform makes for some seriously quick launches. In testing, the E-Ray, on the same Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber as the Z06, managed to hit 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds. That’s nearly as quick as a fiendishly pricey 992 Porsche 911 Turbo S. However, its neck-snappy thrust and multiplied grip are enough to outpace its more powerful sibling, the Z06.
Better yet, the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is the most affordable car in its segment of comparable performance nameplates. The 1LZ coupe starts at around $106,595. However, convertible fans can get the retractable hard-top model for an extra $7,000 at each trim level.
| 1LZ | $106,595 |
| 2LZ | $112,095 |
| 3LZ | $117,545 |
