(WWJ) The 'Diamond' Joe Biden of Onion fame was on full display in a Twitter video where the Democratic candidate for president hopped in a shiny piece of metal and chrome -- made in Detroit, natch -- and showed off his road skills.
He also showed off more than the automaker may have liked.
In the campaign video, Biden tooled around in a vintage green Corvette, revving the engine, putting her through her paces and saying with a smile, "I used to be a pretty good driver."
In the spot, he chatted about his love of automobiles -- one shared by his father and son Beau -- and waxed poetic about the electric cars of the future.
And this is where it gets tricky.
"And by the way, they tell me, and I look forward to driving one if it's true, that they're making an electric Corvette that can go 200 mph. Think I'm kidding? I'm not kidding."
Insert screeching brakes here. Is it true?
Related
Apparently, it is. Freep.com confirmed with someone at GM's Bowling Green Assembly in Kentucky there is a plan for an all-electric version of the Corvette, "but the timing and its maximum speed are unknown."
"The electric version is likely at least two years or more out," the person said to the freep, noting it will "follow GM's performance versions of the car due to market over the next year."
Back in 2016, CNET revealed a company called Genovation was working on the fastest electric vehicle in the world: A Chevrolet Corvette packing more than 660 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. That car, capable of 205.6 mph, carried an estimated price tag of $750,000 each.
At the time, the announcement said they planned to start shipping in late 2019 ... but that hasn't materialized, at least not yet. The CEO told Forbes in May that COVID had slowed production, though they always intended to limit production to 75.
Meanwhile, GM had never previously discussed plans for a 200 mph electric version of the classic Corvette.