Jeff V.

It makes perfect sense if you look at Corvette as a sub-brand within Chevrolet.

Corvette Stingray - front engine
Corvette Zora - mid engine

But they're not going to do that, so it's not worth talking about. I was one of the people who was convinced they'd do two cars, but I've given up on that. For better or worse, it's going to be one car.

wilfie

No one laughs at Ferrari and Porsche. Don't give me that crap about brands Vs models. They didn't start out that way. It took some guts and knowhow to develop a multi line product.
GM seems to lack both. They can't even say where they are going with many models future development.
Am I getting bitchie waiting for my C8? O yeah.

Atari_Prime

Corvette is not a car company, it is a model. You should care because it is the issue. You don't produce two different platforms for the same model. If you want to argue that GM should spin off Corvette into a brand, go right ahead, that would create a sound argument for two Corvette platforms.

C7pimp

Is there a front engine and rear engine 911 Porsche?

A Front Engine and Rear Engine Ferrari 488 GTB?

punky

Good grief Dude, wake up and think a little before you post. Each and every MODEL of Ferrari and Porsche have their respective engines in one location, Corvette is a MODEL also . In other words, C7 Corvettes, all FE, 911 Porsche, all rear engine, Porsche Boxster, all mid engine, 360 Ferrari, all mid engine, etc. Jeeeezus, how hard is this to comprehend. The C8 Corvette is going to be a Mid Engine offering with electric motor hybrid/assists soon to follow whether fist pounding Front Engine forever die hards like it or not.

jefnvk

GM will have both: the FE Camaro (and every other vehicle they produce) and the NE C8 Corvette

Tom73

Chevy started out as a brand producing a single model. Then over the years Chevy developed multiple models and in 1953 they , Chevy, came out with the Corvette model.

So, yes, the Corvette is a model and not a brand just as Porsche is a brand and their 911 is a model.

Telepierre

This reads a bit as revisionist history.
Reality is It took FE failure and bankruptcy to push Porsche to maintain the 911 and push it upscale and at the end what really save them was the correct bet on SUVs.
Porsche customers rejected outright the idea to loose the RE and I wonder what the Corvette customers will do...

JustinStrife

And a lot of us Corvette owners won't touch a Camaro.

Farewell Corvette. Was nice being with you my entire life.

Supermassive

The only people that won't step up to the big boy table and embrace the mid engine Corvette are not what I would consider "Corvette fans". The hold outs that get bent out of shape over things like round tail lights and pop-up head lights are a considerable minority...vocal as all hell, but still a minority. GM finally making the Corvette mid engine is what they should have done a while ago...perhaps with the C6 generation to be honest, but they were too busy catering to "stuck in the past" boomers instead of pushing the brand in the right direction.

So it should go without saying that GM will weather the storm of discontent from the "traditionalists" who will boycott Corvette in protest while taking their money to Porsche for their overpriced offerings. The rest of us and like a bunch more that never considered a Corvette are going to be quite happy with an extremely competent mid engine car that also happens to be semi-affordable...and will lilely continue to stomp on P-cars that don't have GT2 at the end of their name.

jefnvk

Well there's always Mustang

But I hear you. I really wanted to like Camaro over the Mustang when I bought mine a few years back, I just couldn't get myself there, External styling is beautiful, internals and usability is awful.

Maybe they can do what Ford did with the T-Bird a decade ago and make a "retro" offering. They can make the modern body look like a C1 or C2, and even give them that six cylinder and a two speed auto transmission, just to keep it historically correct :P

John T

It is all about real time and spot on products. I swooned over the 928 around 1980 and a little later loved the 944. Recently I have found it hard to believe that Aston was still in business but have you seen what they have coming?? Their new mid engined stuff? I can’t believe my eyes. I am not going as far to say they leapfrogged Mclaren and Ferrari but they just came close! Product is everything!!

Red67John

Supermassive, I agree with you that the new ME will have new followers and that is what Corvette needs. At the same time, I think you underestimate thé importance of the loyal “boomer” Corvette buyers.

We boomers remain the buyers that are more likely to have the disposable income and the attitudes to jump into a sports/GT car. Yeah, there are plenty of mlllneials with money, but many of them also have different attitudes about automobiles. My own son and daughter, 33 and 30, are in no way car buffs. I really need to have them DNA tested.

The average age of the buyers of brand new Corvettes today continues to hover around 60. I factory ordered my first Corvette when I was just under 21 and working for GM while going to college part-time. Since then I’ve lived with the philosophy that I might not own a big house or a lot of fancy stuff, but I would always have nice cars. Well, by dumb luck or the grace of God, I’ve managed to have all of the above, including a bunch of a Corvettes since I bought that first one 47 years ago last month.

I personally think that the move to the ME is long overdue. I think the move to an EV model of the Corvette is about due. I laos think that the “traditionalists” you speak of are more than just a vocal minority, but I also believe most of them embrace the ongoing evolution of the Corvette. To me, the real minorities are those that insist on a FE platform and those that truly “track” their cars or insist on 1000 hp and manual ransmissions. The true track car, the C7-R, has half that horsepower and competes head-to-head all year long. I have no idea how many Corvette buyers truly track their cars, but I suspect it is less than 5 percent. This new car will undoubtably have a number versions and engine options to suit different wants.

I’ll be 68 by the time Chevrolet starts taking orders for the new Corvette. I’m way over the round taillights, and got my manual shifting fix yesterday while driving my NCRS Top Flight‘67, in which a manual transmission was right. I’m looking forward to the new Corvette platform, to a reliable and functional DCT, and yes, to hybrid electric drive soon and maybe even full electric in the not so distant future.

RapidC84B

You bought your first factory new Corvette at 21... I bought my first Corvette at 22 (38 now), but have never bought a new one and I'm on my 5th. Your point is valid that the "soon to retire" or "newly retired" 60ish demo are the folks actually buying theme new. GM has to walk a fine line between keeping that core customer and reaching out to new ones. The trick is to get the new ones in the car. You and I already like the cars. The guy who wants a Porsche or M3 etc. just needs to drive one. Usually when they do they're shocked that all their preconceived notions are wrong.

I raced a C5 for a few years and have been tracking since I was 23. I run timetrials in a Stingray now and instruct with NASA Mid-Atlantic. I love giving rides to folks who are ardent supporters of other brands who think "Corvettes only go straight" or "leaf springs don't work". When you put their face on the dash braking hard and change their minds about the platform it's a wonderful thing.

jefnvk

I think you were mostly spot on with your message, but this is the point I disagree with. Being one of those millennials who does have decent household income (and in a decade or so will easily be into new Corvette money incomewise around 40 years old), you can't keep catering solely to a population that is aging out of your demographics. One needs to turn to the future buyers before the base is completely gone. At least to me, Corvette should be more about continuing to be the sports car that punched well above its weight performance wise than it should be some nostalgia from the 60s. If that involves losing some of the older boomers who don't like new, that is sad, but the younger generation isn't buying on nostalgia.

Meh, I could say that about a lot of cars, it is quite amazing what a basic family car will do in the right hands. I could change a lot of peoples notion about a basic Cruze if I took them out on a track.

That said, if you put Corvette owners in other cars, it would probably open a lot of minds as well. People tend to get into their little cliques with their car ownership, especially people who buy one and stick with it, few truly understand the capabilities of a wide range of cars. I see it on these boards quite often.

Red67John

Spot on. The car needs to attract a broader market.

punky

Why would anyone who has been a lifelong Corvette fan/owner write them off altogether because the engineers have upgraded this American icon to world class configuration by transitioning to a Mid Engine format? Honestly, how many stupid pills do these guys take every morning.

RapidC84B

It's not the actual car... the car is good (other than the paint/fit issues of late). The issue is marketing and the stigma attached to "Corvette" for some folks. Some don't care how it performs or looks, they just want a Porsche or Ferrari etc. I'm sure I'd be more interested in those cars if I could afford them. I value on track performance/durability and the Corvette platform delivers more performance for your dollar than anything.

Red67John

You are absolutely correct about the market and about an appreciation for a wide range of cars.

However, I wasn’t trying to imply that the new C8 needs to cater to nostalgia or old men. In fact, as each generation of the car has evolved, the buying market evolved with it. In the olden days, more Corvette drivers than not, drove them like they stole them. Today, it seems like more only see weekend duty at the car show or a cruise. This new car will certainly appeal to a more diverse group of buyers and that is a good thing.

PCMIII

The FE Corvette is not going away. It will be in production for at least 2 years after the ME starts production. That has been confirmed and nobody in a position to know has denied it.

Corvette is not about to abandon its traditional buyers anymore than Porsche did with the 911 when it brought out the 928. There is no reason for Corvette to stop making the FE and 30,000 reasons every year to keep making them. Abandoning a market segment that it dominates to Toyota would be completely stupid and Mary Barra is not stupid.