Can The Front Engine and Mid Engine Corvette Coexist?
02-23-2018, 08:59 PM
#21
Safety Car
Some vehicle models take more time to complete their collective task than others — even though every attempt is made, such as on the Corvette line, for each person’s series of tasks to be currently done within the five minutes “allotted.”
Corvette convertibles take a little longer than that time, and so to allow the operators to “catch up,” they do not run them back to back.
I should have clarified/added to important things:
1) They could not run convertibles back-to-back prior to the complete Plant makeover last fall, but maybe they can now (re-organized tasks, new assembly equipment or similar)?
2) For a similar reason, while they did not run Z06’s four in a row before the fall Plant closure perhaps now after the Plant makeover, they could make them three in a row?
Mostly importantly, as Kai shared in a videotaped public NCM presentation he made on August 29, 2017, as a result of the Plant complete reorganization, the Plant now possesses the capability to assembly multiple models. He quickly added (to a chorus to a laughter), do not interpret that in regards to future product.
GM is smart, and as they bought so much brand new equipment for that complete Plant re-org — for sure they first considered all that equipment in regards to what product(s) is coming next, and thus I believe we will later be able to see for ourselves the ME and the FE intermixed, back-to-back, on one assembly line. Right now, for sure, GM is not talking.
Corvette convertibles take a little longer than that time, and so to allow the operators to “catch up,” they do not run them back to back.
I should have clarified/added to important things:
1) They could not run convertibles back-to-back prior to the complete Plant makeover last fall, but maybe they can now (re-organized tasks, new assembly equipment or similar)?
2) For a similar reason, while they did not run Z06’s four in a row before the fall Plant closure perhaps now after the Plant makeover, they could make them three in a row?
Mostly importantly, as Kai shared in a videotaped public NCM presentation he made on August 29, 2017, as a result of the Plant complete reorganization, the Plant now possesses the capability to assembly multiple models. He quickly added (to a chorus to a laughter), do not interpret that in regards to future product.
GM is smart, and as they bought so much brand new equipment for that complete Plant re-org — for sure they first considered all that equipment in regards to what product(s) is coming next, and thus I believe we will later be able to see for ourselves the ME and the FE intermixed, back-to-back, on one assembly line. Right now, for sure, GM is not talking.
Last edited by elegant; 02-23-2018 at 11:22 PM.
02-23-2018, 10:12 PM
#22
Racer
BMW motorcycles in the early 80s made the Last boxer twin, dont recall they missed a production year since, 50 years of a good thing as the buyer see it maybe tough to drop.
02-24-2018, 03:19 AM
#23
Burning Brakes
I think GM is smart enough to hedge their bet on FE and ME preferences, since neither we or they have any real idea if there will be 25,000-30,000 buyers a year for either choice. The ME will likely be more complex to build than the C7 and thus start from a higher cost basis. It will also likely give up storage capability - it will be hard to get 15 cu. ft. of storage space in ANY ME design I have seen, and that could be a problem for many buyers who use their cars as daily drivers or for cross-country touring.
It is quite possible that the Corvette will morph into a model line consisting of a Corvette "GT" or "Stingray" that retains the current model frame and FE layout with updated styling, and a Corvette "Sport" or "Zora" that is based on the ME mules we have seen. The market will then sort out how many of each they will build. Since an update of the C7 could be done at relatively low cost, this could be the best of both worlds.
It is quite possible that the Corvette will morph into a model line consisting of a Corvette "GT" or "Stingray" that retains the current model frame and FE layout with updated styling, and a Corvette "Sport" or "Zora" that is based on the ME mules we have seen. The market will then sort out how many of each they will build. Since an update of the C7 could be done at relatively low cost, this could be the best of both worlds.
02-24-2018, 08:51 AM
#24
Corvette Brand
I think GM is smart enough to hedge their bet on FE and ME preferences, since neither we or they have any real idea if there will be 25,000-30,000 buyers a year for either choice. The ME will likely be more complex to build than the C7 and thus start from a higher cost basis. It will also likely give up storage capability - it will be hard to get 15 cu. ft. of storage space in ANY ME design I have seen, and that could be a problem for many buyers who use their cars as daily drivers or for cross-country touring.
It is quite possible that the Corvette will morph into a model line consisting of a Corvette "GT" or "Stingray" that retains the current model frame and FE layout with updated styling, and a Corvette "Sport" or "Zora" that is based on the ME mules we have seen. The market will then sort out how many of each they will build. Since an update of the C7 could be done at relatively low cost, this could be the best of both worlds.
It is quite possible that the Corvette will morph into a model line consisting of a Corvette "GT" or "Stingray" that retains the current model frame and FE layout with updated styling, and a Corvette "Sport" or "Zora" that is based on the ME mules we have seen. The market will then sort out how many of each they will build. Since an update of the C7 could be done at relatively low cost, this could be the best of both worlds.
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JerriVette (02-25-2018)
02-25-2018, 09:59 AM
#25
Melting Slicks
Corvette (Like 911 never has) is not going to become a brand - the brand is Chevrolet, and it makes models in every segment. Porsche is a brand and has always made multiple models.
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JustinStrife (02-26-2018)
02-25-2018, 10:06 AM
#26
Race Director
I think 30k units sold of rear mid engine corvettes priced close to the various c7 model line would be gobbled up rather quickly over the years it would be in production...
But having a model lineup of corvettes as a brand would be a slick marketing move...Yes it would be different than past GM moves where Chevrolet is the brand and corvette is the model...
Personally I would think modifying that marketing model would lead to great profits and creating a sub brand such as AMG, M division, SRT etc within a more pedestrian brand is quite smart....
If dodge didn't have SRT how many chargers would be sold? If look at monthly sales in challengers since the small number of hellcats have been sold annually you would be surprised...that challenger monthly sales went from an also ran in the pony car sales race to exceeding camaro sales some months...
The halo effect along with awd in the challenger sporty body style is also having an effect...small macan like four door sports car like performing vehicles added to the corvette model lineup would be HUGE success...lol all the spouses of two seat corvette owners would be loading every option to get a corvette branded macan like vehicle...
With sedan sedan sales taking a nose dive I'd probably suggest passing on a four door sedan and going directly to a small performance cuv like the Porsche macan which seems to be generating a lot of profit for sports car manufacturer Porsche...
In fact thats where all their sales and eventual profits are coming from.
I believe the macan is an offshoot of one of the VW or Audi chassis that are modified by Porsche...
I could see GM doing that ...hopefully with a tesla like full ev awd chassis being developed for a 2021 or 2023 full line ev release by GM...
I think I read 23 new GM vehicles will release by one of those dates...
The recent jaguar all Electric CUV I pace is going to be a spectacular sales vehicle for the brand with pricing between 72 and 96 grand depending on options chosen.
I believe the first two years of 25k units per year production of the jaguar I pace have already been spoken for with a small deposit given to jaguar dealers...
The corvette team would do well to consider a corvette model lineup...to emulate Porsches sports car CUV and combine Jaguars move to electric in one fell swoop..
I believe this is where the small cuv sports market will be moving to...
The instant torque of the jaguar I pace and zero to sixty in under four seconds undercuts the mighty successful Porsche macan performance and is priced quite closely to boot...
If GM did a corvette electric cuv similiar to the jaguar I pace but priced it closer to just double the average car transaction price in amErica nicely loaded in the sixties...
Corvette two seat sports car production would be guaranteed for decades...
Porsches various cuv s...saved that brand from extinction...
So wrapping back...a rear mid engine corvette and a front mid engine corvette would a good start...
I'd suggest leaving the four door sports sedan to Cadillac..I think they are suffering to try and move any of the third gen CTS v s...(which by the way they elevated the pricing from the very successful selling second gen CTS vs and the sales of the third generation CTS v took a HUGE DUMP)
Nobody is buying the highly acclaimed ATS v either....
I don't personally think it's the division of two models as many has suggested but rather the price escalation the brand offering has presented under JDN..
Personally I think JDN is off base with his customer base...
If Americans want to get ripped off they buy german cars like Audi, Mercedes and BMW...
If Americans want a more reasonable balance of their vehicles they buy American...JDN s rising prices per Cadillac model...hit a sales wall of non compliance by consumers until rebates brought pricing to even below previous second generation CTS v levels...otherwise the inventory is sitting...but that's another topic altogether..
But having a model lineup of corvettes as a brand would be a slick marketing move...Yes it would be different than past GM moves where Chevrolet is the brand and corvette is the model...
Personally I would think modifying that marketing model would lead to great profits and creating a sub brand such as AMG, M division, SRT etc within a more pedestrian brand is quite smart....
If dodge didn't have SRT how many chargers would be sold? If look at monthly sales in challengers since the small number of hellcats have been sold annually you would be surprised...that challenger monthly sales went from an also ran in the pony car sales race to exceeding camaro sales some months...
The halo effect along with awd in the challenger sporty body style is also having an effect...small macan like four door sports car like performing vehicles added to the corvette model lineup would be HUGE success...lol all the spouses of two seat corvette owners would be loading every option to get a corvette branded macan like vehicle...
With sedan sedan sales taking a nose dive I'd probably suggest passing on a four door sedan and going directly to a small performance cuv like the Porsche macan which seems to be generating a lot of profit for sports car manufacturer Porsche...
In fact thats where all their sales and eventual profits are coming from.
I believe the macan is an offshoot of one of the VW or Audi chassis that are modified by Porsche...
I could see GM doing that ...hopefully with a tesla like full ev awd chassis being developed for a 2021 or 2023 full line ev release by GM...
I think I read 23 new GM vehicles will release by one of those dates...
The recent jaguar all Electric CUV I pace is going to be a spectacular sales vehicle for the brand with pricing between 72 and 96 grand depending on options chosen.
I believe the first two years of 25k units per year production of the jaguar I pace have already been spoken for with a small deposit given to jaguar dealers...
The corvette team would do well to consider a corvette model lineup...to emulate Porsches sports car CUV and combine Jaguars move to electric in one fell swoop..
I believe this is where the small cuv sports market will be moving to...
The instant torque of the jaguar I pace and zero to sixty in under four seconds undercuts the mighty successful Porsche macan performance and is priced quite closely to boot...
If GM did a corvette electric cuv similiar to the jaguar I pace but priced it closer to just double the average car transaction price in amErica nicely loaded in the sixties...
Corvette two seat sports car production would be guaranteed for decades...
Porsches various cuv s...saved that brand from extinction...
So wrapping back...a rear mid engine corvette and a front mid engine corvette would a good start...
I'd suggest leaving the four door sports sedan to Cadillac..I think they are suffering to try and move any of the third gen CTS v s...(which by the way they elevated the pricing from the very successful selling second gen CTS vs and the sales of the third generation CTS v took a HUGE DUMP)
Nobody is buying the highly acclaimed ATS v either....
I don't personally think it's the division of two models as many has suggested but rather the price escalation the brand offering has presented under JDN..
Personally I think JDN is off base with his customer base...
If Americans want to get ripped off they buy german cars like Audi, Mercedes and BMW...
If Americans want a more reasonable balance of their vehicles they buy American...JDN s rising prices per Cadillac model...hit a sales wall of non compliance by consumers until rebates brought pricing to even below previous second generation CTS v levels...otherwise the inventory is sitting...but that's another topic altogether..
Last edited by JerriVette; 02-25-2018 at 10:14 AM.
02-25-2018, 10:13 AM
#27
As for Corvette not being a brand, perhaps the C8 should sport the bow tie on the front and back?
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Rapid Fred (02-25-2018)
02-25-2018, 12:01 PM
#28
Le Mans Master
Cadillac's problem is a lack of luxury product -- too few models, too few options on the models they have, and product cycles that are two years too long, especially with the paucity of model variations. It makes Cadillac look poor -- and despite GM's investment in the brand, Cadillac remains poor and will probably remain so for years to come. (It doesn't help that their model names are utterly stupid.)
But as long as Cadillac exists, GM isn't really willing or able to expand Corvette into a brand. And Chevrolet dealers won't let go of Corvette any more than Cadillac dealers would tolerate Corvette poaching customers.
That said, the midsize crossover segment is so vast, and the large crossover segment so profitable, that GM could make both Cadillac and Corvette versions of crossovers based on the CT6 and upcoming CT5 and make everybody happy. But personally, I'd rather see them pour the whole investment into making Cadillac a full-line luxury brand first.
But as long as Cadillac exists, GM isn't really willing or able to expand Corvette into a brand. And Chevrolet dealers won't let go of Corvette any more than Cadillac dealers would tolerate Corvette poaching customers.
That said, the midsize crossover segment is so vast, and the large crossover segment so profitable, that GM could make both Cadillac and Corvette versions of crossovers based on the CT6 and upcoming CT5 and make everybody happy. But personally, I'd rather see them pour the whole investment into making Cadillac a full-line luxury brand first.
02-25-2018, 12:28 PM
#29
Melting Slicks
The majority of Corvette owners don't track their cars, so the small increase in performance is meaningless to 98% of owners, and then there is the small group who are nothing but wealthy and buy a Z06/Z07 just because it has the "best performance" despite the fact they never use it.
The largest group buys Corvettes to use them and demand some practicality - that is the group that may be lost if the C8 is as practical as a Ford GT, NSX or 570 Maclaren.
02-26-2018, 12:35 AM
#30
Le Mans Master
If you are talking about 30,000 per year, I seriously doubt it. GM is probably betting on 15,000 units per year and maybe less.
The majority of Corvette owners don't track their cars, so the small increase in performance is meaningless to 98% of owners, and then there is the small group who are nothing but wealthy and buy a Z06/Z07 just because it has the "best performance" despite the fact they never use it.
The largest group buys Corvettes to use them and demand some practicality - that is the group that may be lost if the C8 is as practical as a Ford GT, NSX or 570 Maclaren.
The majority of Corvette owners don't track their cars, so the small increase in performance is meaningless to 98% of owners, and then there is the small group who are nothing but wealthy and buy a Z06/Z07 just because it has the "best performance" despite the fact they never use it.
The largest group buys Corvettes to use them and demand some practicality - that is the group that may be lost if the C8 is as practical as a Ford GT, NSX or 570 Maclaren.
02-26-2018, 08:07 AM
#31
Race Director
If you are talking about 30,000 per year, I seriously doubt it. GM is probably betting on 15,000 units per year and maybe less.
The majority of Corvette owners don't track their cars, so the small increase in performance is meaningless to 98% of owners, and then there is the small group who are nothing but wealthy and buy a Z06/Z07 just because it has the "best performance" despite the fact they never use it.
The largest group buys Corvettes to use them and demand some practicality - that is the group that may be lost if the C8 is as practical as a Ford GT, NSX or 570 Maclaren.
The majority of Corvette owners don't track their cars, so the small increase in performance is meaningless to 98% of owners, and then there is the small group who are nothing but wealthy and buy a Z06/Z07 just because it has the "best performance" despite the fact they never use it.
The largest group buys Corvettes to use them and demand some practicality - that is the group that may be lost if the C8 is as practical as a Ford GT, NSX or 570 Maclaren.
I use my corvettes as daily drivers. i don't have a problem with a rear mid engine platform as a daily driver...I don't believe it costs more to produce than a front engine platform. I believe their will be a manual transmission available too..
The noise being made that the car will be totally impractical is made by guys who never owned a rear mid engine sports car...
I hear quite often from guys in cuv s or sedans that they wish they could own a corvette but that they are too impractical..which we all know is nonsense..and just an excuse to keep them from living the dream...of any sports car...
Same crap here on the forum from owners of front engine sports cars movingly to rear mid engine...
Where there is a will there Is a way....
Btw soft luggage works just fine when traveling...
groceries fit just fine ...and besides how many shop in a supermarket with two people ...even with a front engine corvette....I often throw the grocery bags in the front seat...
For moving 2 x 4 s? Take another vehicle or orde it delivered...
Amazon prime delivers everything these days...
Like I said..I've been daily driving 2 seat sports cars it's not a problem and that would include rear mid engine as well...
The ultra high pricing rumor and the automatic transmission only is bullcrap...
Btw the Acura NSX can carry a set of golf clubs...and I don't imagine all corvette owners play golf...but I'm sure the trunk will manage a golf club set some how...
I don't play golf and could care less...but one set will probably fit...
Need to take two sets...take the other guys ride...
Problem solved..
Just my opinion ...your opinion may vary...
(Edit)
Change for people in general is really tough to process especially when they love what they presently have...I'm still laughing over the forum hysteria when the taillights weren't round on the c7...
A few of us corvette enthusiasts were like WTF who cares about the shape of the tail lights and why are people bitching and moaning about the change...
Change is good..
Think positive ..and ask yourself is the glass half full...
Keep the faith guys...it's a better way to live...
GM isn't screwing up the corvette brand and they know their customer base better than the customers themselves...
Who knows maybe GM will keep the old front engine c7 around a few years to keep some buyers happy...and again problem solved...
Ferrari has front and rear mid engine sports cars all called ferraris....so maybe GM is expanding one of the most valued and hallo brands GM owns...
Makes sense to me...
Build a dam jaguar I pace competitor and label it a corvette cuv and really start adding volume to the brand..
We will find out come January 2019 I guess.
Last edited by JerriVette; 02-26-2018 at 08:21 AM.
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Mark Ca (02-27-2018)
02-26-2018, 11:04 AM
#32
Race Director
Jerri -- lotta stuff in your post, most of which I agree with. 
Back in the day I DD'd a mid-rear car for a year (X1/9, yikes) but that was before I took up golf. Tennis stuff fit easily in front passenger seat; if wife and I went to play 2 racket bags could fit in the frunk. VERY doable and the engine right behind the driver really is a cool experience.
The current Vette coupe architecture really spoils us, though. We jammed enough stuff AND 2 sets of golf clubs (in smaller Sunday bags) to do the 2014 Caravan. She's a big packer so it took some creativity! Could not have gotten the clubs and luggage in a Vert, and I would expect the "Zora" to have about the same storage capacity. So, we'd just have to take one of the other two cars if golf is part of any trip. As I am a used Vette buyer, no way will I be in a "Zora" for the 2019 Caravan anyway...
I guess that's a roundabout way of saying I could live with ME only in the next generation, though I believe that they WILL coexist for a few years -- with possibly a new-look C7-based product as a fallback position in the unlikely event the ME does a "New Coke" or "Porsche 928" on them. Look how long the C2 mechanicals survived under the C3!!!!
Anyway, I'm hoping they do a great job on the ME Vette and hoping a Forum member takes great care of the one I'll be buying in 2024 or so...
Back in the day I DD'd a mid-rear car for a year (X1/9, yikes) but that was before I took up golf. Tennis stuff fit easily in front passenger seat; if wife and I went to play 2 racket bags could fit in the frunk. VERY doable and the engine right behind the driver really is a cool experience.
The current Vette coupe architecture really spoils us, though. We jammed enough stuff AND 2 sets of golf clubs (in smaller Sunday bags) to do the 2014 Caravan. She's a big packer so it took some creativity! Could not have gotten the clubs and luggage in a Vert, and I would expect the "Zora" to have about the same storage capacity. So, we'd just have to take one of the other two cars if golf is part of any trip. As I am a used Vette buyer, no way will I be in a "Zora" for the 2019 Caravan anyway...
I guess that's a roundabout way of saying I could live with ME only in the next generation, though I believe that they WILL coexist for a few years -- with possibly a new-look C7-based product as a fallback position in the unlikely event the ME does a "New Coke" or "Porsche 928" on them. Look how long the C2 mechanicals survived under the C3!!!!
Anyway, I'm hoping they do a great job on the ME Vette and hoping a Forum member takes great care of the one I'll be buying in 2024 or so...
Last edited by Rapid Fred; 02-26-2018 at 11:10 AM.
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JerriVette (03-14-2018)
02-26-2018, 08:48 PM
#33
Melting Slicks
Car sales volumes have gone down in many instances - Ford sold 607,000 Mustangs in 1965 - should they plan for that volume today?
As for the current NSX, the trunk is 4 cu.ft. and only 38" wide, about 8" shorter than a standard driver, so I don't see how a set of clubs fit in?
02-26-2018, 08:56 PM
#34
Race Director
I think on both points you are wrong.
Car sales volumes have gone down in many instances - Ford sold 607,000 Mustangs in 1965 - should they plan for that volume today?
As for the current NSX, the trunk is 4 cu.ft. and only 38" wide, about 8" shorter than a standard driver, so I don't see how a set of clubs fit in?
Car sales volumes have gone down in many instances - Ford sold 607,000 Mustangs in 1965 - should they plan for that volume today?
As for the current NSX, the trunk is 4 cu.ft. and only 38" wide, about 8" shorter than a standard driver, so I don't see how a set of clubs fit in?
The Acura NSX second generation is a hybrid and that caused the decrease in sales. Not to mention the shift in new NSX costs between 150 to 200 grand..
Another good reason price increases need to be held in check...
The decade long hiatus of NSX in the marketplace didn't help either.
There was a video on YouTube that showed a set of golf clubs being placed in the rear trunck. The only thing that had to occur to make that happen was to pull either the wood or driver (I can't remember which as I'm not a golfer) out of the bag and put in the trunk outside the single golf bag to carry all the clubs to the golf course...
Jmo
Last edited by JerriVette; 02-26-2018 at 09:02 PM.
02-26-2018, 09:40 PM
#35
Safety Car
Originally Posted by JerriVette
No manufacturer plans for a decrease in unit sales.
GM spent $900,000,000 on BGA upgrades the last few years, and did so with the deliberate intent to reduce annual Bowling Green Assembly Plant capacity, specifically from 40,500 units per year to 33,000 units/annually (both numbers based on maximum overtime). As Kai Spande has said, still on a video on YouTube, “we have rightsized capacity for an entire Corvette generation.”
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JerriVette (03-14-2018)
02-26-2018, 11:15 PM
#36
Race Director
Excellent information ...cutting back from 40k unit capability to 33000 is a far cry from Porsche Boxster sales in the USA.
Although I'm sure 33000 annual capacity involves the longer larger paint process to dramatically improve the paint finish on corvettes.
Personally I thought the massive cost incurred for the bowling green facility also involving the much improved painting process ...had quite a lot to do with the possibility JDN would put forth a world class supercar from the Cadillac division to rival the recently rumored Audi R8 that might have no successor at the end of this latest generation.
In past iterations of Cadillac sharing bowling green...it's been said Cadillac division funded the bowling green manufacturing change cost as well as a good portion of the corvette team funding to redesign the c5 into the c6 sharing changes to allow the XLR to go into production...
I think we will find JDN funded a good portion of c8 costs ...
AlThough most R & D costs of the early rear mid engine corvette were discarded with the 2009/10 GM bankruptcy cast off of old GM...
The c8 is rumored to have many of its roots dating back before the c7 was even put into production and it was only the bankruptcy that delayed the rear mid engine corvette and brought forth the front rear engine c7 to fill the gap....
I hope we get a book for the c8 that is similiar to the corvette book...All corvettes are red"
I remember really enjoying that book way before I even ordered my first new corvette in 1998..
The inside insights and stories made the book a favorite. A book similar for the c8 journey would be fascinating...
Also filling is in on how close earlier rear mid engine corvette showcars and prototype almost made it to production,and why they didn't prior to the c8
Although I'm sure 33000 annual capacity involves the longer larger paint process to dramatically improve the paint finish on corvettes.
Personally I thought the massive cost incurred for the bowling green facility also involving the much improved painting process ...had quite a lot to do with the possibility JDN would put forth a world class supercar from the Cadillac division to rival the recently rumored Audi R8 that might have no successor at the end of this latest generation.
In past iterations of Cadillac sharing bowling green...it's been said Cadillac division funded the bowling green manufacturing change cost as well as a good portion of the corvette team funding to redesign the c5 into the c6 sharing changes to allow the XLR to go into production...
I think we will find JDN funded a good portion of c8 costs ...
AlThough most R & D costs of the early rear mid engine corvette were discarded with the 2009/10 GM bankruptcy cast off of old GM...
The c8 is rumored to have many of its roots dating back before the c7 was even put into production and it was only the bankruptcy that delayed the rear mid engine corvette and brought forth the front rear engine c7 to fill the gap....
I hope we get a book for the c8 that is similiar to the corvette book...All corvettes are red"
I remember really enjoying that book way before I even ordered my first new corvette in 1998..
The inside insights and stories made the book a favorite. A book similar for the c8 journey would be fascinating...
Also filling is in on how close earlier rear mid engine corvette showcars and prototype almost made it to production,and why they didn't prior to the c8
Last edited by JerriVette; 02-26-2018 at 11:18 PM.
02-27-2018, 12:27 AM
#37
It sure does work for Porsche. And then my wife would not complain as much about me buying another vette!
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JerriVette (02-27-2018)
02-27-2018, 08:33 PM
#38
Safety Car
JerriVette, you are correct that the Plant shop was a massive part of the $900,000,000 spent on BGA upgrades over the last few years, at $437,000,000 just for that project. Also correct that it takes much longer for an individual car to go though the new “paint curing booths.” Specifically, because they have a temperature of around 100 degrees less than the old booths (to reduce composite panel waviness and orange peel), they are literally triple the length of the old booths (120’ long vs. 40’).
Talking with Mike Furman, who BTW got five truckloads of new Corvettes just last week, he said, “I am is very pleased with the paint quality on Corvettes produced since the new paint shop came on line.”
That is such great news, for owners of all 2nd batch 2018’s, all 2019’s, and also for all 2020+ C7’s and ME’s.
Talking with Mike Furman, who BTW got five truckloads of new Corvettes just last week, he said, “I am is very pleased with the paint quality on Corvettes produced since the new paint shop came on line.”
That is such great news, for owners of all 2nd batch 2018’s, all 2019’s, and also for all 2020+ C7’s and ME’s.
Last edited by elegant; 02-27-2018 at 08:36 PM.
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JerriVette (02-28-2018)
03-01-2018, 01:35 AM
#39
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I've been posting this since...WAYYYYY back. In 2013, when I went to Detroit and saw the C7 frame sitting there, the first immediate thing that was obvious, was it was modular.
The Corvette is the first part of the GM brand, to evolve into the new design ideology that GM has undertaken, in order to stay relevant. This has ALL been laid out, loud and clear.
The C7 was modular and designed to be used to build multiple platforms, thus reducing engineering costs to further increase Tadge's favorite word..."bandwidth". The C7 front engine car, shares it's core structure with the Mid-Engine car and they'll both be sold, side by side. Ferrari sells more than one platform folks...mid and front...Corvette can do it to...and they will.
It's all right here people, right out of Mary Barra's mouth. The Corvette will serve as the true HALO to the new design and development process for GM...building radically different machines off of one platform.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g...0HR2J220141002
The Corvette is the first part of the GM brand, to evolve into the new design ideology that GM has undertaken, in order to stay relevant. This has ALL been laid out, loud and clear.
The C7 was modular and designed to be used to build multiple platforms, thus reducing engineering costs to further increase Tadge's favorite word..."bandwidth". The C7 front engine car, shares it's core structure with the Mid-Engine car and they'll both be sold, side by side. Ferrari sells more than one platform folks...mid and front...Corvette can do it to...and they will.
It's all right here people, right out of Mary Barra's mouth. The Corvette will serve as the true HALO to the new design and development process for GM...building radically different machines off of one platform.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g...0HR2J220141002
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JerriVette (03-14-2018),
Shaka (03-01-2018)
03-01-2018, 02:28 AM
#40
Burning Brakes
I've been posting this since...WAYYYYY back. In 2013, when I went to Detroit and saw the C7 frame sitting there, the first immediate thing that was obvious, was it was modular.
The Corvette is the first part of the GM brand, to evolve into the new design ideology that GM has undertaken, in order to stay relevant. This has ALL been laid out, loud and clear.
The C7 was modular and designed to be used to build multiple platforms, thus reducing engineering costs to further increase Tadge's favorite word..."bandwidth". The C7 front engine car, shares it's core structure with the Mid-Engine car and they'll both be sold, side by side. Ferrari sells more than one platform folks...mid and front...Corvette can do it to...and they will.
It's all right here people, right out of Mary Barra's mouth. The Corvette will serve as the true HALO to the new design and development process for GM...building radically different machines off of one platform.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g...0HR2J220141002
The Corvette is the first part of the GM brand, to evolve into the new design ideology that GM has undertaken, in order to stay relevant. This has ALL been laid out, loud and clear.
The C7 was modular and designed to be used to build multiple platforms, thus reducing engineering costs to further increase Tadge's favorite word..."bandwidth". The C7 front engine car, shares it's core structure with the Mid-Engine car and they'll both be sold, side by side. Ferrari sells more than one platform folks...mid and front...Corvette can do it to...and they will.
It's all right here people, right out of Mary Barra's mouth. The Corvette will serve as the true HALO to the new design and development process for GM...building radically different machines off of one platform.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g...0HR2J220141002
The aluminum "tub" weldment may be common for both a ME and a new or revised FE. Unique front and rear subframes would allow you to use a common tub and cockpit but build both FE and ME models with lots of commonality.
If you watch the Velocity Channel series "How its Made: Dream Cars", almost every ME is built exactly this way - a very strong, stiff composite or metal weldment tub is mated to a model unique front subframe and a model unique rear/engine subframe containing the twisty bits. McLaren has built every model from the MP4-12C to the P1 using the exact same tub. The 720S is the first model to get a new tub.