The hybrid Corvette E-Ray is now officially banned from competing at events sanctioned by the National Council of Corvette Clubs. If an owner wants to take it there anyways, they will be required to park at least 30 feet away from other cars and buildings.
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General Motors now offers its Corvette sports car with a small e-motor, primarily designed to “enhance the driving experience” and turn the vehicle into AWD at times. However, the hybrid Corvette E-Ray will eventually be followed by a fully electric Corvette based on GM’s Ultium platform.
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General Motors could convert two more iconic model lines into complete sub-brands for electric cars. This is according to a media report. In addition to the Corvette sports car series, these are said to be the Camaro from the Chevrolet family and the Escalade from the Cadillac family.
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General Motors is reportedly planning to establish the Corvette sports car series as an electric car subsidiary and to expand the model range. According to a media report, a four-door coupé and a high-performance crossover are planned in addition to the already confirmed classic electric Corvette.
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General Motors is electrifying the Corvette. A hybrid version of the new Chevrolet Corvette will be offered from next year, followed by a fully electric Corvette based on GM’s Ultium platform.
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Copycat technology from China is nothing new – this year at the Auto Show in Beijing, local manufacturer Songsan Motors presented a Corvette and a VW T1 clone. However, unlike the originals, the Chinese offshoots can drive electrically because Songsan Motors installed a plug-in hybrid drive in both vehicles.
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Genovation Cars will put a pre-serial version of its electric-powered Corvette at CES. The Genovation GXE comes with an updated powertrain, enabling 596 kW and an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 3 seconds.
Read moreNew VW models? Volkswagen plans to add new electric cars to its line-up, leaked patents reveal. They show an electric sports car as well as a mini-bus. The later resembles the Budd-e, while the sports car is sleek with aerodynamic features and may come with a dual electric motor.
vwvortex.com (leak) via autocar.co.uk
BMW to speed up EVs: BMW is to bring Tesla fighters within three years, Automobile Mag reports. The X3 eDrive with 225 kW motor and 70 kWh battery may launch by 2018, followed by an electrified 3-series a year later. The Model S competitor is due next before the i8 will boast 500 kW in 2022.
automobilemag.com
NanoFlowcell to be serial? The Quantino sports car by NanoFlowcell may soon be made by an undeclared and non-German manufacturer. The company says it is in talks and that the concept could become a reality within four or five years time under another brand name.
autocar.co.uk
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Hyundai to make EVs in China: New electric, plug-in and fuel-cell models will be built in what is Hyundai’s fourth factory in China. The Japanese plan to tackle the Chinese market and expect its electrified line-up to reach a ten percent market share by the end of the decade.
reuters.com
E-bus made in India: Ashok Leyland presented the Circuit, the first electric bus manufactured entirely in India. Said to be designed for the country’s “road and load conditions,” it has a range of 120 km. India’s government plans to exchange a lot of state buses with electric ones by 2020.
bloombergquint.com, drivespark.com
Get your electric Corvette but quickly as only 75 pieces will be made by Genovation. Pre-orders are open for the 485 kW GXE, which will cost 750,000 dollars. Deliveries shall start by 2019.
carscoops.com, electrek.co
Renault to build EVs with Russia? Rosseti, a Russian utility provider is in talks with Renault for setting up a local production afacility for electric cars. The Moscow region in particular is seen as potent market, where up to 110,000 units could be sold by 2020. By 2030, up to 300,000 EVs could roam Russia, said Roman Berdnikov, Rosseti’s director. Renault has not commented.
automobil-produktion.de, sk.ru (in Russian)
Mercedes electric line substantiated: Daimler is pushing its plans for new electric models. Insiders speak of two electric SUV and two sedan set for launch within this decade and under a dedicated electric sub-brand. The first EV will be build in Bremen together with the fuel cell GLC.
bloomberg.com
Tesla to scale up: 2,200 EV per week shall leave the lines in Fremont this quarter. For Q4 their number is set to increase to 2,400 units, Tesla plans. The company has struggled to fulfil projected production in Q2 but still aims to deliver 50,000 Model S and X until the year’s end. On the energy front, Tesla plans to make its own inverters to connect its products to SolarCity – given the merger gets the go ahead.
shareholder.com (production outlook), electrek.co (SolarCity)
PHEV Corvette? Chevrolet is expected to launch edition no. 8 of its epic Corvette in 2019 and it looks as if there might be a plug-in hybrid version in the making. The idea has been inserted into the public sphere by former GM manager and outspoken car commentator Bob Lutz.
detroitnews.com via greencarreports.com
Kia for Rio: The Korean carmaker plans a crossover version of its Rio supermini. The Rio SUV may arrive as a plug-in hybrid late next year with hybrid technology taken from the Niro.
autoexpress.co.uk
BMW 740Le xDrive review: Hilton Holloway got to drive the hybrid luxury model, which he calls one of BMW’s “mightiest technical achievements to date.” Power is mainly down to the engine as the electric motor only works until it hits 50 mph. Holloway however finds the motor noise a “real issue.”
autocar.co.uk
Mercedes eco sub-brand? Daimler could create a label for its electric offering, similar to BMW’s i-series, says Mercedes head of design Ola Källenius. Yet, the manufacturer will first focus on expanding the actual electric offerings like the Smart ED and the B-class first, rather than rebranding them. Especially as electrification will eventually “affect the whole portfolio,” according to Källenius.
autocar.co.uk
NextEV is near: The Chinese electric hyper car is set to launch “somewhere in Europe” this year, but will be offered in China first. NextEV will compete with the likes of LaFerrari. But CEO Martin Leach, formerly Ford’s head of product development, stresses that the firm will aim for a “wider range of models.”
autocar.co.uk
Corvette electrifies: GM is readying the mid-engine C8 Corvette to debut in Detroit in 2018. The news also spurs expectations to see the hybrid E-Ray Corvette by Chevrolet with an electric front-wheel motor by the end of the decade. GM has already trademarked the term.
blog.caranddriver.com
Electric light CV: Renault Samsung Motors will build an electric light commercial vehicle with a targeted range of 250 km and will form a consortium with small local companies for the development. However, it could take at least four years until we see an electric truck, Renault projects.
yonhapnews.co.kr
Mitsubishi scandal widens: Emissions of the Outlander PHEV 2013 must be readjusted slightly as the carmaker used a lighter vehicle than legally required for fuel economy tests. The revelation comes amidst Mitsubishi’s confession that it submitted false emission data for most of its models over years.
the-japan-news.com
The bigger picture: Tesla has been accused of paying workers building their paint shop only 5 dollars an hour. In fact, Tesla hired specialist firm Eisenmann, which in turn hired a subcontractor to recruit cheap foreign labour. While Tesla is not at fault legally, it says that does not escape moral obligation and will look into the issue.
electrek.co, mercurynews.com (accusatory article), teslamotors.com (Tesla’s statement)
Mahindra hybrid to come: The hybrid variant of the XUV500 which Mahindra presented at the New Delhi Auto Expo earlier this year (we reported), will go into production and is set to launch in India by 2015. As the concept before, the hybrid SUV will combine a diesel engine with an electric motor.
indianautosblog.com
Mild hybrid by Kia: The Korean manufacturer has unveiled its Optima T-Hybrid concept set to debut in Paris. The mild hybrid, as Kia classifies it, marries the company’s 1.7-liter turbodiesel engine with a small electric motor and a 48 V lead-carbon battery.
worldcarfans.com, puregreencars.com
Mia to be revived: In an auction, all assets of the insolvent EV manufacturer Mia Electric have gone for 1.35 million euros (1.7m dollars) to ‘Mia Génération.’ This consortium of Focus Asia, Kokam and Fulmen plans to restart production by mid 2015 and keeps aiming at an electric car for less than 10,000 euros. In the meantime, Mia drivers can get spare parts via GoElectrix.
autoactu.com, liberation.fr (both in French)
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Porsche Cayenne S: Ahead of its debut at the Paris Motor Show, the German carmaker issued pricing of its latest plug-in model, the Cayenne S E-Hybrid. In the States, Porsche’s third semi-electric car will start from 76,400 dollars and is set to launch by November nationwide.
insideevs.com
Corvette electrified? Car and driver is looking at what the next generation Corvette might look like, as GM’s head of global product development, Mark Reuss, just confirmed that Chevy is working on it. The magazine expects the C8 to be electric, as least partially, as this would be GM’s only chance to comply with carbon emission regulations by 2020.
caranddriver.com
It was 33 years ago that American George Talley last saw his Corvette. It had been stolen from the streets of Detroit and was now found some 1,600 kilometres away. Manufacturer GM took it upon itself to return the vehicle to its rightful owner – and almost to the exact spot from where it had been taken.
usatoday.com (plus video)
Before restoring the cars and closing the sinkhole that recently opened up underneath GM’s National Corvette Museum in Detroit, USA (we reported), the carmaker has decided to put the damaged cars on display. A viewing booth has been built around the site of the catastrophe. Nature has always delivered the best spectacle, has it not?!
autoweek.com
Eight vintage cars of the Corvette National Museum have been swallowed by Earth. Security cameras were filming when a massive sinkhole under the museum’s so-called Sky Dome opened up and swallowed the cars. Luckily, no one has been hurt – apart from the cars.
youtube.com via nytimes.com
Video tip: Wroom wroom vs zooom zooom is the sound of this drag race where a Corvette Stingray was up against a Tesla Model S. All we will tell you: it was really, really fast and really, really close…
youtube.com (Video) via green.autoblog.com
