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GM says hybrid Corvette no laughing matter [w/poll]

When Mark Reuss was in LA recently, he sat down to have a few words with the scribes at the Los Angeles Times. When the issue of a hybrid Corvette came up, Reuss answered with "Don't laugh." The General Motors president is a complete fan of the possibility, calling it "attractive" and "really fun," believing it would improve GM expertise and that "people would love it."
Naturally, the president being supportive of an idea doesn't give indication that a hybrid Corvette is on the way. However, with supercars like the Porsche 918 Spyder and Ferrari LaFerrari giving hybrid tech a solid, if remote, place in the performance car world, the inexorable trickle-down of technology means we shouldn't be surprised if and when it does happen.
And now that we have that non-negative half-answer to a speculative question, it would be irresponsible for us not to commence rumormilling for the C8 Corvette. Taking Reuss at his word, the C8 will obviously be a hybrid with all-wheel-drive - the left side wheels driven with electric motors, the right side with the mid-mounted, four-cylinder diesel engine. With coefficient of drag of just .16, figure on a 0-to-60 mile-per-hour time of under 2 seconds and an all-electric range of something like 30 miles at top speed. Don't forget, folks, you read it here first.

Is this GM's next electric crossover?

GM made headlines this week when CEO Mary Barra presented the company's electrification and automation plans at the Barclays Global Automotive Conference in New York. "We are committed to a future electric vehicle portfolio that will be profitable," Barra said, which could be taken as a jab at Tesla. In the presentation ( PDF here), though, we see a new vehicle in a slide titled "Leveraging existing BEV platform to expand in near term." The vehicle, seen above, accompanied the captions "New CUV entries" and "two entries by 2020." Is this a sneak preview of an upcoming electric crossover from GM? The image seems too realistic and intentional to be a random placeholder. If this is, indeed, an upcoming battery-electric CUV based on the Bolt, the question remains: Will it be a Chevy or a Buick? It has no visible badging, but it shares DNA from both brands. As Inside EVs points out, though, it does bear a resemblance to the Chevrolet FNR-X concept unveiled in Shanghai earlier this year. With two CUVs on the way, it's not unthinkable that there could be a version for each brand. In addition to this slide, the presentation includes plans for an "All new multi-brand, multi-segment platform" launching in 2021. The all-new modular battery system will cost less than $100 per kWh, providing higher energy density and faster charging. The platform will host at least nine different vehicles, including a compact crossover, seven-seat luxury SUV and a large commercial van. GM has said it will launch 20 new EVs by 2023, and that it targets 1 million EV sales per year by 2026. Many of those sales will be in China. Related Video:

Danica Patrick hands over keys to first 2016 Chevy Camaro

Alican "Turk" Boyacioglu got more than he expected this weekend when he picked up his new 2016 Chevy Camaro, the very first sixth-gen Camaro to be delivered to a private customer. That's because racer Danica Patrick was on hand for the delivery. The handing over of the keys took place at Texas Motor Speedway – a stop along the brand's Find New Roads trip. The journey is being conducted to introduce America to five new Chevy models: the Camaro and also the new Malibu, Cruze, Volt, and Spark. The road trip kicked off on October 19 and will conclude next week on November 14. Boyacioglu ordered up a red Camaro SS from Huffines Chevrolet in Lewisville, TX, north of Dallas. When he headed from Kansas to northern Texas to take delivery, he was pleasantly surprised to see Danica climb out of the car to hand him the keys. Though she may have raced under Honda power during her IndyCar days, Danica's NASCAR stock cars have always been powered by Chevrolet. She even drove a Camaro in the Nationwide Series. The smile on Turk's face ought to last him the nearly five-hour drive home to Wichita. For everyone else, deliveries are set to commence in earnest in the middle of this month. The first models to be delivered will be V6 coupes. Convertibles and turbo-four models will start shipping early in the new year. Customers will be able to choose between six powertrain combinations, made up of the 2.0-liter turbo four, the 3.6-liter V6, and the 6.2-liter V8, each available with a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic. Pricing starts at $26,695 for the base 1LT trim and extends up to $37,295 for the 1SS. DANICA PATRICK SURPRISES CUSTOMER WITH 2016 CAMARO Huffines Chevrolet delivers first 2016 Camaro to Alican 'Turk' Boyacioglu DALLAS – Racecar driver Danica Patrick helped the team at Huffines Chevrolet deliver the first sixth-generation Camaro to a customer from Wichita, Kan., at the Texas Motor Speedway stop of Chevrolet's Find New Roads Trip today. Alican "Turk" Boyacioglu had been eagerly tracking the build of his 2016 Camaro SS and could not contain his excitement when Patrick emerged from the car and handed him the keys. "This whole experience was surreal," Boyacioglu said.