50th year

I for one think that the C8 is going to be a disappointment for GM. Sales will be flat at best. I see to many hurdles to over come. At least for the short term. I hope I am wrong. Just my opinion

Zymurgy

You are (wrong that is).

Steve Garrett

The C8 has to be a success. GM is "betting the farm" on this mid engine platform because there will be no more front engine Corvette anymore.

MitchAlsup

If you like Corvettes, you had better be really really wrong; 'cause there ain't gonna be any more front engined Vettes.

If you don't like Corvettes; what are you doing here?

PCMIII

Do you actually know from a GM source that the FE Corvette is dead and gone?

ShagVette

Do you actually know from a GM source that the FE Corvette is not dead and gone?

Tom73

John T

You know what is so crazy? GM is a monster and they can still build and sell thousands of vehicles. BMW and Mercedes are coming out with crazy stuff every other month. AMG everything and a new SL plus four new electric models. And how about VW? Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti, :::: the new Taycan!
My point- the front engine Corvette could be resurrected in a moments notice, period. GM is still a monster.

kozmic

While I disagree with the OP that C8 sales will be “flat at best”, I also do not see GM betting any farms on it either...

Let’s keep some perspective here... Unfortunately, in some ways, the entire Corvette division could be dropped tomorrow and GM as a whole would only feel the sting for a short while. Corvette only represents about 1% of total production and only about 1.5% of GM revenue. We should feel lucky they continue to build new generations at all.

WICKEDFRC

Time will certainly tell just how flat sales will be.

Or how GREAT they will be.

Red67John

GM is definitely going out on a limb with the C8 ME platform, but I suspect they did at least some market research before making this ihuge nvestment. It appears that none of us on the Forum have any inside knowledge of how this decision was made. Maybe they will discuss that on July 18.

Yes, they could run the C8 ME on,y a few years, like they did the C2, and move on to the next platform, whatever that will be. I strongly believe that we will see a hybrid C8, maybe as soon as the 2021 model. No matter what happens with the C8, GM is plunging into EV development so the C9 could end up being electric. We’ll have to watch the world wide development of EV and charging networks.

Regardless... C7 orders close in the next week or so and production of the C7 should end by August. The C7 will be replaced shortly thereafter by the new ME C8.

0bbbvettes.com

I think there is a slim chance PCMIII ends up being correct.

The reason being, GM is ending the convertible C7, that point I am a firm believer on, the C7 convertible is toast, I believe the person who wants a Corvette convertible will have NO reason to buy a C7 vs the C8 as I believe the C8 vert will provide more cargo space vs the c7 vert, and much better style points on the c8. The C7 convertible becomes a total dud in that game.

So, I believe the C7 convertible is dead, no question. So does GM, so they ended its ordering now.

But what is interesting is, GM did not kill the coupe ordering like they did the convertible. Instead, GM is going to allow people to order the C7 coupe, up until the day of the C8 reveal. (and I won't be surprised if you can still order them the next day too... and the next.. I'll explain...)

Now think about this for a second.... if GM was killing both the convertible C7 and also the coupe C7, then why not take orders on the convertibles up until the date of the reveal as well? It does not hurt anything to let customers order C7 convertibles, until the c8 shows up, right?

And here is where the reading between the lines comes into play... IF GM were to produce the C7 or a FE variant of it, AFTER the reveal (continue to take orders on FE cars after the reveal), then they would not cut off ordering weeks before the reveal, they would take orders up until the day of the reveal.

Then Tadge explains during the night of the reveal which FE car is still going to be for sale for the next X amount of time (it might simply be an un-altered c7 coupe), and he announces a continuation of c7 coupe ordering and production UNTIL the C8 shows up perhaps.

The reason they have to kill the convertible, is they have to remove those tools and stations from the production line to make room for the c8 production I believe... but want the c7 coupe line to still be active while the c8 line is being set up... they just need to minimize the c7 lines size.

So, again, instead of killing them both, they killed the exact one that would not be able to contend against the c8... the convertible.

And they kept the one that CAN contend against the C8, with the old school buyers... the c7 coupe, with its large trunk area.

Some may see a coincidence, I see the potential that something else to be brewing.

So the fact that the convertible and the coupe are not linked in their timelines, shows me something is going on.

I would not be surprised if there is no break in c7 coup ordering, or some enhanced version of, and that ordering is resumed the next day after the C8 reveal.

Tom73

Getting rid of the convertible just allows them to simplify the end of the C7 production run while getting ready for the changeover to the C8.

0bbbvettes.com

If I'm a factory, and I have people wanting to order convertible c7s, and I plan to stop all c7 production at the same time and start only c8 production,

i think it would be a bullet in the foot to mess with the line that is going to be totally dismantled anyway in a couple more weeks, when I still have customers wanting to order convertibles this summer.

It's not worth removing part of the line imo, let's make money off people willing to place orders on verts.

... unless I plan to NOT kill the c7 coupe for a while yet. Then and only then, does it make sense to me to do what they are doing.

My perspective. I'm not betting the farm I am correct, but I won't be surprised if this is what is going on.

TXshaggy

Trim and model constraints are typical of the end of Corvette generations as they start reducing supply chains, has been done in the past...no conspiracy here.

PCMIII

Another possibility: the C7 goes on hiatus for 6 months so Corvette can dedicate production to the C8 inventory build. Then the C7.5 comes back as a 2020 selling at a lower price point. Corvette covers all the bases and expands its demographic while not alienating long-time buyers. Tadge says nothing about the C7.5 on 7/18 based on "no comment about future products." The ZR1 & Z06 are discontinued with the LT4 going into the high performance C8.

0bbbvettes.com

While you could be correct PCM, I don't believe GM will pass on c7 orders if people are willing to place them.

Its pure profit.

Lets put it this way...

I'm a factory... while im setting up my c8 line... and while my factory is STILL PRODUCING c7's, (because they are booked through august and into september at least at this point, we know)

why not leave my order bank open until at least late August and see if anyone else wants to throw a few more orders on before we tear down the c7 line.

it costs GM no money to leave ordering open. If no orders are placed, no problem. If orders are placed, pure profit.

Meanwhile, with c8 excitement underway at that point, I GM can strong arm my dealers into ordering even more C7's with the promise that c8 allocations will be distributed proportionally to c7 sales for the last "2 years" lets stay... or whatever time frame GM names... but the c7 orders in July and August, would have a positive effect on c8 allocations.

If I'm GM, I think it is a no brainer to keep the c7 order bank open, and see what happens.

I don't believe 7 18 19 is the end of c7 ordering, but I could be wrong. Time will tell.

~Josh

C7 is the new C4.

4thC4at60

I could be wrong, but you appear to know absolutely nothing about manufacturing - particularly cars.

PCMIII

Yup, definitely could be the plan. Follow the money, as they say.