2027 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport X proves code is as important as hardware

Chevrolet provided flights from Albany, New York, to Denver and accommodation so Ars could drive the Grand Sport X. Ars does not accept paid editorial content. When Chevrolet introduced a hybrid system to the Corvette lineup in 2023, creating the E-Ray , many fans were confused.

If it was meant to be a performance option, where did it fit alongside the ZR1 and ZR1X ? Was this a concession to emissions, or was it a sign of the fabled Stingray getting soft? Promises of silent cruising through neighborhoods and the application of all-season tires didn't help the situation.

Three years later, the E-Ray is dead , but the hybrid system lives on in the new Grand Sport X. This, though, isn't intended to be a direct successor. A series of subtle and not-so-subtle software tweaks, plus some additional drive modes and a whole new engine, conspire to create a machine that sounds and feels far more edgy and exciting.

From E-Ray to Grand Sport X "There were some customers who didn't necessarily understand the car," Keith Badgley said of the E-Ray. He was the lead development engineer for that machine, as well as the Grand Sport X and the ZR1X. I spoke with him after spending a few days behind the wheel of the Grand Sport X.