You prove the point. Those pics are in color (look at the orange on the seatbelt). The interior looks so dead and lifeless that you thought the pics were b&w. LOL.

The C6 interior has room for improvement, but it's still way better than the interior on many cars.

 

Thanks for the support. I guess journeyc6 didn't take time to notice the bland interior shots were in color. Nor did he mention the 7.0 TRD option which seems to include a red start button, a body kit, a honeycomb grill and 18" alloy wheels! Oh, and on their web site, you get to watch a few dorky Zeus ad videos.

 

Semantics. You say potato. It has shortcomings and flaws which have gone unaddressed for years and which hurt the car's reputation. On issues of interior design and technology, which the market found lacking in C5 and finds increasingly important to purchase decisions with each passing year, GM pulled up short and then let it stagnate (or gilded the lily) despite repeated criticism. I believe "sucking" is the right word to describe the effort.

GM can't take that approach. They want to keep selling cars, making money, and reaping the benefits of a halo car. They need to build and maintain a positive brand image for Corvette if it's to continue to exist and excel. They can't just preach to the converted, they need to convert.

I'm hopeful, if not convinced, that they've gotten the message, and that C7 will give no quarter to its competition throughout its lifecycle.

.Jinx

 

+1
Well put!

 

Well stated.

Cheers,
JB

 

You and I aren't really all that far apart in our opinions of what GM needs to do to improve the Corvette. Where we apparently differ is in our perspective on the target market segments. What I am saying is that I believe that there is a very specific market segment that will never convert, regardless of the facts. Those folks are in the "boomer" age bracket, living in upscale demographic areas with above average incomes.

Living in the Oakland/SF Bay area environment as you do, I would be surprised if you have not seen this directly. These folks embody the Yuppie/Nimby mentality, and are die hard Euro centric in their preferences. They are more concerned about image and perception than they are about facts and reality. They are now in the 40 to 65 age bracket, and have been convinced by 40+ years of conditioning to believe that anything German or Japanese is automatically better than anything American. They literally have a fear of social stigma and "loss of face" if they drove an American car.

Living in Los Gatos and until recently having worked in Palo Alto, I see this condition every day, even in friends and co workers. I have even been accused of misrepresenting the technical data and facts when trying to show comparaisions. These folks are so deep seated in their need to be "better" that they cannot accept a changing paradigm.

I believe that is a market segment not worth wasting effort to "convert". Better to aim 5 to 10 years down the road and target the next market segment, perhaps as represented by forum member "Justin Strife", who has posted in this thread.

I too feel optimistic that GM has heard and will respond. I do not believe that - or any - effort will "convert" the market segment I have been referring to throughout this thread.

 

Surely you're not suggesting that everyone with money 40-65 in the Bay Area (or anywhere) is beyond conversion. So I don't know what you're quibbling about.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Sounds like there are a lot of grumpy old men on CF. Other brands will have loyal buyers as well, you convert those you can convert by providing an excellent product (quality, styling, technology, performance, at the targeted price point). If the market for mid- to high-end sports cars is flat (or declining) you must look for ways to take market share from others. Or, be prepared for a painful, costly decline as others steal market share from you. The new Corvette must appeal to younger buyers (40-50 who can afford a new Corvette, they'll be over 50 soon) and win buyers from competitors in a large price range (currently $50K-$130K+). The C7 will be the best opportunity Chevrolet has in the next decade to grab sports car market share and project an image to the next generation. To ignore successful foreign brands because they aren't made in America is foolhardy. Take good ideas from others, they are successful for a reason. No one is suggesting Corvette drop everything good about the car and just copy someone else, warts and all. Retro styling his hugely popular now, and Corvette has a legacy to draw from few will ever touch. Getting the C7 "right" is incredibly important to the brand, Chevrolet and GM. I expect the C7 will be outstanding and few here won't want to own one as soon as they see it (and I don't mean those questionable artists renditions appearing on the internet).

Cheers,
JB