Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As always, this is a weekly recap of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. This week: Chevrolet finally debuts Corvette E-Ray and the specs are worth the wait, Aston Martin is sending off the DBS with more power, Porsche Classic is now offering infotainment retrofits for mid 00’s cars, and Chevrolet might be looking to fight the Ford Maverick, plus your news for the week.

Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray

This Tuesday marked 70 years since the Corvette made its first public appearance at Motorama in NYC. Chevrolet celebrated by unveiling a new car that couldn’t be any less alike the old ones. The long-awaited and rumored Corvette E-Ray is real and it’s coming later this year with AWD and hybrid power for the first time ever in Corvette history.

Sharing responsibilities for power is the standard 6.2-liter LT2 V8 with 495 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque getting sent to the rear wheels and an electric motor sending 160 horsepower and 125 lb.-ft. of torque to the front wheels. A 1.9 kWh battery pack is situated between the seats and is charged via regenerative energy from braking, coasting, and normal driving, so there’s no plugging in required. “Stealth Mode” allows the car to be driven on battery power alone up to 45 mph for quiet getaways.

In total, this is a 655-horsepower Corvette. With all-wheel drive. So naturally, it’s the quickest Corvette the company has ever made with a 0-60 mph time of just 2.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 10.5 seconds. That quarter mile time is about three tenths quicker than the C7 ZR1, the mightiest Corvette yet, using factory estimates.

The E-Ray shares its wide-body styling with the Z06, similar to how Grand Sports of recent generations did. In this case it’s practically a necessity in order to fit wider wheels and tires to handle all that power and torque. The E-ray rides on exclusive lightweight 20″ front and 21″ rear alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport all seasons or 4S summer tires (available with an optional performance package). It also features standard Brembo Carbon Ceramic brakes, the latest Magnetic Ride Control 4.0, available carbon fiber wheels and ground effects, and an E-Ray exclusive Electric Blue body stripe package.

MSRP, which no one will ever see, is $104,295 for the E-Ray 1LZ coupe and $111,295 for the E-Ray 1LZ convertible.

[Source: Chevrolet]

Aston Martin DBS 770 Ultimate

Aston Martin is bringing one of their most beautiful cars of a generation to a close, but not before they unleash its full potential. The DBS 770 Ultimate is a limited edition version with only 499 being built globally as coupes and convertibles, and it’s the most powerful production Aston Martin ever. It’s also been sold out already before any of us peasants even heard about it. So I’ll make this quick.

The 5.2-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine has been updated with modified air and ignition pathways and a 7% increase in boost pressure, among other things. The result is 759 horsepower and 663 lb.-ft. of torque, an increase of 44 horsepower over the standard model now reserved for the unsavory lower 1%ers. To accommodate the extra power it also gets some recalibrated shifting behavior, a new solid mounted steering column, enhanced front cross member to improve front end stiffness by 25%, and a thicker rear undertray to help increase torsional stiffness by a whole 3%. The people that will certainly drive these and not just store them to flex on poor people will surely notice and appreciate those enhancements.

But what can’t be denied is that this truly is one of the best-looking cars on sale right now. And probably the best design of Aston’s current crop of cars. It will be missed.

[Source: Aston Martin]

Porsche Classic offering new infotainment upgrade on 03-08 models

Porsche Classic is expanding the catalogue for the Porsche Classic Communication Management Plus (PCCM Plus) and what models it’s available for. These retrofitted devices enable the use of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and all the functionality they provide in newer models, such as media playback, navigation, and phone calls displayed through a 7″ touch screen. And with them being designed for use in specific models, they will match the look and feel of the rest of the interior for a seamless integration.

The new cars they’re adding to the roster are the sixth-generation 911s (997) built from 2005 to 2008, the early 987 Boxsters and Caymans from 2005 to 2008, and the first-generation Cayenne from 2003 to 2008. They’re also offering regional versions with different capabilities in each. The version for the US and Canada is ready for SiriusXM when purchased separately and they can be loaded with on-board navigation with points of interest specific to Porsche. They can also be used as trip computers and store personalized settings which can be used to control the wipers, lights, climate control, and locks.

These new PCCM Plus devices start at $1,475.99 and can be ordered at Porsche Dealerships.

[Source: Porsche]

Report: Chevrolet wants a small truck too

Pictured: not a Chevrolet

Automotive News is reporting that Chevrolet has created a small, two-door, electric pickup and has shown it to a small group touring a GM design studio. That’s according to MotorAuthority, because AN requires a subscription to read anything and Hooniverse has no budget.

Even if this particular truck is simply a design study that only exists in clay models or drawings, it’s clear that Chevrolet has been eyeing the blossoming small truck market currently being dominated by the Ford Maverick with the Hyundai Santa Cruz somewhere behind it. The basic specifications that could be gleamed from AN‘s impressions are that it’s a regular cab with a low roof and a bed length of approximately 4.0-4.5 feet, which is roughly the same as the Maverick’s. When they say low roof, it could be similar to the Maverick (which is low compared to the gargantuan trucks in higher classes) or straight up Ute. We really don’t know yet.

But what we do know is Ford literally cannot build Mavericks quickly enough. And with the Maverick being a crew cab configuration only, Chevrolet could directly appeal to commercial buyers if they traded cab space for bed length. There’s certainly enough demand to go around for a new truck war to go down, just at a smaller scale. More on this as we get it…

[Source: Automotive News via MotorAuthority]

What’s your news for the week?

So that’s all I’ve got for you this week, so now it’s your turn. If you saw anything, fixed something, broke everything, or otherwise did anything even remotely car related that you want to share with your fellow hoon, sound off in the comments.

Have a good weekend.