punky

Great post Man, always entertaining to see a dumb *** get bitch slapped with logic.

Tonylmiller

I don't want no automatic transmission.
I don't want no fuel injection.
I don't want no disc brakes.
I don't want no hybrid.

They should make A RETRO version with a clutch, carburetor, and drum brakes! Then everyone would be happy!

Seriously though, our hybrid Avalon has performed flawlessly. Not sure Chevy can do it as reliably as Toyota, but hopefully they can.

kratedisease

After you posted this, I think I need to drive a hybrid sports car first and experience it before knocking it. I think If I got behind the wheel of a hybrid sports car I would be talking differently. I think I need to experience the drive sensations of low electric torque before I continue blabbering.

TRT SR

I am also an old man, 60 but love all cool cars, especially the new C8. Hold on, things are changing in the very near future when it comes to what we drive. GM has said recently that they will be all electric and make no bones about it. The C8 hybrid will be for some lucky people who can afford the price one hell of a car, 1000hp , all wheel drive and who knows how many speed DCT. Enjoy the ride now, gas engines thanks to our politicians will be a thing of the past, looks like the USA will lead the way to save our planet.....no mention of China as they get 65 percent of their electricity from coal and produce most of the batteries we are buying though.

jefnvk

Well it may be sacrilegious to say around here, but beyond the mag ride suspension, Corvettes aren't really known for being cutting edge technology in the sports car world. Maybe cutting edge compared to American muscle cars, but certainly not cutting edge compared to Euro and JDM sports cars. And if I recall right, the mag ride wasn't even originally a Corvette thing.

Even on the C8, there isn't really anything that hasn't been done before. As usual, they've just put it together at a price point no one else will go near and made it available to the masses.

FringbirdAloha

Hybrid tech has some pretty cool potential with simple motors, fewer moving parts, and especially the instant torque on tap. However, battery life and range have a decade or two more to go before they become as useful as internal combustion, especially to those who drive many miles at a time.

They are great to use as an extended range golf cart, the store, the office, etc. But if you drive long distances, or spend all day in your vehicle, their Achilles heel shows really quickly when it takes 1-4 hours to recharge and get on your way versus 2 minutes at the gas pump.

FringbirdAloha

Save the planet.

wbrands

I think that the term hybrid is being somewhat misused or understood in relation to any possible future C8 model. I don't see any internal combustion/electric propulsion vehicle in the Corvette line to be anything like what most everyday drivers perceive as a "hybrid", i.e. a Prius or any of the multitude of vehicles that have followed it. I believe it will be more like the power unit in a modern Formula 1 car without huge batteries or any type of plug-in capability. Rather the electric propulsion will be mostly a power adder to get Z06 or ZR1 performance, possibly without the gas guzzler tax. The ICE will continue to be the primary propulsion for any future C8 which will never run only via electric power.

Racer X

Only because we refuse to recognize the technology advances we make. GMs magnetic shocks were so advanced Ferrari used them on their cars. GM has been a leader in auto transmissions for decades. They had some of the earliest airbags in mass produced cars. Early adoption of antilock brakes. Great advances in producing hydroformed chassis.

GM does not have as many patents as they do, for no reason.

FinsterforstFan

My biggest issue with hybrids is the added weight. If all you like is acceleration in a straight line, fine, a hybrid is great. Personally, I like cars that are light, nimble, and fast.

I would be ok with something more like a KERS system, where it's a small battery intended just to give boosts of power for short times, but I suspect it will be a full hybrid.

Unless they've figured out a way to significantly reduce the weight I probably won't be interested.

Give me a Z06 with reduced weight, and a high revving NA flat plane V8. I would be all over that.

golddog

We have a hybrid Pacifica minivan. In electric only mode, the thing flies, its quiet, handles better than our previous gas Pacifica and we get 36 miles of electric only. The power is instant when in electric mode. I could only imagine what a C8 would feel like with a hybrid option and the added HP it would bring. Would be all over it in a second.

Patman

I would absolutely embrace a hybrid Corvette! Imagine something like this, it's got a 500hp internal combustion engine, then a 300hp electric motor on top of that. It could be a plug in hybrid with a small range like the Volt, of maybe 50-60 miles, so if you wanted to you could go all electric when you're just driving around town or stuck in traffic. Then when you want the power, you've got 800hp at your disposal. It's the best of both worlds really!

Stuff like this is the wave of the future, so whether we like it or not it's coming. All of the whining from the New Balance/Jean Shorts crowd isn't going to stop it.

oregonsharkman

I think the tech is pretty cool (I'm an Aerospace Electrical Engineer = nerd) and it would be amazing to feel the mixed power of electric motors on the front wheels and 800+hp to the rear. I bet the acceleration times are going to be insane!

That being said, my car lust has always been for a high revving, light weight, mid engine sports car, so for me the LT6 ~ 600hp N/A version (call it Grand Sport or whatever) with as little weight as possible is where I'll put my money.

HarryWild

With AWD C8, it can be driven in pretty much any weather condition - in Northern climates and in rainy conditions like in Washington area in the winter time. Your C8 does not have to stored away for the winter month - December to April months. Plus you get the advantage of true AWD steering too!

jefnvk

I gave you Magride, even if that was a Caddy innovation that Corvette reused. Yes, they are top of the game at their ATs, but the C8 doesn't have one of those. They actually got airbags and ABS around the same time as the rest of the American manufacturers, and Corvette wasn't exactly in the forefront of adopting either. Heck, the C8 doesn't even have safety features that are standard on $20k econoboxes like AEB and lane departure warning.

I'm not saying they are bad or outdated cars, but they certainly aren't at the forefront of the technology curve.

BEAR-AvHistory

77 & think the hybrid is a great idea. GM already has lots of experience with it; cuts down any potential risk.

GreggB

I owned a C-MAX Energi for a few years as an EV experiment. At the time I bought it my commute fit within its extremely limited EV range.

That experience was absolutely convincing that electrification of current ICE platforms is revolutionary. Long term EV only is the future but for now adding electric motors to ICE gives you dramatic improvements over ICE only. Though you'd never mistake a C-MAX for a sports car it never felt slow and drove as if it had far more displacement.

As impressive as the base C8 is the thing I am most excited about is the prospect of 918/La Ferrari level performance at an 80-90% discount only a decade later.

mikemote

JoesC5

You are getting Hybrid and battery electric vehicles all mixed up.

You are describing a battery electric vehicle, and not a Hybrid.

Go read up on the Toyota Avalon Hybrid. I think you will be impressed and it's only a thousand bucks more than the ICE version of the Avalon. Quick payback as it's gas mileage is 43 city/44 highway.

KnightDriveTV

I personally wouldnt have a purchase interest in a hybrid unless the system were very simplified. If the system were drivetrain integrated, replacing the starter (much like a first gen insight), and acting as a supplemental power source and/or turbo lag gap fill I'd be opened to it. If the system were directly integrated to the turbocharger, I'd DEFINITELY be into it. If the system is hub motors/awd, though I think it'd be great for the lineup, I personally would not be into it.

The front hub motors add a tremendous amount of unsprung weight and loss of steering feel, with added numbness. Not saying this isn't something engineers could think/design through, but just saying...no one has figured that out yet...even on NSX. Seeing the C8 go mid-engine, your really place the driver on the steering "axle" a lot more, and what should result with C8 is a MUCH enhanced driver feel and positioning approaching the corner, hitting the apex, etc. Last thing I would want, is something to negate that. Driving a car with a dead steering wheel is rough, and the C5/6 really required some work to get feel injected.