I can see why GM could spinoff the Corvette. It is far above everything else they build. For it to be the reason to justify all their other lines seems unjustified. Because of the inferior image all their other vehicle's have The Corvette has suffered greatly.

I doubt few people outside of Corvette owners really know what a Great Car this is. I doubt few people know about Corvette's Racing success in the past 10 years.

I think Porsche, Ferrari and Lambo build fine Cars. I think that GM builds a fine Corvette. Plus' & minus' for each but all in all very comparable.

As a stand alone Franchise I think it would exalt Corvette's to their rightful place in the Automobile world. They deserve more respect and so do their Owners.

I'd like to see GM spinoff the Corvette to a Stand alone Franchise with stand alone Service. Then I'd like to see GM build the highest quality and most exciting Cars & Trucks in the World again.

C64Lucky

 

I believe that as a stand alone company, Corvette would price itself out of the market. Corvette uses a lot of off the shelf GM parts and a lot of the stuff designed for Corvette is incorporated in other vehicles. I hope GM survives and Corvette remains a part of it.

 

Have to agree and even though Corvette is an awesome car GM has others that are pretty good as well, do not forget the Cadillac CTS line.

 

It would never survive as a stand alone franchise because the way that Corvettes are being whored out at "no profit deals", why would a dealer even consider that as their only product?

What would be the answer? Sell them like Saturns only at MSRP?

I don't think it would be a viable situation.

 

 

Love the 'Vette!

Corvette chould be to GM what Ferrari is to Fiat! Corvette's shouldn't be Whored.

C64Lucky

 

If a large auto mfg were to purchase Corvette (ie: Toyota) they would have plenty of technology they could piggy back to it at a low cost like GM has done. Engines, electronics, etc could all be used in some form or other. That could keep the cost down and make the vette still be afforded to most of us. However if Corvette was a stand alone brand there is no way I'm paying 80 grand for base vette! It would have to greatly upgraded and probably make pricing even more unattractive.

I seriously doubt anyone would buy Corvette to become a stand alone brand. There are only true exotics that can do that now and we don't need to review what those cars cost!! How many American stand alone brands are there that sell 30,000 a year? I believe the answer is none with good reason. It's just to expensive when all the over head is rolled into them. Where would you even get a stand alone Corvette serviced, etc?

Either GM survives or a large auto mfg buys it out. If that doesn't happen I believe the Corvette could be gone in 18 months of less. Not sure what it would mean to the car should someone like Toyota buy it out. Frankly I don't believe any large auto mfg will buy Corvette considering the direction and the state of the world economy!

 

I love the idea of a spinoff. But I would take Cadillac and Corvette together. Change the name to something like Beautie Motors to fool the world into thinking it's an Asian or French company. Or just hit 'em hard with U.S. Motors.

Then fill out the product line to keep the overhead down to acceptable levels. Bring out an electric Vette to compete with the Tesla and build out a complete offering of transition vehicles, electrics, hybrids, commuter cars. The idea here is to drop the old, failed model and keep the winners and expand on them. The possibilities are endless.

 

I for one would NEVER buy a Corvette from a "RICER" In fact I would never buy any kind of RICER!!!! If GM goes by the wayside... it would be terrible loss to our country not only to our economy but to our prestige.

 

 

Corvette started out as a lower priced performance sport car...and I guess it still is by comparison. The real problem would be marketing and service if they were stand alone. http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/r...TE56copper.jpg

 

I don't know who would buy it or any of the other GM divisions. If Corvette was not part of GM it could never be successful.

My guess is that the C6 is the end of the line.

 

Most of the technology is used on the Corvette before it is used in other GM vehicle lines. I'm not saying it's a guinea pig but it kinda is. Where do you think the hydroformed chassis rails in GM vehicles were introduced first? Corvette. Engine technology and suspension, etc. There's a reason it costs so much other than the fun factor.

 

There is no reason why GM can't flourish in the Automobile Business. They just need to build Cars & Trucks that are better than World Class and make them so addictive you gotta have one. They've done it before.

Ferrari has Fiat. Soon Porsche will have V.W. & Audi. Corvette could still be a Stand Alone Franchise under GM's umbrella. Maybe Cadillac too? But Cadillac has to raise the bar on their Cars to Mercedes, BMW, Lexus level inside & out.

American Cars were once the Standard Of The World. They should be again.

A stand alone Luxury Line for GM would be a good thing for everybody. Prices wouldn't need to change. But Manufacturer subsidizing at a loss selling practice has got to stop. Especially on a Car that is supposed to be a World Class Contender.

Business 101. You gotta make a Profit to stay in Business. I am tired of seeing Mooch deals on Corvette's. It's not good for the image of the Car, the Franchise and the Owners. Not to mention the Re-Sale. Set a Fair Price and negotiate a fair deal. No hoopla!

Last time I looked Ferrari wasn't asking their Government's for a bailout.

C64Lucky

 

I agree about the mooch deals. But isn't that what happens here all day long? Someone wants to buy a Corvette close to home. The shopper comes here and says "what should I pay?". How does a local dealer make any money when a customer has a written quote 1000 miles away? Next thing you know it's about how much money can one dealer lose on every Corvette they have. I'm surprised that the forum dealers allow these salespeople to lose as much as they do on these cars. They don't even try to make money for their stores. It seems like every deal is "below" GMS and this and that. No wonder dealers are going out of business. If they're selling Corvettes like this, imagine what they're selling Cobalts and trucks for! Eventually, the money runs out and salespeople get fired for not making ANY profit or the dealer closes.

So with that being said, who do you hire for your stand alone Corvette store? Why not just put the "below GMS" prices on the windshield and save the salary, the benefits, the liability, etc.

It's really a pity that Corvette isn't worth a dime anymore.

 

One of the defining characteristics of the Corvette is the Chevy small-block, which is the same basic design used in millions of trucks. If Corvette were spun off, the buyer would need to contract to Chevy to provide these engines -- at least for the near-term. What potential buyer produces an engine with similar power, light-weight, and compactness? No DOHC V-8 of comparable performance will even fit under the hood.

Not that it matters. What company is interested in buying a car division these days? GM would probably have to give it away, which would be pointless -- the only reason to sell Corvette would be to raise a lot of cash.

 

With only around 40,000 copies being sold, no way would they be able to survive on their own feet.

There is a big reason why imports generally sell for around sticker. They are not trying to rape the buyers by charging $8-10k more than invoice. In the bad times they'll resort to 0% financing to lure in some buyers while GM does that at the beginning of the model year. Put realistic prices on the window and don't allow dealer added items (unless the customer is willing to pay for it) and a lot of GM's problems customer service problems with sales would be solved. With service they can have the dealers only recommend what is actually required and not charge their customers $10 for a quart of synthetic oil that you can buy for $6 down the street.

I say the Corvette sells pretty good considering what type of car it is.

 

I sold Imports and every single Vehicle had an added Dealer Mark up Sticker of at least $1500.00 to the sky was the limit depending how Hot the Product was.

C64Lucky

 

"There is no reason why GM can't flourish in the Automobile Business. They just need to build Cars & Trucks that are better than World Class and make them so addictive you gotta have one. They've done it before."

A simple answer, but mostly correct. GM hasn't been able to do this for well over 30 years and hence the problem they are in today. There has been the occassional "hit" with the public, but they have been too few and far between. The rest of the cars (the majority) simply weren't what people wanted to buy and the quality was marginal. This has all caught up with GM and now the game is nearly over. IF, and it's a big if GM can survive it will be radically different than today and will only offer a handful of models and those will have to be produced in large enough numbers to turn a profit. What will also be needed is a complete restructuring of the way the company is run, and current management ousted en masse.