Four and a half years ago, GM President Mark Reuss went on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” and made two promises about the Corvette. An electrified version was coming in 2023, and a fully electric, Ultium-based Corvette would follow. The first promise became the E-Ray. The second one is still waiting, and according to the man now in charge of the car, it will keep waiting for a while.
Speaking on The Drive’s podcast, The Drivecast, Tony Roma, GM’s Executive Chief Engineer for Corvette and Performance Cars, confirmed that an electric Corvette is still part of the plan. He described electric cars as GM’s long-term endgame and made it clear that Reuss’s 2022 statement still stands. Then he added the part that matters most: “Someday we will fully electrify Corvette. But not today.”
What GM Actually Promised in 2022
On April 25, 2022, Reuss told CNBC’s Phil LeBeau that an electrified Corvette was coming “very quick.” On LinkedIn the same day, he confirmed GM would offer both an electrified and a fully electric, Ultium-based Corvette, and revealed that the Corvette team had already been moved into GM’s EV space in Warren, Michigan. No timeline was given for the full EV. At the time, GM was targeting an all-electric lineup by 2035, so an electric Corvette sounded like a question of when, not if.
The electrified half arrived right on schedule. The E-Ray became the first all-wheel-drive Corvette, pairing the V8 with an electric motor on the front axle. The fully electric car never followed. The Drive points out that Reuss’s comments implied an EV within the C8 generation, yet four years later, nothing has materialized, and the C8 is now much closer to its end than its beginning.
The Corvette Lineup Went the Other Way
Instead of going electric, the C8 has doubled down on combustion. In March 2026, Chevrolet introduced the new LS6, a naturally aspirated 6.7-liter (409 cu in) V8 producing 535 hp (399 kW) and 520 lb-ft (705 Nm) of torque. It powers the 2027 Stingray and the revived Corvette Grand Sport, and it is built in Flint, Michigan, the same city where the first Corvette V8s were made in 1955.
Electrification hasn’t disappeared, it has simply stayed in a supporting role. The E-Ray leaves the lineup for 2027, replaced by the Grand Sport X, which adds a 186 hp (139 kW) front motor and a 1.9 kWh battery borrowed from the ZR1X for a combined 721 hp (538 kW) and all-wheel drive. Above it sits the hybrid ZR1X, which pairs a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 with a front motor for 1,250 hp (932 kW) and a 0 to 60 mph time under two seconds. Add the 670 hp Z06 and the 1,064 hp ZR1, and it’s easy to see why Carscoops argues that an all-electric Corvette would be a hard sell right now.
Why the Timing Doesn’t Work Yet
The wider market explains a lot. GM has spent the past two years unwinding its most aggressive EV plans. In January 2026, it disclosed roughly $6 billion in EV-related charges, mostly tied to supplier settlements and cancelled contracts, after U.S. EV sales dropped sharply following the end of the $7,500 federal tax credit on September 30, 2025. By mid-2026, GM’s total EV-related writedowns had climbed to around $11 billion. The company still sells roughly a dozen electric models, but profitable trucks and SUVs are doing the heavy lifting. It is the same shift we covered with Tesla’s changing delivery story: EV volume alone no longer carries the narrative.
Corvette isn’t the only icon facing this question, either. Across the Atlantic, Porsche CEO Michael Leiters has said there will never be a fully electric 911, betting instead on combustion and hybrid technology. Roma’s position is softer, and arguably more interesting. He isn’t ruling anything out. He is just refusing to put a date on it.
The C9 Is the More Likely Starting Point
Carscoops expects the next-generation C9 to be the first Corvette offered with an all-electric option, and the available clues point the same way. In April 2025, GM revealed a radical Corvette hypercar concept from its new advanced design studio in Royal Leamington Spa, England. It featured gullwing doors, a split “Apex Vision” windscreen inspired by the 1963 Sting Ray, aggressive underbody aero, and EV battery technology integrated into its structure. At 85.7 inches (2,177 mm) wide and just 40.7 inches (1,034 mm) tall, it is lower and wider than a C8, and it was the first of several Corvette design studies from GM studios around the world.
GM has never said the concept previews a production car, and the C9 is still years away, with most reports pointing to around 2028. But a design study built around battery packaging, combined with Roma’s comments, makes it clear which direction Chevrolet’s engineers are thinking. Our bet is a C9 that offers combustion, hybrid, and fully electric versions side by side, letting buyers pick their flavor of America’s sports car.
An Electric Corvette, Someday
Roma’s answer is about as honest as a car company gets: yes, it’s coming, and no, we’re not telling you when. For now, Corvette buyers have more V8 choices than at any point in the C8’s life, plus two hybrids that use electric power to go faster, not quieter. That might be the smartest path, getting customers used to electric torque at the front axle before the motors take over completely. When the fully electric Corvette does arrive, it will have to beat the 1,250 hp ZR1X, not just match it, and that is a very high bar for any battery-powered sports car.
For a more detailed look at the Chevrolet Corvette lineup, please grab a look at the media gallery below.
Source: Carscoops: There Will Be An Electric Corvette, But It Doesn’t Make Sense Yet (October 19, 2026)
