lt4obsesses

I agree. There is a large number of people that will want the look without needing or wanting all the power, and the sticker price of the Z06.

Daekwan06

At first I didnt think there would be a GS.. but the more I think about it.. the more I agree it will happen sooner or later. For the same reason why it appeared in the 6th generation. There were tons of people who wanted the widebody "look" but without extra performance or extra price. Those buying the GS are much more interested in just paying for the look.. than they are in paying for more power. If they werent, they would simply just buy the Z06. Even more so now, considering its finally being offered with an automatic option.

So a couple of years down the line, when sales of both the Stingray & Z06 start to fall off.. Dont be surprised to see a '17 or '18 GS get announced. I imagine pricing structure will be the same as it was on the C6. So the GS will be priced somewhere between the Stingray and Z06. For about a $10k increase over the Stingray.. expect to get a widebody kit, wider wheels & tires and of course the bigger brakes from the freshly just-announced Z06. I doubt there would be a power increase as it simply adds more complexity to the product line. Considering all GM has to do to offer the GS.. is swap some "skinny" parts for the "wider" parts.. theres a pile of profit to be made.

At the end of the day, all companies are business to make money. And the GS is definitely a money maker. Its GM's version of "supersizing" an order. For a few extra bucks, they are simply some more fries & drink.. to the fries & drink thats already included. I'd imagine the bean counters on the GM board have already considered this.. and discussed exactly when GS model should be introduced. I'm guessing there isnt a definite date on that, but it will happen when sales of both C7 models fall below a certain threshold. If theres anything the old GM (pre-bankruptcy) learned.. is that offering TOO many models of the same car is a recipe for killing sales, devaluing brands and hurting the bottom line profit. The new GM (post-bankruptcy) knows better. They will milk the Stingray & Z06 sales for all its worth.. before announcing a GS model.

rpanesar

I'm putting my money on a C7 GS version showing up for sure. The vert that has been spotted with the wide body is a sure sign of things to come. They will sell every non Z06 wide body car they make....besides it makes perfect business sense as seen in the case of the C6.

NSTG8R

just make sure to mention to somebody to put the blown LT4 into it .. chassis fidgety means zip to most of us.

Give me the ability to put my foot to the floor with the top down with 650+ on tap. See: 2013 427 as working example of how to build a sports car

GCRoberts

I think a C7 GS would potentially be a good seller, but maybe not quite as good as the C6 GS. I suspect previously there were a number of buyers that had the coin to purchase a C6 Z06, but really didn't want the manual transmission (often because of their own physical disabilities). Many of these people bought a GS instead. This time around, those same buyers will likely choose a C7 Z06. It would be great to see a bunch of Z06's on the road. Myself, I bought a C6 GS because that was at the top end of my budget and I didn't think I could afford the price jump.

quick04Z06

Right now it looks like the non-Z51 C7 cars are not selling very well. Lots are available. So, I suspect GM will learn when they build a car (Z51 C7) costing only a few thousand more, with much more potential, and almost no downside like we had on hi-perf cars 35 years ago (rough ride, overheating, etc.), no one will buy the lesser beasts. So, whatever they do, GM is going to have to study very carefully how to introduce variants that do not compromise sales on the balance of the Corvette inventory.

So, if GM can sell a bunch of $100K Z06s, GM should not offer a $70K GSs if that hurts Z06 sales, and doubly so if (as it appears) GM will offer 3 levels of Z06 to cover a wider price range and wider market. In fact, GM is going to have to be careful that the low end Z06 doesn't kill sales of the higher end Z51 cars.

sam90lx

I'm not even sure why GM sells a narrow body! All they are doing is hosing the early buyers.

gbranham

Let me guess, you're a C6 Z06 owner. LOL

gbranham

They'll make a GS, no doubt about it. It was so wildly popular in C6 trim, that they can't ignore the sales data. My local Chevy dealer...the biggest Corvette dealer in the midwest (or so they claim) stopped ordering base C6's shortly after the GS was released; there simply was no customer demand for a base C6 after the GS came out. I don't like the base C7. I LOVE the C7Z, but I'll wait for the GS. I'm just one of many potential customers, I'm sure, who will be lured in with a GS.

rpm94

GM will not ignore this market segment. They will build a C7 wide body GS and it will sell. They are crazy not to since the additional investment costs are minimal. The all mighty $$$ will drive their decisions.

Daekwan06

If thats your reasoning.. why not just sell the Z06 only? Why even sell a naturally aspirated version if all they are doing is hosing early buyers.

The reason why the standard version exists, is the reason why the Corvette itself exists. At the end of the day the Corvette is popular, because it is affordable. The more features you add to the standard version, the higher the price continues to creep up. The "affordable" formula has worked well enough to have kept the Corvette around for 60+ years now. Longer than all of its competitors.. including the 911.

Speaking of which. Porsche does the same thing with the 911. You have the standard version. Those who want more, or want wider body versions, have the choice to pay more for it.

JoesC5

The C6 GS was based on the C6 Z51 plus the body panels and brakes from the Z06, and the wider wheels/tires.

The popularity of the C7 Z51 just means that if they used the C7 Z51 as the basis of the C7 GS using the C7 Z06 brakes and body panels and wide wheels/tires, they would have a winner. A C7 Z51 on steroids.

acrace

OP - General Motors rep or a dealer representative?

BMadden

If I'm 100% honest, I don't NEED all the power of the Z06. Sure it would be nice to have, but if a C7 GS was offered with the wider body panels and bigger wheels/tires I'd likely go for that option and save several thousand dollars.

BAD2000TA

I agree with most that they will build one. The sales data supports it, plus it bridges that gap between base and Z06.

But, another appealing aspect would be if you get the wide-body look of the C7Z, but not supercharged. How many comments about not wanting a supercharged engine? I prefer naturally aspirated, too.

So, a GS C7 would satisfy the wide-body fans, the anti-supercharger fans, and ****-off the C7Z fans!! WIN-WIN-WIN!!! hahaha!!

I would buy if priced competively low against a Z06. Once you get close to $100K, there are more options, but less buyers. I'm ready to buy a $100K car, yet. Bad enough I spent $58K on a damn truck (Yukon)!

mjw930

It could be because the "narrow body" Z51 C7 outperforms the C6 Z06 in virtually all measures while providing a superior interior, ride, economy and the Auto and Vert options. Yep, they hosed everyone

Think about what you all are saying about a GS. What functions / options would you desire that can't be ordered on the base Z06 now? Convertible is about all I see. Do you think you would really be happy with a Z06 with an LT1 because that's what it would be. Putting the LT4 in a Z51 and adding wide fenders = base Z06.

I'm sorry but I don't see a market for a GS considering the Z06 doesn't require a different chassis.

sam90lx

Z51 C7 outperforms the C6 Z06.....Huge Fail ! Maybe in your mind but that's all.

The GS in a Widebody and Vert option is coming...bank on it! I could care less as I'm all in on the A8 Z06 but the GS was the best selling vette and saved the brand imo.

Cypher

Chassis has little to do with it…the GS is about the “look” of the Z06 without paying for the Z06 bits that make it more expensive (i.e. the LT4 etc.). Some won’t pay the premium because they don’t want/need Z06 performance, others simply want and can’t afford the Z06.

I don’t anticipate a non-Z06 widebody variant until GM determines real-world sales levels for the C7 Z06.

Remember these C6 Z06 production numbers?
MY2006 - 6272
MY2007 -8159
MY2008 – 7731
MY2009 – 3461
MY2010 – 518 (GS Intro)

If they can sell the C7 Z06 at anywhere near the C6 Z06 heyday volumes, there’s no need to risk cannibalizing those high-margin sales with a lesser variant. However, if like I stated earlier, the C7 Z06 only sells 500+ or so units/yr, you can bet GM will draw the GS buyers into the mix with a C7 GS (or whatever they name it).

IMO a non-Z06 C7 widebody is inevitable…the market will determine the “when” based on how well the Z06 sells over the coming years.

JoesC5

I'm not advocating restricting any ones access to more horsepower, but for those that don't care for mega horsepower versions, a 460 HP GS wide body at a lower price than the Z06 would be a winner for both GM and the consumer. Those that want a wide body with 625+ horsepower and are willing to pay for it, can still purchase the Z06

Every one wins, except for those that own a Z06 and are so insecure that they don't want anyone to drive a car(GS) that might reflect badly(in their eyes) on them by being a "poser" in their GS. LOL.

JoesC5

Don't forget to include the ZR1 that was introduced in 2009 that also might have been partly responsible for the decline in Z06's sales. New King of the Hill thing with more horsepower, better brakes, and don't forget, a much higher price tag.. That said, ALL Corvette sales dropped significantly starting in 2009 because of the economy, not because of the introduction of the GS in 2010.