Quinten33

The trucks rolled out of Bowling Green today for the last time until November. One of the last deliveries made was a Carbon 65 Grand Sport to a Pennsylvania dealer, but that wasn't the only exclusive thing dropped off. According to the driver, according to the dealer(who's an honest guy), the mid-engine car we've been seeing is in fact a Cadillac. Take this as you will, because nobody knows what the truck driver knows and doesn't know. If it is true, we're going to see one heck of a front-engine C8, and Cadillac will have a crazy halo car to go along with the 6-10 new models they'll be rolling out soon.


Skip along to 6:58 in this video to hear the short conversation between a C7 Z06 owner and the dealer.
What are your thoughts?

I think that a mid-engine Cadillac makes sense from a financial, marketing, and hierarchy standpoint. Caddy is the top dog at GM, and they have a ton of new models rolling out by 2020 to take on everything the Germans offer. They also replaced Corvette in the Daytona Prototypes.

As for what it would mean on the Corvette side of things, a C8 would have to come by 2020 or 2021. If 2018 MY production restarts in November, the ZR1(which is clearly towards the end of R/D and testing) would make perfect sense as a Mid-2018 MY car. As long as the C7 is selling, GM will be making lots of money from it.

sunsalem

Many of us have believed for quite awhile the first version of the ME will be a Caddy.

Darion

The key there is "first" version. Will be interesting to see how GM manages this.

PC

FAUEE

You've got to be really delusional to think the mid engine car is actually a Corvette, or a real simpleton.

I think that Chevy would have a hard time building a business case to make a car on that platform. It'd be very expensive and dilute the image of the Caddy. I don't think it makes sense to cheapen the image of the Caddy for basically no sales. Anyone who could afford the Chevy mid engine would probably just buy the Caddy.

jimmyb

^^^^
You mean like they bought the Cadillac XLR in 2003?
Cadillac has got enough problems selling their existing portfolio. Why do you think they could sell a mid-engine sports car? If GM does make the ME car a Cadillac to start out, it will go down in history as one of the greatest marketing opportunities LOST...the ME Corvette has been talked about for FIVE DECADES, why would GM squander that?

XC6VETTE

Just look at Johan de Nysschen's track record at Audi and the R10.

Not sayin he's a one trick pony but he was successful there and isn't likely to change at Cadillac....which is most probably why they brought him onboard. Just sayin......

FAUEE

Chevy would fail at selling the car WAY more than Caddy would. And just because a handful of people have talked about it doesn't build buzz.

Caddy has a very public racing program right now. Top tier stuff, complete with a mid engine prototype car. That makes FOR FAR better marketing opportunities than the talk about mid engine vette by a handful of lunatics and some engineers that don't see the big picture.

prinzSD455

I agree. We have been teased with a mid engine concept and test cars (cerv) for fifty years or so that it would be a natural move for the Vette to go ME. CADILLAC despite having great cars can't sell them. People are buying MB, BMW, Audi and Lexus cars while the caddies sit on the lot. They couldn't sell the XLR properly much less the ME.

JoesC5

Why has there not been a mid engine Corvette for the past FIVE DECADES?

Because there wasn't a large enough market for one to justify the investment.

Caddy building a mid engine isn't about the profits from the sales of the mid engine...it's about overall profits of the Cadillac brand.

Caddy wants to take on Mercedes..... head on, and they need a car that gathers interest for the brand, and not from grandma in her CT6.

Corvette could fold tomorrow and it would be several years before anyone at GM said...:where's the Corvette?"

The Corvette "model" isn't as important to GM as the Cadillac "brand" is.

VooDooRob

Make "Corvette" a brand and now there is a Performance/GT identity that people can relate to.

JoesC5

The Cadillac brand sold ~182,000 vehicles in the US and Canada last year.

The Corvette model sold ~32,000 Vehicles in the US and Canada last year.

Make the Corvette a "brand" and it still would only sell ~32,000.

The profits from 182,000 vehicles sold is more important than the profits from 32,000 vehicles sold.

sunsalem

Yes, it will be.

There is no proof that will be the case.
Higher starting price than the C7?
Sure, but not a wallet-buster.
At the first of year, he let it slip Cadillac will be getting a 2-seat performance vehicle as a halo car.

And that's a real shame.
I have had 3 Caddys in the last dozen years and all were excellent.

VooDooRob

Not everyone is looking for a 2 seat car, many want performance 4-doors, SUVs, Crossover etc. Corvette has a reputation for performance that many people would relate to in a different package I.E. one that does not say Cadillac.

VETTE-NV

I think it's going to be a Caddy.

Corvette doesn't need this car right now. The big intro of the ZR1 is eminent, sales are still good for a relatively expensive two seat sports car, and the front engined car makes no apologies to many other sports cars costing several times as much. A ME car thrown into the mix would muddy the waters right now and take attention from the FE car that still has a few years of life left and needs to beat it's chest a while longer.

Cadillac however does need something amazing to grab the spotlight. They're desperately trying to change their image but despite separating themselves from GM by moving their headquarters to New York, they have failed to capture the Mercedes/BMW/Lexus buyers....which is sad because they're building some very competitive cars. A ME halo car might drive some enthusiasts with deep pockets into the showrooms, just as Corvette does for Chevrolet.

No doubt the car will be built at Bowling Green and the future C8 will most likely be a version of the Cadillac ME car.

ANTIVNOM

Here's the thing...if it is a Cadillac, then why haven't we seen something else that might be a front engine C8? Given where they C7 is in its life cycle GM has to be working on something to replace it, so if the mid-engine car we see ain't it, then where is it?

The C8 will be mid-engine. I'd bet money on it. I just hope it looks good and I can't wait to buy one.

sunsalem

You make a good point.
Completely agree.

The ZR1 is the ****-tease to get us thru to the C8.

vetteb_96C

It's a Corvette. I know two people on the program.

JerriVette

I agree...if anything can be clear as day is that exotic brands such as Porsche..which isn't really an exotic has proven massive profits by expanding its brand to include sedans and more importantly CUVs.

I believe and it's just an opinion after watching the success of Porsche, much less Maserati, BMW , AMG Mercedes, alfa Romeo, and the list goes on and on...that sports car brands can reach towards sedans and cuv s successfully.

Corvette not as a model but as a sub brand within Chevrolet will succeed beyond all previous efforts.

We will see corvette as a brand first with front and rear mid engine sports cars...possibly a cuv after that.

Sports car owners also own cuv s these days..why not have the option of buying a corvette..cuv...

Porsches 911 survived and thrived since Porsche expanded its lineup beyond rear engined 911s.

Mary Barra is smart enough to expand beyond traditional roles of corvette..as a front engine sports car.

Chevy is about to cancel the impala...and possibly GM will follow suit with other sedan being cancelled.

Let's add in the electric sedan, and cuv revolution about to be released in the next three years by all major manufacturers to extract tesla like profits and brand image..

There is an automotive revolution about to occur like no one in the industry has seen in decades if ever.

GM will in my opinion either break traditions in many ways to be more profitable or it will be an also ran.

GM s recent move to contract distribution in certain areas of the world are telling that traditional business practices are history...at GM.

I believe and again it's just my opinion that GM will expand GM s crown jewel the corvette brand to as some would say to ***** out the value...I believe this "whoring out" will end up being seen as one of the smartest moves by GM management..

KrisColoradoLV

Makes more sense to me for it to be a V8 Corvette first, then some kind of hybrid Cadillac later. Corvette is, and always will be considered to be at the top of GM by most people, not Cadillac. Corvette people don't want a hand me down frame from Cadillac. But they wouldn't mind Cadillac using it later.

VETTE-NV

Interesting idea but the other car companies you've mentioned have a strong reputation for building high quality cars or offer exclusivity. Corvette offers neither.

As much as much as I've loved Corvettes over the years, I would never buy a Corvette SUV or sedan. Porsche has history of building bulletproof, high-quality cars therefore even those who aren't in the sports car market might consider a Porsche SUV or luxury sports sedan. Corvettes do not carry that level of quality rep. In fact, despite what some of us might think, it's the opposite.

Although I do think it's the best sports car value on the planet and I'm willing to put up with a few flaws, there are not enough blind Corvette lovers for GM to even consider thrusting the Vette into the very competitive fray of SUV's, CUV's, or sports sedans. They can't make Cadillac acquire the success they deserve right now....how are they going to do that with a Corvette "brand???" There will be a mid-engined Corvette at some point...it might even appear before the Cadillac version. But a Vette SUV? Nah.