Larry/car

Let's return to yesteryear; in 1960 Chevrolet introduced the Corvair, revolutionary by 1960 standards. The price was below a Chevrolet Impala and factory maintenance training was offered to dealer technicians. History does replete, factory training will solve our maintenance fears (is a mid-engine car really that different [engine, suspension and electronics]. AND I bet if GM put their minds to price the car cheaper than a Cruise it could be accomplished.

Chemdawg99

That's not what I'm saying or suggesting. At all.

The Corvette in its current incarnation is an awesome car, and as I said, still affordable to anyone with a middle class income.

A mid-engine Vette would be as costly as the Ford GT. To call the speculative mid-engine Vette a "C8" suggests that it is meant to supplant the C7 and that would kill Corvette sales. Forever.

Because it would become unaffordable to the average Corvette owner today.

I really don't think GM would cut its nose off like that.

Larry/car

Seems GM is not convinced the Mid-engine will fly. Why would they manufacture the C7 alongside their new model/design? I personally don't care where the engine resides (I still own a Corvair). I worry that engine placement will impact use ability, I love a convertible and the mid-engine renderings I have seen don't even hint of that possibility. We will see.

sunsalem

I had already.
Respectfully, I think the author is full of ***** and has no idea what he is talking about.

This is true, but it has nothing to do with a ME design.
Speaking of the Fiero...did it cost more to repair than other Pontiacs?

Ask any owner of a European premium brand sedanor SUV they market about repair costs.
Repair costs are higher as imported car parts cost more and premium brand dealerships charge more for per hour service because they believe their customers can afford it.
Folks who buy a high cost brand usually expect service/repair costs to be greater (or at least they should).
It's the way the world works.

Chemdawg99

Let me preface what I'm about to say by saying that I respect everyone's opinion on this subject and I totally get why some Corvette enthusiasts/owners want to see Chevy introduce a mid-engine Corvette.

Improving the polar inertia of the car by distributing the weight to the middle of the car is an awesome way to improve the car's ability to change direction, and thus, its handling. That's what makes Euro supercars like the Lamborghini and Ferrari cars so successful. However, that is also what makes those cars so pricy.


You are entitled to your opinion, but I think the author of that article makes a valid point based on his intimate knowledge of the industry he writes about.

I don't know your background, so I won't presume that the author of that piece knows more than you. However, I'd be interested in reading any elucidation upon your opinion that you'd be willing to provide.

Sure, the "failure" of the Fiero was probably more due to GM not really wanting the car to compete with the Corvette and they cheaped out on the components and engineering of the car. GM further fumbled the ball with its marketing of the car. The Fiero was meant to be a "fuel-efficient, two-seat commuter car". It had a lot of potential to be a great car had they put a in V6 from the start or even a V8, but then therein lies the problem. To do that, GM would have had to price the car out of the target consumer's market. That's exactly what will happen if the Corvette becomes strictly a mid-engine sports car.

I'd have no problem with a limited edition, limited market, mid-engine "Zora" car where the Stingray, Z06, etc. in their current front-engine incarnations are still available for purchase, but methinks that would be a very, very expensive deal for GM.

I agree with you here. People on this very forum expect, but often don't get, the requisite level of dealer service and support for their Corvettes that they think they should considering that Corvette is the flagship car for both Chevy and GM. However, your point doesn't change the fact that if GM starts building Corvette like a Euro supercar and make it strictly a mid-engine car, then it will come at a price tag that today's typical Corvette owner will be unable to afford.

If the goal is to make the Corvette into GM's version of the Ford GT, a cost well over $125,000, then it will pretty much kill the marque as we know and love it.

My "argument", for want of a better word, is that people need to see the big picture.

They may want to see a mid-engine Corvette, but it certainly won't be produced at a price most who own a Corvette today can afford or be willing to pay.

That's all I'm saying.

Michael A

Thankfully, I don't think this is the final design. It's cartoonish and childish looking. GM isn't going to release pictures of the design prior to reveal.

Michael

vetteb_96C

The mid engine Corvette is a 2020 MY.

Michael A

In order for the Fiero to get approved by management, it had to built as cheaply as possible, and that included using as many off-the-shelf parts as possible. Pontiac had a mock-up of a Fiero with small block Chevy V8. It was designed to fit the V8 from the start. They also built a V6 Turbo that outperformed the Corvette, and ran the 1/4 mile in 13.3 seconds. Politics and poor management led to the demise of the Fiero. Stupidly, rather than having the Corvette people up their game, the Fiero was always handicapped so it would never outperform the under performing Corvette. In typical GM fashion, they let the car die on the vine without updating making significant changes to the styling, powertrain and features, like they did so many times with the F-body, (until the F-body completely died in 2002).

Will they makes those kinds of mistakes with the mid-engine Corvette? I don't think so. The Corvette people know they have to keep improving the car, and doing model updates on a regular basis to keep sales alive. They know they have to build more expensive, higher performing versions to keep the car fresh between major model changes.

Where the Corvette team is weak on and out of date, is not viewing cars as a combination of hardware and software, even though the car is filled with computers. They think they build a car, and version 1.0 of the software is the last version the car will ever see. They need to get out of the 20th century mindset, sooner rather than later. It's going to fail them in the end. Times have changed. You not only have to update for the future, but you have to update cars already built. People expect that. It's not just Tesla. Even Ford Sync can be updated now. That's where the industry is going, and Corvette is not keeping up.

Michael

Larry/car

I was ask yesterday by a member of our Corvette club; Are you going to purchase a mid-engine Corvette? My answer; I will have to see it before making any decision. One thing for sure, not going to get another first year model, took over nine months to get my 2014 convertible. Never going to go through the allocation nightmare again.

Chemdawg99

Assuming it's not a $200,000 car.

If you can afford that, salute

pucksterlv

With a few tweaks I actually like this rendering. Personally it's the best I've seen thus far.

jagamajajaran

To me, it is interesting that the writer titles the article, "GM Approves C8 Mid-Engine Corvette for 2019!" but in the quote that is the basis for the article, nothing is said at all about this being the 8th Gen Corvette. “The mid engine was signed off on last week, a 2019..." While I certainly enjoy the speculation that continues to swirl around the mid engine and whatever the 8th Gen Corvette will be, I do not see any real new information in this article. I've been a proponent of a 2019 MY ME followed by a 2021 MY 8th Gen since early 2016. The 2019 ME is going to be a very limited production vehicle...probably 1000 units or less. Why would GM put all of their eggs in a basket like that? I think they're smarter than that...and chuckling at the speculation. Sure, I could be wrong about it all, but like I always say, time will tell.

KrisColoradoLV

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It's not.
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KrisColoradoLV

I agree, it's the best rendering I've seen too. But I think we can beat that design. I've been thinking about what it could look like, or should look like. The front engine white sketch is from GM design. I don't know who drew it. I was seeing what it could look like as a mid-engine.

gurneyeagle

That link is over a year old.


Maintenance cost comparisons to Lambos and Porsches are irrelevant - the only mid-engine Porsches are the Boxster and Cayman. The front engine and rear engine cars are just as ridiculously overpriced to maintain.


I just don't understand the stubborn denial of the idea that there isn't a mid-engine Corvette in the works.


I struggle to believe Chevy won't have some variant of Corvette (ME or FE) to maintain it's current ownership base. They are not going to walk away from 30K+ in annual sales of a premium vehicle.


All I can read into most of these comments are people that are upset that their current car is about to be upstaged, as with any model change; i.e. C5 to C6; C6 to C7, etc.


Just keep playing into the stereotype guys.....

JoesC5

I don't think that there is any denial of a mid engine GM car in the works. There are some, and I'm one of those, that don't believe the C8 will be a mid-engine Corvette.

There is a lot of difference between GM having only one car(a mid-engine) to sell, vs having two cars to sell(a front engine C8 and a mid-engine car) at the same time.

I'm one that believes there will be a front engine C8 based on the C5/C6/C7 platform in conjunction with a mid engine car that is also based on the C7's platform, but with new designed hydroformed side rails that allow the existing cockpit to be moved forward, say, 12 inches, and the engine then placed behind the cockpit. That allows them to use most of the chassis tooling that is required to build the front engine C7 and then the front engine C8 in 2020 or 2021.

I don't believe GM will have a mid engine car where 99% of the parts are new and exclusive to that particular car.

The only way GM can continue selling 30,000+ cars annually, is to maintain the high volume,lower cost front engine platform(say around 28,000 annually), combined with a low volume mid engine design(say no more than 2,000 annually).

I am certain that there is no market for 30,000 mid engine cars priced at $150,000+, or even at $120,000.

The mid engine GM car will definitely be a low volume car, with it's necessary high price tag.

tbasco 6

My exact thoughts.

Chemdawg99

Great post

I completely agree.

roadbike56

Nasty? No, just realistic. BTW, it's MacMulkin, and all they did was repeat the speculation by the Corvette Action Center who knows about as much as you and I.
I have no doubt GM is working on a mid-engine sports car. It will probably be a Corvette although, be honest, we don't even know if that's true. That there was a "sign-off" means another step was taken and that's logical. But there are real concerns as to how factual this report is. Think about it, there were some pics about a test mule many, many months ago, then NOTHING. If this car is being introduced in 2018, don't you think there would be some serious new spy pictures instead of the endless run of artists renderings from their imagination? Do you believe GM is only testing this vehicle within their test grounds at the development center? Really?
If I seem skeptical, it's because there should have been more evidence surfacing instead of just more speculation from "sources".

DickieDoo

Well put about the Fiero, and by 1988, they finally re-engineered the car to be a competitive sports car but it was too too late.. and the car died a sad death. GM bean counters killed what would have been a great little ME car.