0Sandyeggo Designs

I just have to get this off my chest:

<RANT ON>
Why is Chevy abandoning the C7?!!! I just don't understand the logic.

The C7 is probably (no, definitely) the best Corvette ever made. It is comfortable, fast, has great looks, has enormous storage, is offered in a manual transmission, etc., etc., etc. So why cast it into the history heap? Why not continue to improve it and offer it?

Porsche didn't dump the 911. They continue to evolve it and improve it and offer it. That's what makes the 911 so special. It is an evolutionary product. It gets better every year and continues to be available. Why doesn't GM do that with the C7?

Okay, so a mid-engine Corvette is comming. Great. I get it. Name it the Zora and offer it to upper level customers at $125K and up. Make it exotic. To me it doesn't look exotic. The renderings look (to me) like a kludged up cool-car wantabe. I think GM is rushing to get it done and losing the golden opportunity they have to do something really special. Snow plow front end? Camaro-ish rear? Same 6.2 liter push rod engine? Are you kidding me?

The C7 is outstanding. it truly WAS revolutionary when it was announced. The looks were (and still are) stunning. Why not build on that? Why not improve the interior with full leather versions? Why not offer it with more engine choices? Maybe better sound systems. Whatever...

For me personally, I will either continue to drive a C7 or go back to a 911. I seriously doubt that the C8 is going to do it for me. Time will tell..

<RANT OFF>

Dave

Steve_R

The 911 is a model Porsche makes. The Corvette is a model GM makes. Both keep improving and changing. Porsche doesn't change the model name, nor does GM. If you look at sales figures for the various generations of Corvette, they drop after a few years, and then bump back up with a new generation. GM is in business to sell cars and make money. Period.

/thread

davanz

As SteveR mentioned, it is money. Ultimately GM management answers to the stockholders, that's how they keep their jobs. The typical FE Corvette demographic is diminishing, soon to a point to where it will not sell in numbers to support it. Even if it is being produced alongside a ME variant. It is not good news to people like me, (71 yr old American performance car fan for many years), but thems the facts. There may be a few exceptions, younger generations who still like the Corvette drivetrain layout and legacy, but not near enough.

And then throw in the desires of Corvette Racing for a ME and that seals it.

Sad but true

Jaykoh-Z51

I get it. Seems like the C7 wasn't having design fatigue yet. Probably could've squeezed another year or tow out of it...giving more time to REALLY tweak out the C8. But, I wasn't home when the GM BOD called me for my input. Dammit. LOL

0Sandyeggo Designs

lol!

roadbike56

Dave, I don't have any inside information, but I've paid close attention to some significant comments by Tadge and watched some interesting statistics that I think explain why GM is leaving the C7, FE car and going with a mid-engine only design.

I believe they did this because they are trying to change the Corvette image. Corvette went from being a young man's car in the 60s and 70s to a middle age car with the C4 and C5. Then, with the C6 the average age of a new Corvette owner went from 54 with the announcement of the C6 to 61 in 2013 when the C6 bowed out. Corvette earned the nickname "old man's car". If Corvette was to survive, it would have to break from the past and reverse the trend of aging buyers. When C7 came out, Tadge stated that the C7 styling was targeting new, younger buyers. They wanted to get successful young and middle age buyers for Corvette and shed the "old man's car" image. The C7 certainly stopped the aging trend it inherited from the C6, even reversing it slightly with an average age of a new Corvette buyer being 59. But that's not what GM wants. I believe they are shedding the FE design so they can have a complete break from the past with the new Corvette. They want people who have never owned a Corvette to buy the new design and create a new image of Corvette as the successful young person's car.
This is just my opinion, but I know GM is very concerned about the age of Corvette buyers.

Avanti

You called it correctly; GM doesn't care what you... or I think. But, if you feel better for posting, wellllllll

0Sandyeggo Designs

I agree with the money aspect. Porsche almost went broke a few years back.. Fortunately, the SUV versions saved their bacon.
BUT, the difference is Porsche hasn't radically changed the design over decades of model year releases of the 911. Its mostly been evolutionary changes. It takes time and effort to move some design toward perfection. Porsche (and maybe German engineering in general) seems to understand that while GM doesn't. For GM (and maybe American cars in general), its all about radical change. Satisfy the American need for variety and the corporate need for short term profits instead of settling on a workable platform and improve it and thus create BRAND LOYALTY.

911.993, 911.996, 911.991, etc are Porsche 911 models. But the 911 is more than just technically a "model". It is in fact the iconic BRAND for Porsche. Ask anyone what comes to mind when you think of Porsche and it will be the 911. Ask anyone to identify the shape of the car and they will know its a Porsche. Ask someone what they think of when its Chevrolet and you'll get a variety of answers. (Most likely a pickup truck.)

Okay, I'm starting to rant now, so I'll conclude my (irrelevant) opinion by saying I wish the Corvette C7 would stay around longer...even a decade longer. And become the icon it deserves to be.

davanz

I agree with your take roadbike. As I stated earlier, it saddens me. I've had Corvettes for several years, and other muscle cars before that, back into the 60s.
And I am just not enamored with the proportions/look of ME cars of any make. So with the likely feeding frenzy and pricing of the C8 market for the first 2-3 years, I am probably out of the game of buying new Corvettes. Certainly things in life change, but it appears that at 71 yrs of age, my 2016 Stingray will be my last.

0Sandyeggo Designs

That is what the forum is for...to share your thoughts, questions, and opinions. That's why it's called a "forum".
If you find that humorous, wellllllll

tcinla

There's a bunch of material covered by Zora, MaClellan and others about the need to go to mid-engine. As for why GM doesn't build 2? Well... According to a select few here, they are not. Those of us in the real world, however, may understand splitting focus might only detract from the '1 true' america sports car message GM has.

dvilin

As you stated time will tell, stay tuned.

V Vette

For me, Im happy. The C8 is a better design all around.. And for that I thank GM!

0Sandyeggo Designs

I agree with you. A lot has to do with marketing. I just think the future customers are MUCH more discerning than in any previous time. I think its less to do with age than it is with prestige, value, and iconic status. These newer affluent buyers, often young rich immigrants, would be more interested in Corvette (as a brand) if it overcame its global perception as an inexpensive poorly made substitute for a good sports car. Saying this pains me because I love Corvettes. BUT, I don't think simply moving the engine and changing the body is going to do much to change that reputation. What WILL change that reputation is a commitment to creating a world class automobile that competes with the likes of Porsche, Ferrari, Mercedes, and others not just in performance but also with quality and refinement. And that requires a longer term view. I just happen to think the C7 would be a great place to begin that long-term view.

cowboy casey

The problem with the Corvette is not the style or where the engine is or just about anything other than 2 things...

1. 2 seats
2. cost

Those 2 things have pushed the age of who buys corvettes to above 50... Someone that has already raised the family and can afford a 60k to 150k car with 2 seats... If the price were in the 30k base range the dealers could not order them fast enough... Once someone gets in a Corvette they love everything about them but getting someone just starting a new family with 2 or 3 kids, house payment, 2 car payments, insurance and food, all that adds up to the Corvette is just not the way to go..

ny32182

What Steve said...

I disagree with your premise. Corvette has been produced almost non-stop since the 1950's as a front/front-mid 2 seat V8. All changes since that time have been evolutionary. Just like the 911. Just like the 911, you have a good performing, relatively affordable base model, all the way up to top end supercar level performers that cost over twice as much as the base. In that way they are very similar. If that isn't brand loyalty, and doing exactly what you say they are not, I don't know what is. C8 will be the first revolutionary change to the design in 67 years.

As such, in my opinion the new car is not really a Corvette... if it didn't have the badges on it, you wouldn't know it was a Corvette. The MR form factor is going to lose a lot of the relatively good practicality of all previous generations. The price creeps ever upwards relative to average incomes. I think the danger is real here that the cost to practicality ratio is going to be pushed too far and 30k units/year sales that are expected of a new Corvette may not materialize. We'll see.

I'm sure they have large teams of people who are paid good money to define the brand strategy, but I agree they could have produced the C7 for 2-3 more years and sold the ME as an up-market halo car called something else. The "Chevy GT" or whatever. If your Chevy brand strategy says Corvette has to be on top, sell the ME car as a Cadillac.

As a kidless guy I normally don't give much of a crap about practicality in my fun cars, but if I can't even fit enough stuff for a weekend trip with the gf, that might start to give pause even to me. I'll be interested to see how it plays out.

Steve_R

Comparing Chevrolet as a company to Porsche, Ferrari and Mercedes is laughable. Chevy builds cars and trucks for the masses, with one niche sports car. Those others build sports cars and performance cars with a few other models thrown in. Chevy has no more desire to turn into Porsche or Ferrari than either of those wants to turn into Chevy. They have entirely different customer demographics and buyers, and entirely different images, which none of them want or need to change.

Sales in 2018:

Ferrari: ~9,000
Porsche: ~250,000
Chevy: ~3,000,000

Chevy sells far more Corvettes than all Ferrari models combined. Chevy could cancel the Corvette tomorrow and not see much of an impact on sales, revenue, or profit. They do what they think is best for the business to sell more vehicles and generate revenue and profit. It's really that simple.

0Sandyeggo Designs

I don't think so. Every model has looked different. Chevy has never settled on one platform and said, "Okay, that's it. That's what we'll build on." I think the C7 could qualify for that role.

True.
Maybe Chevrolet should create a premium sub brand like Toyota->Lexus or Honda->Accura. The "Zora" brand?

ny32182

C7 is just another new Corvette just like 992 is just another new 911... Not sure how you could interpret it any other way.



...Cadillac?

0Sandyeggo Designs

7 generations of Corvette:


7 generations of 911:


Notice anything?

As for Cadillac, maybe. Cadillac is beginning to shake its 'rich old man cushy ride' image. So, yeah, maybe. I think a "Zora" brand would be cooler though.