TONAWANDA, N.Y. — GM has been pushing for an all-electric vehicle fleet but their latest version of the iconic Corvette is actually an all-wheel drive hybrid blending the utilization of an electric motor with a small block V- 8 gas engine produced at the GM Powertrain Plant in Tonawanda.
The high-performance 6.2 Liter V-8 engine will power the back wheels in combination with the electric drive for the front wheels so that the car dubbed the "E- Ray" can rocket from 0 to 60 MPH in 2.5 seconds or turn a quarter mile in 10.5 seconds according to GM - Chevrolet engineers.
Again it is a wheel-drive vehicle which GM says has been tested in snow. Of course, all that 495 horsepower and performance will set you back at a projected $104,000 for a base model. This model release marks the 70th Anniversary of the Corvette concept.
The car also has special features like its Stealth mode which allows the driver to use only the electric motor for a speed up to 45 Miles per hour before the gas engine kicks in.
GM officials say the radiators and condensers to cool the engine were actually made at their Lockport plant which was the former Harrison Radiator and Delphi spinoff facility in Niagara County. The GM Rochester plant also made integrated air modules for the engine.
UAW Local 774 President Wence Valentin III says about 1,000 workers are now at the Tonawanda engine plant with about 850 represented by the union. They are involved in the production of this V-8 engine as well as other high-tech internal combustion engines for other popular GM vehicles like the Silverado pickup.
The Corvette "E- Ray" is actually assembled at the GM Plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky where some previous employees from Tonawanda have ended up if they accepted relocation with the company.
GM has made many millions in investments in Tonawanda Powertrain and GM Lockport in recent years even with the recent corporate push to go all-electric for their fleet of vehicles for consumers.
Valentin said in a statement "Our members are all very proud of our legacy in producing the World's Best Engines. We are very excited to be the exclusive supplier of the 6.2 Liter LT2 V8 Engine powering the next-generation Corvette. We look forward to being a big part of General Motors' future for many years to come."