Telepierre

Fully understood. I can only surmise you want to upscale the corvette brand (ala Cadlillac XLR) at all costs (pun intended). I can understand your frustration but I don't think Chevrolet is going to come along now that Corvette is making money (by volume).

Endeka

Well, there's the rub. The Corvette costs $50,000 base. There is no reason, no reason whatever, that the modern American workforce of a fortune 500 company should not be able to replace all the cheap plastic, pleather and vinyl in the Corvette with rich grain leather, real carbon fiber, and aluminum, for $6,000-$8000 (look how large a high quality Italian leather sofa is, and that costs $3,000-$4,000. That's enough leather to do everything in the Vette, even the carpets). That $56,000-$58,000 Corvette would be worth much more than the sum of its parts.

Telepierre

[QUOTE]Well, there's the rub. The Corvette costs $50,000 base. There is no reason, no reason whatever, that the modern American workforce of a fortune 500 company should not be able to replace all the cheap plastic, pleather and vinyl in the Corvette with rich grain leather, real carbon fiber, and aluminum, for $6,000-$8000 (look how large a high quality Italian leather sofa is, and that costs $3,000-$4,000. That's enough leather to do everything in the Vette, even the carpets). That $56,000-$58,000 Corvette would be worth much more than the sum of its parts.[QUOTE]

Since I thought this thread was about the rendering I did not want to go there in my first replies but since you seem to insist on this line I'd like to offer a counter argument:

but first another example of your logic and wishful thinking getting in "trouble" I suppose the fortune 500 you are alluding to is GM? The company that went bankrupt 2 years ago, was bailed out, still owning between 10 and 30 billion back? I am all for American workforce but I find you characterization of "everything is possible" a bit misplaced in this context.

So That is about how much Corvette charges today for their C6 4th level upgrade (which I have). I would have to double check sales numbers but it seems (if sales is the ultimate arbiter) that there is not much demand for that kind of OEM upgrade pouting to a general Corvette market desire different from yours.

IF for you mean the Porsche, Ferrari and Austin Martin stuff than you are off by a long shot. American ingenuity or not you are talking about "Chinese" economies of scale that may work for millions of robotic built iPads but not thousands of Corvettes.

The 5/10% Corvette customer base that wants that type of interior can go aftermarket (Caravaggio for ex) and have it how they want it for 12-20-30K.

BTW I opt to skip your Italian sofa thing..first I'd like you to gain an appreciation for the difference between a sofa and a car interior. For example I know a sofa does not have to comply with SAE impact standards nor deploy air bags nor ergonomically adjust nor required to warm the passenger..but I know you mean the leather quantity...

Above set aside; the real reason I am counter arguing with the "better interior/better car/more halo = more sales theory" is that Corvette just like any other car has a "budget". And the thing I am grappling with is that I am definitively sensing that the "revolution" you speak off is going to suck money out of the Corvette FUNDAMENTALS which are so often given for granted but should not be..

BobRBob

Let's not over-think or analyze the interior issue. It's GM's problem to figure out how to build and sell a car with a great interior with high quality materials and make money doing it. They need to do it because their competition already is doing it. There's no choice.

I love how the market works.

Jp23rockstar

I just read the newest article about the c7 and it states the renderings are completely fake, it has been confirmed by Ed welburn head designer for the c7. It will be awesome looking, I guarantee.

Jinx

Corvette's interior problems aren't about materials so much as they are about design and technology, anyway. GM offers premium materials in LT4, and some buyers take it, but that doesn't make the seats more supportive or the navigation system competitive or the panel gaps less visible or the HUD less Armitron.

I'm sure C7 will be better, just as C6 was compared to C5, but I'm not sure GM is willing to go far enough, and keep going year after year, to remove the asterisk from the interior.

.Jinx

Gadfly

I personally like the new look overall, but i hate the tail lights.

I also like that they are improving the interior, and keeping the three trim levels.

I do however hope they put some value back into the corvettte.... The vette's price tag has gotten out of hand for what you get ( and I am talking about the base coupe, not just the ZR1).

The base price of 50k is far too much for what you get right now. I know, I know.... 430 HP, blah blah blah....

Fact is there is nothing exotic, or expensive on the vette, and is really no more expensive to build than a g8, or a camaro....ls3's are cheap, the transmission is cheap, all the electronics are the same, the fiberglass body work is cheap, the minimal frame, suspension, and we all know they interior is cheap as Hell.

Hopefully they bring the c7 pricing down to more realistic levels.

BobRBob

I expect the price to be higher. It will have to be to address all the issues you raise.

Jp23rockstar

How much higher, I'm thinking 54,000.

BobRBob

Don't know but higher than that. Think Porsche.

thirtythird

Making 15K of these cars means these non-exotic parts cost more per unit than if you made 30K of these cars.

Personally, I only bought a C6 because the MSRP was 45K. No way would I have bought one if the cheapest MSRP was >50K (and I paid less than 45K, but that was the high water mark starting point).

Once it hits 50K, potential buyers start dropping off. They need to keep it reasonable. A model must be possible for 45K or so, otherwise, they will probably not be able to increase sales to younger types, if that is what they want. Like it or not, the "cheaper" models allow the survival of the entire line, IMHO.

jrhunkler

Who wants to bet a million $ that the C7 looks absolutely nothing like these dummy renderings?

LS4 PILOT

I'm staying in the batcave if it does...

VETTE-NV

As I read it, all he said was "No." That could mean many things......I wouldn't exactly say that he's confirming they are "completely fake."

Having said that, I hope they are "completely fake." The C7 needs to be better than the renderings.

Timz16

Apparently less than 1 in 4 voters on the poll agree that this is a good thing. So if the design is 90 percent accurate, 76% of Corvette enthusiasts here do not seem impressed.

Timz16

Is this what you are referring to:

In an exclusive chat at L.A. Auto Show yesterday, GM design boss Ed Welburn dissed the Jalopnik illustrations leaked yesterday and cleary stated that "the next Corvette (2013) will be inspired by the 1963 Stingray," as predicted here. When I asked him "Yes or no on the Jalopnik illustrations?" he clearly stated, "No."

Continue reading on Examiner.com Exclusive! GM designer Ed Welburn disses Jalopnik: 2013 Corvette Stingray based - National Classic Autos | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/classic-auto...#ixzz1fjaVE3Sk

I can only hope this is true.

VetteLog

GM invested in design, development and promotion of Sideswipe in movies and car shows. It only makes sense to go with it, same as what they did with Bumblebee.

VETTE-NV

The Camaro prototype was designed long before the Transformers movie, and GM acknowledged at the time that it indeed was the next Camaro. The GM show car that everyone incorrectly proclaimed as the C7 was merely a design exercise in honor of Chevy's 100th anniversary. GM proclaimed from the start that it was not the next Vette. It was used in the film because it was available.....not because it's the upcoming Corvette...although I'd much rather see it on the road than anything close to the horrible Jalopnik vehicle.

jon1all

Perhaps there is hope... a Sting Ray inspired C7 would be a total awesomeness!

BobRBob

Well, it depends on how inspired. The C2 is a classic but very dated (obviously). Personally, I'm hoping for something very different from the Transformer concept and even more different from the Jalopy jalopy.