Tom/99

When I see it, I'll believe it.

jschindler

I'm not one to over react, but actually I think he does have a legit reason to conjure and idea like that. There is another thread going around right now - well, actually it might have been closed this morning, with sales figures for the month of November, and it included information on the past year sales.

As much as I don't like to be a "sky is falling" person, the sales numbers are really ugly and if they don't turn around in the next six months, I find it hard to imagine that GM can make a good business case to continue such a low volume car that the BG plant is totally dedicated to.

I personally think the Corvette will be around, but it does give legitimate reason for concern.

iw172

I feel that way every time I'm seen in mine.
very proud.

charliesvette

I could see Chevy doing this. Likely just a little cost to retool the cosmetic changes and some minor drivetrain changes. But don't call it a C7!!!!

Think about the changes from C1 to C2, to C3 to C4 to C5 then C6.

Those were real changes and each was different driver experience. The C7 is a new bumper and fiberglass change around the tail lights.

But I suspect we will see this as a flock of buyers would be expected in dealerships via the C7 designation.

BUT DON'T GET ME WRONG, IF IT DRIVES SALES CALL IT "THE BEST EVER C-INFINITE" AND GET SALES UP FOR GM.

vettedoogie

If we believe the info they put out about next season's C6R GT2 car, they are going to offer a 5.5. Other than that, who knows?

While it is unnecessary for a barely surviving company to build a C7 that has to do a 9 second 1/4 mile, neither does it make any sense to have a lineup of weak-kneed V6 or hybrid Corvettes. Some here have a great time taking their Vettes to the drag strip but that ain't the model that will help get the Corvette brand or GM back to profitability. That said, the small block V8 has a LOT more life with vast capability left to explore in almost every aspect. People who want to mod them to do that 9 sec. 1/4 should still be able to do so. So the real critical thing is to keep it a great, flexible platform so that people will be able to do what they want to with it.

The C6 lineup has had a great balance of quality, horsepower, torque, gas mileage, aerodynamics, and comfort. Building on those qualities will continue to reap benefits. The C7 must improve overall reliability (No more electrical/battery issues!), handling and interior quality and they need to build FEWER of them so they can actually SELL most or all that they make.

Vette Suspension

C7 General discussion?

TBIRD57

what does pelosi have to with this?
hybrids are going to be the future for all manufacturers with the next generation cafe mandates. the head of renault-nissan confirmed it in a wide ranging discussion on charlie rose.
the hybrid sports car will be the norm.

Gman in NC

I think we'll see a twin clutch tranny in the C7. That's keeping up with the times for sure.

Kent1999

I agree witht the rest of your points, but I couldn't disagree more with the one above.

An affordable price and a reasonable measure of practicality is *absolutely* crucial to the Corvettes' success.

The Corvette's mantra has *always* been, "the working man's sports car". Let the low volume elitist status-symbol cars continue to be the domain of the Porsche and Ferrari clubs, and give us the knock-out price/performance ratio that the C6 currently enjoys, besting the performance of cars that cost 2-3x as much.

The Viper is a GREAT car, but its $80,000 price point keeps it out of the hands of most enthusiasts, and the correspondingly low production volume has endangered its very existence. Similarly, if the C6 had an unusable trunk size (example: the pathetic malformed excuse that goes for 'luggage space' on the Solstice/Sky), I wouldn't have bought it.

quick04Z06

I do not think there is a future in the "working-man's sports car" at the Corvette's real price point, which is 55K and up. Corvette should become a separate brand under the GM umbrella and it should strive to be what Porsche is--sophisticated, well-built, a good performer, and no "red neck" image. Vette's do not have to be super-expensive, but expensive enough to warrant first-rate interior materials, a dual clutch auto-manual, and a number of variants, like a factory club sport street/road racer (a Z06 w Brembos, roll bar, and pass through sport seats w adj suspension and lighter weight), and a real customer race car like the 911 GT3 Cup tailored to the several road racing series. Let the price go up so GM can make some money on the cars. Appeal to the up-market and get there and quit being viewed as a plastic toy.

Let the Camaro line be the working-man's sports car/toy. It has IRS--just add a solid axle version for the drag boys and make enough versions of it to keep everyone happy in the $25K-to-45K range.

If Corvette continues to sell mostly to the paycheck-to-paycheck crowd, when times are bad, you'll sell no cars (like now). Vettes need to appeal to the investment crowd, too. Vettes do have a chili-dog image; they need a Chateaubriand image. This will require pricing sufficient to stay alive.

70454

I just don't like her.

vant

Not really getting your point. If you want sophistication, exclusivity, and the snob-factor, then why don't you just buy a Porsche or Ferrari? That's why they exist - as an alternative to the "plastic toy".

I do agree with one thing that you said. I think the Vette will always have that "red neck" image as long as it is associated with Chevrolet and pickup trucks. After all, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche, Lamborghini, Audi, etc - DO NOT build pickups. One thing that I have always wondered about was why the Corvette body has never displayed a Chevy bow tie, except for the microscopic one found in the crossflags. Maybe that was their way of distancing the Corvette brand slightly from the rest of the lineup.

But luckily I'm not easily influenced by what other people think about the car I drive. I chose the Corvette for its exceptional performance value. It accelerates corners and brakes better than anything that's close to this price. It's an incredibly balanced and well engineered car for the money. The rush I get from that driving experience supersedes anything else, including the grade of plastics used in the dash.

Oh, and what's wrong with chili dogs? Weiner!

vettedoogie

Red neck? That's never been my impression of the Corvette, except maybe this one...


Nascar, pickup trucks, and maybe these...

jlbruggeman

They have been talking about making it lighter, then even 14HP would make it quicker. Looks pretty slick to me!

JSB2008

Yea a version of this design went around the car mags about a year ago already

RedC7AZ

Why does it seem that at this point every rendition of what the C7 will look like seems to resemble a C6 "in disguise".

The C6 does not look aything like a C5 in disguise and the same can be said going back one generation at a time and comparing it to the previous generation.

Lets hope GM continues it's track record and uses more imagination than the folks offering these rendition.

Aerovette

Up the HP by 14 and drop the weight and you accomplish a LOT.

SCM_Crash

Um... I don't like it. I don't even think that design could grow on me. It's hard enough that the C6 isn't growing on me that fast. That C7 design looks awful IMO.

Launched in '53

RIA = Retailer Installed Accessory
Refers to optional equipment developed and validated by GM, but installed at the dealer rather than at Bowling Green. This enables a wider range of options without increasing complexity and jeopardizing cost/quality at Bowling Green.

2K14C7

If I remember correctly this article and picture was out in 2007 before the 2008 models were out. It was thought at the time that the C7 would come out in 2010 as a 2011 model.

That obviously didn't happen and the 2008 model had a new LS-3 with 430/436 hp. Short of the speculated 450 hp in the article but not by much.

The SS mentioned turned out to be the ZR1. The picture is pure speculation and is just a computer rendition of a stylized C6. It was what "they" thought a C7 might look like.

We will only get a real idea of what the C7 will be when the actual spy pics of it being tested begin to surface. And who knows when that will be.