Corvette C9 E-Ray: GM’s First Hypercar?

As Corvette enthusiasts, we know that the modern generations of our favorite car last (at most) between 7 to 10 years. This means that as we enter the fourth year of C8 Corvette production, we’re also moving ever closer to the C9 Corvette. Yet, the only tease that GM has really put out about it is that they moved an entire team of engineers and designers from the Camaro and Corvette ICE division to the GM Electric Drivetrains division, and that the C9’s codename (for now) is E-Ray. Confusingly, that’s also the name that Chevy is using for the performance hybrid C8…

If that wasn’t a big enough “flashing neon sign” stating that the next Corvette will be electric, there was also the announcement earlier this year that the C8, which was originally slated to be ICE all the way to its end of life, will now also include an electric-only version, most likely beginning in 2026 after the Corvette Zora is released.

This means that GM is so confident with the testing and development work so far that they moved their entire schedule forward a couple of years. No matter what, the electric future of the Corvette is nearly dawning. As well, the schedule change may also have been prompted by the White House’s Electric Vehicle Initiative to have a large percentage of cars on the road by 2030 be full EV’s.

Yet, will the C9 still be an American sports car, or could it realistically be the first electric hypercar from the legendary Corvette brand? To find out, we need to examine what the modern definition of a hypercar actually is, as well as speculate about what the C9 would need to bring to the table to be considered a hypercar in the latter half of the decade.