Manoli Katakis 
It’s no secret that General Motors is going all-in on electric vehicles; something that’s likely going to be a turbulent transition in the near term. Even as fun and powerful vehicles like the GMC Hummer EV, and future (unofficially confirmed) Corvette hybrid variants like the E-Ray and Zora are hotly anticipated, as well as a potential electric Corvette SUV, the aftermarket industry is starting to look left out.
There will be fewer new engines to tweak and tune, fewer new exhaust systems to upgrade, and less drivelines to augment. It may take a while for the $48 billion per-year aftermarket industry to sync back up with various mandates that are marching automakers towards electric vehicles, but not everybody is dreading the transition to a so-called All Electric Future™.
“I am a big fan of electric vehicles,” said Callaway Cars founder and owner Reeves Callaway to MC&T. “It makes so much sense to make a high performance electric (vehicle), simply because of the way power is generated and applied. It’s fantastic to have max torque at zero RPM.”
Callaway, once a Chevrolet Volt owner, seems to understand the inherent benefits to electric vehicles and hybrids, and is currently waiting to see what General Motors will allow his company to tweak, tune, and otherwise supplement the OEM’s existing lineup.
“We’ve done so many things… we’re flexible in how we assign ourselves,” said Reeves. “We’re just waiting for exactly the right platform to exercise some of those abilities I think. We’re very glad they’re going in that direction.”
While the GMC Hummer EV family will be fully electric, it may be an easier transition for Callaway to upgrade the C8 Corvette, which isn’t expected to omit its engine anytime soon. But, as mentioned, it will go hybrid before it could turn into an electric vehicle.
“I hope (Corvette) goes in that direction,” said Callaway. “If you look at it as the beginning as incorporating some additional electric drive to the Corvette, I hope that’s the way it goes.”
Callaway otherwise has no major announcements regarding the opportunity on GM’s future electric vehicles at this time. But with a fleet of electric trucks and SUVs on the way from Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC, there’s likely to be no shortage of electric performance options by mid-decade.
Homer Chadwick likes Hummers .