PCMIII

Do you remember the 1984 Corvette? I do and it was highly anticipated too. Failures in the car market are very common, especially since everyone wants SUVs now.

PCMIII

The current ZR1 is about as different from the base Stingray as the GT2 RS is from the Boxster. Porsche has been running two different sports cars for years with no problem.

PCMIII

So why is Toyota reviving the Supra? GM can't afford NOT to sell both the ME and FE because it has invested so much money in BGA. Can't roll the dice on only an ME.

fyreline

Question: "Will the mid-engine Vette be the only Vette?"

Answer: Yes. Yes it will.

Rinaldo Catria

PCMIII

So when Porsche brought out the 924, 928, 914 and Boxster, did they stop producing the 911? Porsche is not stupid and neither is GM.

Rinaldo Catria

PCMIII

"GM will only allow one platform for its Corvette model"

And why is that? BGA has massively expanded its capacity and the ME will not even use half of it.
GM is in business to make money, not enforce arbitrary rules about platforms. Why would GM give up all the profits to be made from a FE Stingray?

JDSKY

Perhaps the ME differences will be numerous enough to support sales of both models but I don't see how if pricing is nearly the same. A 911 and a Cayman are different cars. I'm just not seeing how the C7 stands on it's own once the new car is available. Maybe there are more buyers than I think that will choose a lower performing Vette just to get a bigger trunk and a manual transmission.

To me the only way they both survive is if there is a significant price delta between the two but there has not been much support for that theory to be true.

heavychevy

Most buyers do not buy a Corvette for its performance. Nor are they looking for the top performing model of Corvette. Far more weekend cruiser buyers.

Rinaldo Catria

Zjoe6

ZR1 is a C7 series.

JDSKY

Except we are talking about the need for both models. I think it's a safe assumption that the ME car will come in multiple performance levels just as the C7 does today. In that regard, they will both fill the same "weekend cruiser" niche.

Also, just because most buyers are using them as weekend cruisers does not mean that these drivers could care less about the performance cred, absolute capability or pedigree. I would argue most every owner cares about how well their weekend cruiser fares against the competition even though their car may never see the track in its lifetime.

Foosh

Actually it's not. It's built on an identical chassis as a base C7, has the same electronics, etc. Base, Z51, GS, Z06, and ZR1 all have different body panels, brakes, tires, superchargers or not, and various other components, but they are essentially just variants of the same car. The mechanical differences between base and Z51 are pretty substantial, yet they're both called Stingrays. A Z51 is more mechanically similar to a GS. Z06 just adds a supercharger to the LT1 (LT4) in the GS and Stingrays, and ZR1 essentially just adds more boost to the Z06 LT4 (LT5), along with a unique nose and wing. They are all 6.2L displacement engines using the same short block.

Boxster/Cayman and 911 are totally different platforms, and a base 911 shares the same platform with the GT2 RS.

heavychevy

Initially Porsche did intend to replace the 911 with the 928 etc. but they sold poorly while the 911 continued to do well.

GM would be wise to keep that in mind.

PCMIII

Cayman GT4 uses the 911 engine and is superior to the base 911 in many ways. Most experts contend that the driving experience of the GT4 is better than the 911.
OTOH, the driving experience of the base Stingray is nothing like the ZR1 because they are so vastly different in how they perform. Nobody would claim the base Stingray is superior.

heavychevy

You are confusing yourself. The GT4 is a GT model of Cayman, it should be sportier than a base 911. That is nothing like comparing a stingray to a ZR1.. The closest comparison would be a grandsport to a ZR1. And even that is a stretch.

Foosh

PC is confusing himself. Corvette has always been a model of the brand, Chevrolet. Obviously, the Chevrolet brand offers many different types of distinctly different models on many different platforms, trucks, sporty cars, family sedans, SUVs, and econoboxes. Porsche is also a brand, and it offers many different models including SUVs and a 4-door sedan.

Within models, there are always major performances differences. The ZL1 and V6 Camaro are still just Camaros, same with Mustang, even though there are many mechanical and performance differences

Now GM could change corporate strategy, separate Corvette from Chevrolet, and develop other other models on different platforms, a la Cayman/Boxster, 911, Cayenne, Macan, Panamera, etc. Many have suggested GM would be more successful if it married Cadillac and Corvette into a brand separate from Chevrolet.

A strategy change is always possible, but GM has shown no indication that it is considering anything different than what they've always done with Corvette, offer one 2-seat sports-oriented platform, with many different performance variants. If you want something else, you buy one of the other Chevrolet models.

PCMIII

The name Chevrolet does not appear anywhere on the Corvette. In fact, the biggest problem for Corvette is that it is sold and serviced at Chevy dealers. Nobody goes to a VW dealer to buy a Porsche or get it serviced even though VW owns Porsche.

Corvette is GM's only premium name and expanding the lineup would make sense, just as it has for Porsche, Ferrari, etc.

Foosh

I personally agree the idea has some merit, but that's does not appear to be the current GM plan for "Corvette." They believe they have it covered under the current brand line-up. That would be like Ford turning Mustang into a brand and building Mustang SUVs. It could happen, but it's not likely since they are satisfied with their current brand structure and model offerings within the brands.

Porsche expanded their offerings as matter of survival, since building just 911s wasn't profitable. GM already has an extensive brand infrastructure and huge number of offerings for every preference and need.

BTW, the Chevy bow-tie is on the cross-flag Corvette emblem. Mustangs don't say Ford except in the corporate blue oval logo. Most Chevys don't say Chevrolet, but they all carry the bow-tie somewhere.