from autocar
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,636
Likes: 6
Finer materials cost money. Maybe they can improve the interior by better design, I don't know.
As for GM making more money by trying to make the corvette more exclusive, that won't work in the case of the vette, because it goes against the very nature of what the car is. It's the blue collar's rocket with wheels. It's a car that just about every hard working american can aspire to own one day, if they want it bad enough. You don't need to be a doctor, lawyer, manager, etc, to have the means to purchase this car, unlike ALL of the other cars in it's same class.
People would continue to buy ferraris even if they were crap, even if they were slow, even if the vette was made out of the rarest, most precious materials in the world, and made 5 minutes lap times at the 'Ring, because they want to own a ferrari. They want to be known as the guy who drives the ferrari. Same with Lambo. Aston Martin.
A product totally different than what we currently have, maybe even a different name, because Corvette is PROUDLY known as the high end for the working class, even in Europe. Which is an option on the table.
The Z06 overseas costs about the same as a 911 turbo here costs. That's called an impasse.
As for GM making more money by trying to make the corvette more exclusive, that won't work in the case of the vette, because it goes against the very nature of what the car is. It's the blue collar's rocket with wheels. It's a car that just about every hard working american can aspire to own one day, if they want it bad enough. You don't need to be a doctor, lawyer, manager, etc, to have the means to purchase this car, unlike ALL of the other cars in it's same class.
People would continue to buy ferraris even if they were crap, even if they were slow, even if the vette was made out of the rarest, most precious materials in the world, and made 5 minutes lap times at the 'Ring, because they want to own a ferrari. They want to be known as the guy who drives the ferrari. Same with Lambo. Aston Martin.
A product totally different than what we currently have, maybe even a different name, because Corvette is PROUDLY known as the high end for the working class, even in Europe. Which is an option on the table.
The Z06 overseas costs about the same as a 911 turbo here costs. That's called an impasse.
Design is definitely an area they could work on. It doesn't cost a lot more for great design, but it can cost you a lot in terms of lost marketshare if you don't get it right. Forget about Porsche/Ferrari, the Corvette's interior design doesn't measure up to TT/SLK/Z4 levels. It looks dated next to even a 1-Series or 370Z. I mean, you just look at the seats in the Corvette and you can see how the average age of Corvette buyers has crept up to 54. Porsche, on the other hand, offers 4 optional seats in even the lowly Boxster to suit a wider (and I don't mean dimensionally around the midsection) demographic.
The changes proposed won't necessarily make the Corvette more exclusive. It opens the car up to people who would not otherwise consider it, thus making it less exclusive. As I said Porsche sold ~30k sportscars last year, while Corvette sold only ~13k. There is normally an inverse relationship between price and exclusivity, but we're not seeing it with the Corvette. It is forced into exclusivity because of the very same shortcomings discussed herein.
And the cheapest Porsche in this country, the Boxster, is cheaper than the base Vette.
No, people will not necessarily buy Ferraris if they're crap. Ferrari have had some sales duds before (Mondia, for example). When Honda came out with the NSX, it told Ferrari that it had to modernize and improve quality or else. As a result, you see the alloy-bodied Ferraris now, and a considerably modernized factory with state-of-the-art robotics ensuring quality that makes those older Ferraris look as if they were hammered together in a shed (maybe not too far from the truth, LOL).
Aston Martin too have earned their reputation. Their cars aren't just expensive for the sake of exclusivity; they're extremely well-built too. And though it may be "just marketing," they're keeping their name out in motorsport with entries at Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, where they've competed for the past 4-5 years. One of their race drivers is none other than the CEO of the company, Ulrich Bez: http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/0...bez_ring24.jpg
Can you imagine Rick Wagoner or Bob Lutz personally driving in a 24 hour enduro on perhaps the most grueling track on the planet? It's this excitement for the brand, the passion, at all levels from engineer to management, that adds to the mystique of the brand. It's there plain to see when you get into an Aston; it looks like someone actually gave a crap about things that most people take for granted, but it's those small details that separate "earning it" from just "pricing it."
I think your esteem of the Corvette is not reflected among any sizeable portion of the European market. Most people there do not aspire to own one, for many of the reasons already discussed. Aston Martins are common as hell by comparison, but still people would rather aspire to own one.
The Z06 still costs much, much less than the Turbo. Even in the Turbo's home market of Germany, a Z06 is closer to a 997 S. 92,500 euros vs 98,628 euros for a Carrera S and 150,155 for the non-S regular Turbo.
The Corvette can be made much better and still enjoy a sizeable price advantage.
Hmmm - anybody remember that Ferrari is now embracing a shock absorber system invented by GM - and paying GM for the rights to do so? As I recall, it was available as an option on even base model Corvettes long before it was on any Ferrari............ seems like maybe technological superiority works both ways!
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1578106051-post19.html
The difference is, look how quickly Ferrari jumped onto that technology. It took less time than the lifecycle of a single Corvette for Ferrari, Audi, Porsche, and Acura to jump on this technology. Another area where Corvette led the way is in the HUD. Something that BMW incorporated almost immediately on the 5- and 6-Series. The industry has had direct injection for some time now, and Dodge proved that variable valve timing can work on OHV engines years ago. The Corvette is still getting by on decades-old manual transmissions and torque converter autos; meanwhile, the rest of the field is nearly putting the coffin on F1-derived sequentials and moving onto DCTs. As I say, the divergent reputations have been earned.
Through all these years on this forum, I hear "[XYZ Foreign Car] is overpriced"..."Corvette is every bit as good for a fraction of the price"..."can you imagine if a Corvette cost just as much? It would be just as well built, and still be way, way faster. It would kill them all!" Well, let us put this to the test.
Advanced
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
World Class starts with 2 things
1. All models should have Dual overhead cam small V8 (4.5 liter) Turbo/Supercharged - enough with the push-rods already!
2. European style gate shifter for automatics - I've got no time for paddles. Works fine with formula one steering ratios, sucks for amature drifting corners, autocross and other road course fun.
IMO
2. European style gate shifter for automatics - I've got no time for paddles. Works fine with formula one steering ratios, sucks for amature drifting corners, autocross and other road course fun.
IMO
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 3,330
Likes: 903
From: Kentucky
My cousin once had a 2008 JSB Z51 coupe. On highway trips, he consistently got over 32mpg. According to other C6 and even C5 owners, he is not alone.
That said, what would be beneficial in a V6? How does it even remotely seem like a good idea?
These speculations are silly.
That said, what would be beneficial in a V6? How does it even remotely seem like a good idea?
These speculations are silly.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 4,295
Likes: 153
From: Antioch Ca
Finalist 2020 C4 of the Year - Unmodified
The difference in price in materials quality will be neglible once you amortize costs over production. And if they're options, they won't affect the base price one bit.
Design is definitely an area they could work on. It doesn't cost a lot more for great design, but it can cost you a lot in terms of lost marketshare if you don't get it right. Forget about Porsche/Ferrari, the Corvette's interior design doesn't measure up to TT/SLK/Z4 levels. It looks dated next to even a 1-Series or 370Z. I mean, you just look at the seats in the Corvette and you can see how the average age of Corvette buyers has crept up to 54. Porsche, on the other hand, offers 4 optional seats in even the lowly Boxster to suit a wider (and I don't mean dimensionally around the midsection) demographic.
The changes proposed won't necessarily make the Corvette more exclusive. It opens the car up to people who would not otherwise consider it, thus making it less exclusive. As I said Porsche sold ~30k sportscars last year, while Corvette sold only ~13k. There is normally an inverse relationship between price and exclusivity, but we're not seeing it with the Corvette. It is forced into exclusivity because of the very same shortcomings discussed herein.
And the cheapest Porsche in this country, the Boxster, is cheaper than the base Vette.
No, people will not necessarily buy Ferraris if they're crap. Ferrari have had some sales duds before (Mondia, for example). When Honda came out with the NSX, it told Ferrari that it had to modernize and improve quality or else. As a result, you see the alloy-bodied Ferraris now, and a considerably modernized factory with state-of-the-art robotics ensuring quality that makes those older Ferraris look as if they were hammered together in a shed (maybe not too far from the truth, LOL).
Aston Martin too have earned their reputation. Their cars aren't just expensive for the sake of exclusivity; they're extremely well-built too. And though it may be "just marketing," they're keeping their name out in motorsport with entries at Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, where they've competed for the past 4-5 years. One of their race drivers is none other than the CEO of the company, Ulrich Bez: http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/0...bez_ring24.jpg
Can you imagine Rick Wagoner or Bob Lutz personally driving in a 24 hour enduro on perhaps the most grueling track on the planet? It's this excitement for the brand, the passion, at all levels from engineer to management, that adds to the mystique of the brand. It's there plain to see when you get into an Aston; it looks like someone actually gave a crap about things that most people take for granted, but it's those small details that separate "earning it" from just "pricing it."
I think your esteem of the Corvette is not reflected among any sizeable portion of the European market. Most people there do not aspire to own one, for many of the reasons already discussed. Aston Martins are common as hell by comparison, but still people would rather aspire to own one.
The Z06 still costs much, much less than the Turbo. Even in the Turbo's home market of Germany, a Z06 is closer to a 997 S. 92,500 euros vs 98,628 euros for a Carrera S and 150,155 for the non-S regular Turbo.
The Corvette can be made much better and still enjoy a sizeable price advantage.
Already acknowledged:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1578106051-post19.html
The difference is, look how quickly Ferrari jumped onto that technology. It took less time than the lifecycle of a single Corvette for Ferrari, Audi, Porsche, and Acura to jump on this technology. Another area where Corvette led the way is in the HUD. Something that BMW incorporated almost immediately on the 5- and 6-Series. The industry has had direct injection for some time now, and Dodge proved that variable valve timing can work on OHV engines years ago. The Corvette is still getting by on decades-old manual transmissions and torque converter autos; meanwhile, the rest of the field is nearly putting the coffin on F1-derived sequentials and moving onto DCTs. As I say, the divergent reputations have been earned.
Through all these years on this forum, I hear "[XYZ Foreign Car] is overpriced"..."Corvette is every bit as good for a fraction of the price"..."can you imagine if a Corvette cost just as much? It would be just as well built, and still be way, way faster. It would kill them all!" Well, let us put this to the test.
Design is definitely an area they could work on. It doesn't cost a lot more for great design, but it can cost you a lot in terms of lost marketshare if you don't get it right. Forget about Porsche/Ferrari, the Corvette's interior design doesn't measure up to TT/SLK/Z4 levels. It looks dated next to even a 1-Series or 370Z. I mean, you just look at the seats in the Corvette and you can see how the average age of Corvette buyers has crept up to 54. Porsche, on the other hand, offers 4 optional seats in even the lowly Boxster to suit a wider (and I don't mean dimensionally around the midsection) demographic.
The changes proposed won't necessarily make the Corvette more exclusive. It opens the car up to people who would not otherwise consider it, thus making it less exclusive. As I said Porsche sold ~30k sportscars last year, while Corvette sold only ~13k. There is normally an inverse relationship between price and exclusivity, but we're not seeing it with the Corvette. It is forced into exclusivity because of the very same shortcomings discussed herein.
And the cheapest Porsche in this country, the Boxster, is cheaper than the base Vette.
No, people will not necessarily buy Ferraris if they're crap. Ferrari have had some sales duds before (Mondia, for example). When Honda came out with the NSX, it told Ferrari that it had to modernize and improve quality or else. As a result, you see the alloy-bodied Ferraris now, and a considerably modernized factory with state-of-the-art robotics ensuring quality that makes those older Ferraris look as if they were hammered together in a shed (maybe not too far from the truth, LOL).
Aston Martin too have earned their reputation. Their cars aren't just expensive for the sake of exclusivity; they're extremely well-built too. And though it may be "just marketing," they're keeping their name out in motorsport with entries at Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, where they've competed for the past 4-5 years. One of their race drivers is none other than the CEO of the company, Ulrich Bez: http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/0...bez_ring24.jpg
Can you imagine Rick Wagoner or Bob Lutz personally driving in a 24 hour enduro on perhaps the most grueling track on the planet? It's this excitement for the brand, the passion, at all levels from engineer to management, that adds to the mystique of the brand. It's there plain to see when you get into an Aston; it looks like someone actually gave a crap about things that most people take for granted, but it's those small details that separate "earning it" from just "pricing it."
I think your esteem of the Corvette is not reflected among any sizeable portion of the European market. Most people there do not aspire to own one, for many of the reasons already discussed. Aston Martins are common as hell by comparison, but still people would rather aspire to own one.
The Z06 still costs much, much less than the Turbo. Even in the Turbo's home market of Germany, a Z06 is closer to a 997 S. 92,500 euros vs 98,628 euros for a Carrera S and 150,155 for the non-S regular Turbo.
The Corvette can be made much better and still enjoy a sizeable price advantage.
Already acknowledged:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1578106051-post19.html
The difference is, look how quickly Ferrari jumped onto that technology. It took less time than the lifecycle of a single Corvette for Ferrari, Audi, Porsche, and Acura to jump on this technology. Another area where Corvette led the way is in the HUD. Something that BMW incorporated almost immediately on the 5- and 6-Series. The industry has had direct injection for some time now, and Dodge proved that variable valve timing can work on OHV engines years ago. The Corvette is still getting by on decades-old manual transmissions and torque converter autos; meanwhile, the rest of the field is nearly putting the coffin on F1-derived sequentials and moving onto DCTs. As I say, the divergent reputations have been earned.
Through all these years on this forum, I hear "[XYZ Foreign Car] is overpriced"..."Corvette is every bit as good for a fraction of the price"..."can you imagine if a Corvette cost just as much? It would be just as well built, and still be way, way faster. It would kill them all!" Well, let us put this to the test.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 15,309
Likes: 2,265
From: NorCal
The difference in price in materials quality will be neglible once you amortize costs over production. And if they're options, they won't affect the base price one bit.
Design is definitely an area they could work on. It doesn't cost a lot more for great design, but it can cost you a lot in terms of lost marketshare if you don't get it right. Forget about Porsche/Ferrari, the Corvette's interior design doesn't measure up to TT/SLK/Z4 levels. It looks dated next to even a 1-Series or 370Z. I mean, you just look at the seats in the Corvette and you can see how the average age of Corvette buyers has crept up to 54. Porsche, on the other hand, offers 4 optional seats in even the lowly Boxster to suit a wider (and I don't mean dimensionally around the midsection) demographic.
The changes proposed won't necessarily make the Corvette more exclusive. It opens the car up to people who would not otherwise consider it, thus making it less exclusive. As I said Porsche sold ~30k sportscars last year, while Corvette sold only ~13k. There is normally an inverse relationship between price and exclusivity, but we're not seeing it with the Corvette. It is forced into exclusivity because of the very same shortcomings discussed herein.
And the cheapest Porsche in this country, the Boxster, is cheaper than the base Vette.
No, people will not necessarily buy Ferraris if they're crap. Ferrari have had some sales duds before (Mondia, for example). When Honda came out with the NSX, it told Ferrari that it had to modernize and improve quality or else. As a result, you see the alloy-bodied Ferraris now, and a considerably modernized factory with state-of-the-art robotics ensuring quality that makes those older Ferraris look as if they were hammered together in a shed (maybe not too far from the truth, LOL).
Aston Martin too have earned their reputation. Their cars aren't just expensive for the sake of exclusivity; they're extremely well-built too. And though it may be "just marketing," they're keeping their name out in motorsport with entries at Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, where they've competed for the past 4-5 years. One of their race drivers is none other than the CEO of the company, Ulrich Bez: http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/0...bez_ring24.jpg
Can you imagine Rick Wagoner or Bob Lutz personally driving in a 24 hour enduro on perhaps the most grueling track on the planet? It's this excitement for the brand, the passion, at all levels from engineer to management, that adds to the mystique of the brand. It's there plain to see when you get into an Aston; it looks like someone actually gave a crap about things that most people take for granted, but it's those small details that separate "earning it" from just "pricing it."
I think your esteem of the Corvette is not reflected among any sizeable portion of the European market. Most people there do not aspire to own one, for many of the reasons already discussed. Aston Martins are common as hell by comparison, but still people would rather aspire to own one.
The Z06 still costs much, much less than the Turbo. Even in the Turbo's home market of Germany, a Z06 is closer to a 997 S. 92,500 euros vs 98,628 euros for a Carrera S and 150,155 for the non-S regular Turbo.
The Corvette can be made much better and still enjoy a sizeable price advantage.
Already acknowledged:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1578106051-post19.htmlThe difference is, look how quickly Ferrari jumped onto that technology. It took less time than the lifecycle of a single Corvette for Ferrari, Audi, Porsche, and Acura to jump on this technology. Another area where Corvette led the way is in the HUD. Something that BMW incorporated almost immediately on the 5- and 6-Series. The industry has had direct injection for some time now, and Dodge proved that variable valve timing can work on OHV engines years ago. The Corvette is still getting by on decades-old manual transmissions and torque converter autos; meanwhile, the rest of the field is nearly putting the coffin on F1-derived sequentials and moving onto DCTs. As I say, the divergent reputations have been earned.
Through all these years on this forum, I hear "[XYZ Foreign Car] is overpriced"..."Corvette is every bit as good for a fraction of the price"..."can you imagine if a Corvette cost just as much? It would be just as well built, and still be way, way faster. It would kill them all!" Well, let us put this to the test.
Design is definitely an area they could work on. It doesn't cost a lot more for great design, but it can cost you a lot in terms of lost marketshare if you don't get it right. Forget about Porsche/Ferrari, the Corvette's interior design doesn't measure up to TT/SLK/Z4 levels. It looks dated next to even a 1-Series or 370Z. I mean, you just look at the seats in the Corvette and you can see how the average age of Corvette buyers has crept up to 54. Porsche, on the other hand, offers 4 optional seats in even the lowly Boxster to suit a wider (and I don't mean dimensionally around the midsection) demographic.
The changes proposed won't necessarily make the Corvette more exclusive. It opens the car up to people who would not otherwise consider it, thus making it less exclusive. As I said Porsche sold ~30k sportscars last year, while Corvette sold only ~13k. There is normally an inverse relationship between price and exclusivity, but we're not seeing it with the Corvette. It is forced into exclusivity because of the very same shortcomings discussed herein.
And the cheapest Porsche in this country, the Boxster, is cheaper than the base Vette.
No, people will not necessarily buy Ferraris if they're crap. Ferrari have had some sales duds before (Mondia, for example). When Honda came out with the NSX, it told Ferrari that it had to modernize and improve quality or else. As a result, you see the alloy-bodied Ferraris now, and a considerably modernized factory with state-of-the-art robotics ensuring quality that makes those older Ferraris look as if they were hammered together in a shed (maybe not too far from the truth, LOL).
Aston Martin too have earned their reputation. Their cars aren't just expensive for the sake of exclusivity; they're extremely well-built too. And though it may be "just marketing," they're keeping their name out in motorsport with entries at Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, where they've competed for the past 4-5 years. One of their race drivers is none other than the CEO of the company, Ulrich Bez: http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/0...bez_ring24.jpg
Can you imagine Rick Wagoner or Bob Lutz personally driving in a 24 hour enduro on perhaps the most grueling track on the planet? It's this excitement for the brand, the passion, at all levels from engineer to management, that adds to the mystique of the brand. It's there plain to see when you get into an Aston; it looks like someone actually gave a crap about things that most people take for granted, but it's those small details that separate "earning it" from just "pricing it."
I think your esteem of the Corvette is not reflected among any sizeable portion of the European market. Most people there do not aspire to own one, for many of the reasons already discussed. Aston Martins are common as hell by comparison, but still people would rather aspire to own one.
The Z06 still costs much, much less than the Turbo. Even in the Turbo's home market of Germany, a Z06 is closer to a 997 S. 92,500 euros vs 98,628 euros for a Carrera S and 150,155 for the non-S regular Turbo.
The Corvette can be made much better and still enjoy a sizeable price advantage.
Already acknowledged:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1578106051-post19.htmlThe difference is, look how quickly Ferrari jumped onto that technology. It took less time than the lifecycle of a single Corvette for Ferrari, Audi, Porsche, and Acura to jump on this technology. Another area where Corvette led the way is in the HUD. Something that BMW incorporated almost immediately on the 5- and 6-Series. The industry has had direct injection for some time now, and Dodge proved that variable valve timing can work on OHV engines years ago. The Corvette is still getting by on decades-old manual transmissions and torque converter autos; meanwhile, the rest of the field is nearly putting the coffin on F1-derived sequentials and moving onto DCTs. As I say, the divergent reputations have been earned.
Through all these years on this forum, I hear "[XYZ Foreign Car] is overpriced"..."Corvette is every bit as good for a fraction of the price"..."can you imagine if a Corvette cost just as much? It would be just as well built, and still be way, way faster. It would kill them all!" Well, let us put this to the test.
Sorry - my bad - I missed that!
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Verdad Gallardo
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
From: Westchester NY
The Corvette costs less than a base 911 because if it were priced like a 911, no one would buy it.
Reading the Autocar article, it's pretty obvious GM execs aren't smug in their "superiority" when they say the Corvette isn't a global competitor and that its interior is a disappointment. To be a truly world class car, the Corvette has to be competitive against perceived competitors in all world markets, not barely outpunching Porsche sports car sales on home market where it has a natural price advantage. This means: No shortcuts in quality and interior materials for the sake of bang-for-buck. The world market, and indeed much of the US market, demands more than this.
For fuel economy, the Corvette isn't better than the base 911. It gets 16/26 city/hwy where the 911 gets 18/25, even without a Skip-Shift bandaid that infuriates many Corvette owners. In the UK/Euro market, the Corvette is worse in their standardized testing.
Corvette C6 coupe
CO2 emissions 317 g/km
Overall economy, imperial units: 21.1 mpg
UK Tax band: M (£435.00 per 12 months)
Estimated fuel cost: £2896
Metric consumption, avg: 13.4L/100km
911 Carrera
CO2 emissions 225 g/km
Overall economy, imperial units: 29.4 mpg
Tax band: K (£245.00 per 12 months)
Estimated annual fuel cost: £2078
Metric consumption, avg: 9.6L/100km
Reading the Autocar article, it's pretty obvious GM execs aren't smug in their "superiority" when they say the Corvette isn't a global competitor and that its interior is a disappointment. To be a truly world class car, the Corvette has to be competitive against perceived competitors in all world markets, not barely outpunching Porsche sports car sales on home market where it has a natural price advantage. This means: No shortcuts in quality and interior materials for the sake of bang-for-buck. The world market, and indeed much of the US market, demands more than this.
For fuel economy, the Corvette isn't better than the base 911. It gets 16/26 city/hwy where the 911 gets 18/25, even without a Skip-Shift bandaid that infuriates many Corvette owners. In the UK/Euro market, the Corvette is worse in their standardized testing.
Corvette C6 coupe
CO2 emissions 317 g/km
Overall economy, imperial units: 21.1 mpg
UK Tax band: M (£435.00 per 12 months)
Estimated fuel cost: £2896
Metric consumption, avg: 13.4L/100km
911 Carrera
CO2 emissions 225 g/km
Overall economy, imperial units: 29.4 mpg
Tax band: K (£245.00 per 12 months)
Estimated annual fuel cost: £2078
Metric consumption, avg: 9.6L/100km
go to southern california. i'm sorry but that's the world market. watch top gear and hear some smug jerk (who will remain nameless) turn up his nose at american cars and you're left with the impression that all brits drive around in DB9s and wouldn't be caught dead in anything other. nothing could be further from the truth.
i would be willing to bet that in one day in LA you'll see more Lamborghini's than a european will see in a year. as for vettes? they positively drool over them... of course only when no americans are present.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,636
Likes: 6
i love how people say "world market" and european market. have you ever been to europe and seen what they drive? there are a couple of billionaires and blue-bloods driving ferraris and aston martins. hardly a market. everyone else drives around in stripped down ford fiestas and grey market audi's.
go to southern california. i'm sorry but that's the world market. watch top gear and hear some smug jerk (who will remain nameless) turn up his nose at american cars and you're left with the impression that all brits drive around in DB9s and wouldn't be caught dead in anything other. nothing could be further from the truth.
i would be willing to bet that in one day in LA you'll see more Lamborghini's than a european will see in a year. as for vettes? they positively drool over them... of course only when no americans are present.
go to southern california. i'm sorry but that's the world market. watch top gear and hear some smug jerk (who will remain nameless) turn up his nose at american cars and you're left with the impression that all brits drive around in DB9s and wouldn't be caught dead in anything other. nothing could be further from the truth.
i would be willing to bet that in one day in LA you'll see more Lamborghini's than a european will see in a year. as for vettes? they positively drool over them... of course only when no americans are present.
TopGear? I don't form my "world view" of the car market on what they alone say. They're entertaining, nothing more. But, there is some truth to some things they say and the fact that hardly anyone even in a Corvette forum will defend its interior as "world class" tells you something.
More Lambos seen in LA than a European will see in a year? Depends where that European is.
No, my view is based on sales. The Corvette's sales to world export markets is abysmal. There's no way to talk around that. If Europeans "positively drool" over Corvettes, then why don't they vote with their pocketbooks when GM has tried (and failed twice now) to make it a viable competitor in the European market?
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,349
Likes: 733
From: Oceanside Ca
Regarding the source for the OP, a related link stated "Customers opting for the hardcore 498bhp Z06". I thought it was 505hp & my point is if they cannot get data found on a hundred websites & GM's own webpage, how can they possibly get close to knowing details about the upcoming C7?
http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsAr...aspx?AR=256789
http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsAr...aspx?AR=256789
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,636
Likes: 6
Regarding the source for the OP, a related link stated "Customers opting for the hardcore 498bhp Z06". I thought it was 505hp & my point is if they cannot get data found on a hundred websites & GM's own webpage, how can they possibly get close to knowing details about the upcoming C7?
http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsAr...aspx?AR=256789
http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsAr...aspx?AR=256789
http://de.auto.de/magazin/showArticl...nbau-Hand-Werk
371 kW works out to 498 hp.
We can work out if the overall message makes sense given the accuracies or inaccuracies in other comments. That article mentions an 8% gain in lateral acceleration due to the Cup tires, supported here:
http://www.corvetteblogger.com/2011/...-corvette-zr1/
It mentions revisions to the transmission ratios, steering wheel, seats, and center console padding, verified here:
http://www.insideline.com/chevrolet/...6-and-zr1.html
Their quote from Juechter is taken verbatim from GM's own press release material:
http://media.gm.com/content/media/us.../0428_corvette
Let's not shoot the messenger here.
