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Sales of America's greatest sports car have stalled as buyers await an all-new version.
Every few years, a car undergoes a major transformation. Buyers, realizing big changes are coming, wait to spend their money on the new machine. It’s a dynamic as old as Detroit, but certainly not unique to it (see: iPhone, Apple).
At the moment, this pre-release slump has set in on the granddaddy of American sports cars: Chevrolet’s Corvette, the most collected car in America, is about to be reborn. Until then, though, no one seems to want the angry critter.
Since its 1953 debut, the Corvette has been overhauled seven times. This time, however, the swoon in advance of the big unveiling is particularly pronounced, in part because General Motors is drastically changing the car. Its engineers have moved the engine from the front—where it has always been bolted—to the middle, behind the driver’s head and in front of the rear wheels.
The swap moves the American sports car in line with competitors from Ferrari and McLaren who argue that the mid-engine layout makes for a more balanced car.
The Corvette clan is ready. “We’ve been taking deposits for a rumored mid-engine Corvette since 2014,” said Sean McCann, floor manager at Stingray Chevrolet near Tampa, Fla.
“People are canceling their orders (on 2019s) and starting to hold back because they want to wait and see what’s going to come out.”
Corvette sales in the U.S. have declined every quarter from the prior-year period since 2016. Dealers sold just 18,791 of the vehicles in 2018, 44 percent less than in 2015.
Current models are idling on dealership lots, forcing dealers to offer large incentives. Stingray, for example, is dangling discounts and incentives up to $15,000 on some of the high-performance models.
If you’ve always wanted a Corvette and don’t care where the engine goes, now’s the time.
General Motors declined to talk about the big Corvette upgrade or the sales slump, though the company did confirm a reveal date: July 18, in southern California.
The Corvette is a so-called halo car. Its primary job is to shine so brightly on glossy magazine covers that the luster carries over to the local dealership floor and illuminates the greater Chevrolet galaxy from the thirsty Silverado to the circumspect Sonic. From that perspective, the new ‘Vette is already doing just fine.
The tricky thing, however, is that the Corvette is one of the rare speed machines that contributes significantly to the bottom line. General Motors makes a tidy profit on each one, and it typically sells a lot of them. At its peak in 2006, Corvette sales approached 37,000 in the U.S., roughly level with the Volkswagen Beetle and Lincoln Town Car.
Sports cars in general are having trouble keeping up with the rest of the auto industry. Annual sales in the U.S. slid 22 percent in the past three years, as buyers clamored for SUVs of all shapes and sizes. Carbon-laced speed machines are expensive, and those who can afford them are fast losing the physical capability to drive them—or at least get in and out of them.
Jonathan Klinger, a spokesman at Hagerty Insurance Co., said the coming Corvette is a bid to attract younger buyers to the brand. McCann, at the dealership in Florida, is expecting a tide of customers who otherwise would be kicking tires at more exotic dealerships. Barring an economic meltdown, the depth of the swoon should reflect the scale of the coming Corvette boom.
Indeed, CarGurus Inc., an online listing site, expects a surge of used Corvettes sales as soon as the new rig is unveiled.
Tony Fiorello, president of a dental implant company in Florida, will be one of many padding the sales stats for Chevrolet. He wanted the first mid-engine Corvette so badly that he hedged his bets. In 2017, he put down two deposits, one for the 2019 version and one for the 2020. “It’s a paradigm shift,” he explained. “And I just knew that I wanted to be No. 1 on the list.”
The 2019 model is now in his garage. He drives it regularly —at speeds up to 192 miles per hour—and has no plans to sell.
Eventually, he figures it will be a collectible: the last of the front-engine Corvettes.
tell that to MB who just laid a bunch of people off, and then does not think that the extra 5 grand minimum in incentive that is going to be needed to get the c7's to move, could not have been better spent on helping people they just laid off make their house and car payments and put food on the table.
She sure looked good in that c8 though didn't she? Her and Tadge, out there fulfilling their goals and dreams of attracting the younger crowd base with their good looks.... Nothing says "corvettes are no longer for old people", than having the car being driven around by a couple old people that the masses have no clue who they are who look like they should have retired 5 years ago
Then she announced "its the end of the c7 and we are auctioning the last one in a couple months" on the same outing!!...
nothing says, "the C8 is near and the c7 is old news", like what she managed to do that night... a double whammy of intelligence to sell a ton of c7's this summer.
Can you imagine how intelligent it would be to do these things she did if the c8 was not going to be for sale until at least christmas?, and probably later for most buyers? and the plan is to build more c7's into early fall? Super super intelligent.
... and their stock price falling does not affect millions of americans 401k's
moral compass ... lol.
Her and Tadge think wallstreet cares about a car that will be selling next year, instead of the missed earnings reports for the next 3 quarters.
The great news tho, the positive trade-off to their wise decisions which i have failed to mention thus far...
the c8... which was going to be sold out for its first year no matter what they do or don't do...
well, great news, its now... still going to be sold out its first year
Thank goodness her and Tadge played their cards the way they did. So much forward thinking and wisdom
5,000 dollars multiplied by over 5,000 c7's, that money is pointless. Thousands of Laid off people did not need that to eat this thanksgiving
nah, instead lets use another extra 5 grand on top of our existing incentives to make c7's move since we made every choice known to man to completely ice their sales this summer!
well over half the population thinks that a new c7 can't even be ordered because when you announce "the last c7 will be auctioned in a couple months"...
...well that gives the impression that a car that takes 6 weeks to build, can no longer be ordered and be built, which then logical deduction assumes the c8 production is a few months away after that auction ... so lets just wait for that next car which logic says should be here by ... September probably?!
.... instead, back here in secretive reality, the auction for the last c7 is a placeholder auction, for a car that will be built... much later... probably after september, which is when the public assumes the c8 is going to be here based on the decisions her and Tadge have made in the last 45 days..
but the average Joe does not know that its just a placeholder auction and that c7's are still the car to buy for the next year or so...
Superstar marketing... its so brilliant i cant put it all into words.
A foolish thing to have done instead, which is what I thought for the past 6 months they would eventually do.... is to announce "the c7 final front engine edition... a 66 year legacy, being celebrated with a limited edition c7", and let people know that the LAST c7 final edition would be sold at auction for charity, and make it very clear that it wont be until AFTER august at least that the car is produced...
and then, get this... they actually drive... this car they pretend is amazing which they will auction... to the event... where they brag they are going to auction it off! (it means they drive a new limited color c7 to the event instead of the camo c8) boy that would have been dumb to do huh!... selling c7's this summer is a pointless thing to try to do for sure. So throw that idea out the window.. lets get back to the good ideas...
I think their final step to this trifecta of their perfect marketing scheme, is if they play reverse psychology on america, and say "dont buy the c7, its junk" during a live interview on a major news network
i bet that would make people run out and buy it even more than their last 2 key marketing choices... which are hard to top....
....but if you really stop and think about it, telling america the c7 is junk, and playing reverse psychology on all of us, that is the only thing they could do to make more of a POSITIVE impact on c7 sales than the other 2 key steps that they have already done.
So brilliant. I think they got advice from the CEO of Gopro on how to make their stock succeed.
"earnings reports mean nothing, its all about hype, then 18 year olds who know nothing about the stock market will buy your stock and drive up the price, so forget about all the thousands of c7s and all the people you just laid off... instead, its time for GM to get cool, so we need some young pretty people from cali in and around the car... but first... i want you and Tadge, to drive around NY in the c8 a year before the public can buy one, and tell them there is a big reveal 3 months later, and watch as c7 sales come to a screeching halt... your stock will soar, i promise, its all about hype, forget making the car look cool with young people, its time to make you and Tadge look good, and make sure you tell everyone its the end of the c7, make sure there is no doubt in their mind. The thousands on dealers lots... worst case, just declare another BK, but you and Tadge are gonna look good in NY."
no final edition 66 year run of the corvette front engine, but meanwhile VW has the final edition wolfsburg edition of every jetta ever made at the end of the body style, indicating a new body is coming next (which they dont reveal or drive to parties, they keep it secret so they can sell their final edition jetta, and porsche does the same thing!) Crazy to be able to be so thoughtful of how to sell cars for the next 365 days instead of totally ice sales unless huge rebates are announced!
Great read. But imo you could have gotten the point across much quicker... let me try real quick... "typical GM." Hey look it worked.
As mentioned many times before, Tadge and MB decided it was wise to announce a reveal, over 3 months before that reveal, at peak selling season of the c7 which there are already too many of on dealer's lots.
This ice'd the c7 sales.
No car company in their right mind, announces the reveal, over 3 months ahead, when it is an existing car they are still trying to sell.
They wait and surprise people, and sell the older version up until the last possible second.
And the stall in sales is only going to get worse, because my sources say the car wont be ready by late fall, the heavy c8 production won't happen until next spring.
So instead of announcing the final edition c7... and tell people the c8 was about a year out... and then sold a bunch of c7's...
they iced c7 sales... by driving around in a car with 7 18 19 on the side of it, that wont be for sale, for another year, for 99% of buyers who might actually buy a vette. (supposedly they might make a few before christmas and then stop production until the spring, its a long story but it benefits them to get a couple out before christmas, but they aren't ready to mass produce until spring is what I have heard)
They COULD STILL announce a final version of the c7 and the final front engine corvette edition for buyers who build a c7 moving forward...
it would only take a sticker and a special badge on the center console and a new paint color... maybe an exclusive wheel that other vette owners would all want to upgrade to as years go by, which would make GM money...
no no no...
but i dont think Tadge and MB are that smart ...
so instead, we will watch as sales continue to completely freeze on c7, and watch as 30 grand discounts arrive on c7, because they will.
There will be zero percent plus 15 grand in rebates, plus dealers willing to lose the other 10 grand to get rid of them... mark my words.
And those who say it does not matter, take a look what happened to GM's stock price this past earnings announcement when they were below where they were expected to be.
just wait until this fall... keep pretending bad choices don't ruin a car company. Watch their stock price.
^^^ So what will happen if the C8 is a flop and everyone who wants a new corvette wants to buy the last of the C7 that are on lots. Prices will go through the roof as not enough supply.
This can play out 2 ways.
Last edited by Steve Garrett; 05-07-2019 at 12:10 PM.
GM nor their dealers are going to wait until next spring/summer, to finally offer incentives to make the 18's and 19's move, and that would be the soonest you would know if the c8 is a flop or needing more time to complete.
And i don't think the c8 will be a flop, i just think it might have a shortcoming on the z06 power level model, and it will be interesting if GM solves it, or if they don't, if they learn to tell the truth that their car has a shortcoming, or if they try to cover it up.
Either way, c7's will have deepest discounts in history of corvette by this fall.
If people really wanted a good deal on a c7, they could all go in and put orders in on c7's, and then walk away from the order and get their deposit back, which they are allowed to do by state law.
Dealer lots would be flooded with them...
then GM would really have to incentivize the cars to get them to move. I know that won't happen, but just throwing out a little fun food for thought of "what if's"
i know if i wanted a c7, i would order it in the exact way i want it, and then walk away from it, and come back and buy it later when the discounts are crazy and its confirmed the c8 is still a ways out
... and maybe that's exactly what i've already done.
Had GM marketed their c7's properly this summer, that would not be a strategy on the table for me, as the c7 i would order would sell to someone else. Nah, its safe and sound, no one is touching it.
tell that to MB who just laid a bunch of people off, and then they don't think that the extra 5 grand minimum in incentive that is going to be needed to get the c7's to move, could not have been better spent on helping people they just laid off make their house and car payments and put food on the table.
She sure looked good in that c8 though didn't she? Her and Tadge, out there fulfilling their goals and dreams of attracting the younger crowd base with their good looks.... Nothing says "corvettes are no longer for old people", than having the car being driven around by a couple old people that the masses have no clue who they are, who look like they should have retired 5 years ago
Then she announced "its the end of the c7 and we are auctioning the last one in a couple months" on the same outing!!...
nothing says, "the C8 is near and the c7 is old news", like what she managed to do that night... a double whammy of intelligence to sell a ton of c7's this summer.
Can you imagine how intelligent it would be to do these things she did if the c8 was not going to be for sale until at least christmas?, and probably later for most buyers? and the plan is to build more c7's into early fall? Super super intelligent.
... and their stock price falling does not affect millions of americans 401k's
moral compass ... lol.
Her and Tadge think wallstreet cares about a car that will be selling next year, instead of the missed earnings reports for the next 3 quarters.
The great news tho, the positive trade-off to their wise decisions which i have failed to mention thus far...
the c8... which was going to be sold out for its first year no matter what they do or don't do...
well, great news, its now... still going to be sold out its first year
Thank goodness her and Tadge played their cards the way they did. So much forward thinking and wisdom
5,000 dollars multiplied by over 5,000 c7's, that money is pointless. Thousands of Laid off people did not need that to eat this thanksgiving
nah, instead lets use another extra 5 grand on top of our existing incentives to make c7's move since we made every choice known to man to completely ice their sales this summer!
well over half the population thinks that a new c7 can't even be ordered because when you announce "the last c7 will be auctioned in a couple months"...
...well that gives the impression that a car that takes 6 weeks to build, can no longer be ordered and be built, which then logical deduction assumes the c8 production is a few months away after that auction ... so lets just wait for that next car which logic says should be here by ... September probably?!
.... instead, back here in secretive reality, the auction for the last c7 is a placeholder auction, for a car that will be built... much later... probably after september, which is when the public assumes the c8 is going to be here based on the decisions her and Tadge have made in the last 45 days..
but the average Joe does not know that its just a placeholder auction and that c7's are still the car to buy for the next year or so...
Superstar marketing... its so brilliant i cant put it all into words.
Imagine what a quick commercial on TV would do to celebrate the Final edition of the c7, or even just a banner ad on corvette forum?
A foolish thing to have done instead, which is what I thought for the past 6 months they would eventually do.... is to announce "the c7 final front engine edition... a 66 year legacy, being celebrated with a limited edition c7", and let people know that the LAST c7 final edition would be sold at auction for charity, and make it very clear that it wont be until AFTER at least august that the car is produced...
and then, get this... they actually drive to the announcement event... this car they pretend is amazing which they will auction... where they anounce brag they are going to auction it off in the months to come! (it means they drive a new limited color c7 to the event instead of the camo c8) boy that would have been dumb to do huh!... selling c7's this summer is a pointless thing to try to do for sure. So throw that idea out the window.. lets get back to the good ideas...
I think their final step to this trifecta of their perfect marketing scheme, is if they play reverse psychology on america, and say "dont buy the c7, its junk" during a live interview on a major news network
i bet that would make people run out and buy it even more than their last 2 key marketing choices... which are hard to top....
....but if you really stop and think about it, telling america the c7 is junk, and playing reverse psychology on all of us, that is the only thing they could do to make more of a POSITIVE impact on c7 sales than the other 2 key steps that they have already done.
So brilliant. I think they got advice from the CEO of Gopro on how to make their stock succeed.
"earnings reports mean nothing, its all about hype, then 18 year olds who know nothing about the stock market will buy your stock and drive up the price, so forget about all the thousands of c7s and all the people you just laid off... instead, its time for GM to get cool, so we need some young pretty people from cali in and around the car... but first... i want you and Tadge, to drive around NY in the c8 a year before the public can buy one, and tell them there is a big reveal 3 months later, and watch as c7 sales come to a screeching halt... your stock will soar, i promise, its all about hype, forget making the car look cool with young people, its time to make you and Tadge look good, and make sure you tell everyone its the end of the c7, make sure there is no doubt in their mind. The thousands on dealers lots... worst case, just declare another BK, but you and Tadge are gonna look good in NY."
no final edition 66 year run of the corvette front engine, but meanwhile VW has the final edition wolfsburg edition of every jetta ever made at the end of the body style, indicating a new body is coming next (which they dont reveal or drive to parties, they keep it secret so they can sell their final edition jetta, and porsche does the same thing!) Crazy to be able to be so thoughtful of how to sell cars for the next 365 days instead of totally ice sales unless huge rebates are announced!
tell that to MB who just laid a bunch of people off, and then does not think that the extra 5 grand minimum in incentive that is going to be needed to get the c7's to move, could not have been better spent on helping people they just laid off make their house and car payments and put food on the table.
She sure looked good in that c8 though didn't she? Her and Tadge, out there fulfilling their goals and dreams of attracting the younger crowd base with their good looks.... Nothing says "corvettes are no longer for old people", than having the car being driven around by a couple old people that the masses have no clue who they are who look like they should have retired 5 years ago
Then she announced "its the end of the c7 and we are auctioning the last one in a couple months" on the same outing!!...
nothing says, "the C8 is near and the c7 is old news", like what she managed to do that night... a double whammy of intelligence to sell a ton of c7's this summer.
Can you imagine how intelligent it would be to do these things she did if the c8 was not going to be for sale until at least christmas?, and probably later for most buyers? and the plan is to build more c7's into early fall? Super super intelligent.
... and their stock price falling does not affect millions of americans 401k's
moral compass ... lol.
Her and Tadge think wallstreet cares about a car that will be selling next year, instead of the missed earnings reports for the next 3 quarters.
The great news tho, the positive trade-off to their wise decisions which i have failed to mention thus far...
the c8... which was going to be sold out for its first year no matter what they do or don't do...
well, great news, its now... still going to be sold out its first year
Thank goodness her and Tadge played their cards the way they did. So much forward thinking and wisdom
5,000 dollars multiplied by over 5,000 c7's, that money is pointless. Thousands of Laid off people did not need that to eat this thanksgiving
nah, instead lets use another extra 5 grand on top of our existing incentives to make c7's move since we made every choice known to man to completely ice their sales this summer!
well over half the population thinks that a new c7 can't even be ordered because when you announce "the last c7 will be auctioned in a couple months"...
...well that gives the impression that a car that takes 6 weeks to build, can no longer be ordered and be built, which then logical deduction assumes the c8 production is a few months away after that auction ... so lets just wait for that next car which logic says should be here by ... September probably?!
.... instead, back here in secretive reality, the auction for the last c7 is a placeholder auction, for a car that will be built... much later... probably after september, which is when the public assumes the c8 is going to be here based on the decisions her and Tadge have made in the last 45 days..
but the average Joe does not know that its just a placeholder auction and that c7's are still the car to buy for the next year or so...
Superstar marketing... its so brilliant i cant put it all into words.
A foolish thing to have done instead, which is what I thought for the past 6 months they would eventually do.... is to announce "the c7 final front engine edition... a 66 year legacy, being celebrated with a limited edition c7", and let people know that the LAST c7 final edition would be sold at auction for charity, and make it very clear that it wont be until AFTER august at least that the car is produced...
and then, get this... they actually drive... this car they pretend is amazing which they will auction... to the event... where they brag they are going to auction it off! (it means they drive a new limited color c7 to the event instead of the camo c8) boy that would have been dumb to do huh!... selling c7's this summer is a pointless thing to try to do for sure. So throw that idea out the window.. lets get back to the good ideas...
I think their final step to this trifecta of their perfect marketing scheme, is if they play reverse psychology on america, and say "dont buy the c7, its junk" during a live interview on a major news network
i bet that would make people run out and buy it even more than their last 2 key marketing choices... which are hard to top....
....but if you really stop and think about it, telling america the c7 is junk, and playing reverse psychology on all of us, that is the only thing they could do to make more of a POSITIVE impact on c7 sales than the other 2 key steps that they have already done.
So brilliant. I think they got advice from the CEO of Gopro on how to make their stock succeed.
"earnings reports mean nothing, its all about hype, then 18 year olds who know nothing about the stock market will buy your stock and drive up the price, so forget about all the thousands of c7s and all the people you just laid off... instead, its time for GM to get cool, so we need some young pretty people from cali in and around the car... but first... i want you and Tadge, to drive around NY in the c8 a year before the public can buy one, and tell them there is a big reveal 3 months later, and watch as c7 sales come to a screeching halt... your stock will soar, i promise, its all about hype, forget making the car look cool with young people, its time to make you and Tadge look good, and make sure you tell everyone its the end of the c7, make sure there is no doubt in their mind. The thousands on dealers lots... worst case, just declare another BK, but you and Tadge are gonna look good in NY."
no final edition 66 year run of the corvette front engine, but meanwhile VW has the final edition wolfsburg edition of every jetta ever made at the end of the body style, indicating a new body is coming next (which they dont reveal or drive to parties, they keep it secret so they can sell their final edition jetta, and porsche does the same thing!) Crazy to be able to be so thoughtful of how to sell cars for the next 365 days instead of totally ice sales unless huge rebates are announced!
Great read. But imo you could have gotten the point across much quicker... let me try real quick... "typical GM." Hey look it worked.
Mike, I am glad that you are not my salesman because you would just wear me out but, you are correct.
I sound like an old **** but GM’s decision to let Saturn deteriorate and die was almost a sin. That franchise was incredible and could have ultimately challenged Honda and Toyota if anyone had just paid attention.
Mike, you are very accurate and now you have me worrying again if the C8 will be a disappointment like most of what GM does.
We could certainly go down the line on decisions made by GM to kill off models or divisions. How they gave away their market share to the Japanese in very short sighted efforts to boost short term profitability.
tell that to MB who just laid a bunch of people off, and then does not think that the extra 5 grand minimum in incentive that is going to be needed to get the c7's to move, could not have been better spent on helping people they just laid off make their house and car payments and put food on the table.
She sure looked good in that c8 though didn't she? Her and Tadge, out there fulfilling their goals and dreams of attracting the younger crowd base with their good looks.... Nothing says "corvettes are no longer for old people", than having the car being driven around by a couple old people that the masses have no clue who they are who look like they should have retired 5 years ago
Then she announced "its the end of the c7 and we are auctioning the last one in a couple months" on the same outing!!...
nothing says, "the C8 is near and the c7 is old news", like what she managed to do that night... a double whammy of intelligence to sell a ton of c7's this summer.
Can you imagine how intelligent it would be to do these things she did if the c8 was not going to be for sale until at least christmas?, and probably later for most buyers? and the plan is to build more c7's into early fall? Super super intelligent.
... and their stock price falling does not affect millions of americans 401k's
moral compass ... lol.
Her and Tadge think wallstreet cares about a car that will be selling next year, instead of the missed earnings reports for the next 3 quarters.
The great news tho, the positive trade-off to their wise decisions which i have failed to mention thus far...
the c8... which was going to be sold out for its first year no matter what they do or don't do...
well, great news, its now... still going to be sold out its first year
Thank goodness her and Tadge played their cards the way they did. So much forward thinking and wisdom
5,000 dollars multiplied by over 5,000 c7's, that money is pointless. Thousands of Laid off people did not need that to eat this thanksgiving
nah, instead lets use another extra 5 grand on top of our existing incentives to make c7's move since we made every choice known to man to completely ice their sales this summer!
well over half the population thinks that a new c7 can't even be ordered because when you announce "the last c7 will be auctioned in a couple months"...
...well that gives the impression that a car that takes 6 weeks to build, can no longer be ordered and be built, which then logical deduction assumes the c8 production is a few months away after that auction ... so lets just wait for that next car which logic says should be here by ... September probably?!
.... instead, back here in secretive reality, the auction for the last c7 is a placeholder auction, for a car that will be built... much later... probably after september, which is when the public assumes the c8 is going to be here based on the decisions her and Tadge have made in the last 45 days..
but the average Joe does not know that its just a placeholder auction and that c7's are still the car to buy for the next year or so...
Superstar marketing... its so brilliant i cant put it all into words.
A foolish thing to have done instead, which is what I thought for the past 6 months they would eventually do.... is to announce "the c7 final front engine edition... a 66 year legacy, being celebrated with a limited edition c7", and let people know that the LAST c7 final edition would be sold at auction for charity, and make it very clear that it wont be until AFTER august at least that the car is produced...
and then, get this... they actually drive... this car they pretend is amazing which they will auction... to the event... where they brag they are going to auction it off! (it means they drive a new limited color c7 to the event instead of the camo c8) boy that would have been dumb to do huh!... selling c7's this summer is a pointless thing to try to do for sure. So throw that idea out the window.. lets get back to the good ideas...
I think their final step to this trifecta of their perfect marketing scheme, is if they play reverse psychology on america, and say "dont buy the c7, its junk" during a live interview on a major news network
i bet that would make people run out and buy it even more than their last 2 key marketing choices... which are hard to top....
....but if you really stop and think about it, telling america the c7 is junk, and playing reverse psychology on all of us, that is the only thing they could do to make more of a POSITIVE impact on c7 sales than the other 2 key steps that they have already done.
So brilliant. I think they got advice from the CEO of Gopro on how to make their stock succeed.
"earnings reports mean nothing, its all about hype, then 18 year olds who know nothing about the stock market will buy your stock and drive up the price, so forget about all the thousands of c7s and all the people you just laid off... instead, its time for GM to get cool, so we need some young pretty people from cali in and around the car... but first... i want you and Tadge, to drive around NY in the c8 a year before the public can buy one, and tell them there is a big reveal 3 months later, and watch as c7 sales come to a screeching halt... your stock will soar, i promise, its all about hype, forget making the car look cool with young people, its time to make you and Tadge look good, and make sure you tell everyone its the end of the c7, make sure there is no doubt in their mind. The thousands on dealers lots... worst case, just declare another BK, but you and Tadge are gonna look good in NY."
no final edition 66 year run of the corvette front engine, but meanwhile VW has the final edition wolfsburg edition of every jetta ever made at the end of the body style, indicating a new body is coming next (which they dont reveal or drive to parties, they keep it secret so they can sell their final edition jetta, and porsche does the same thing!) Crazy to be able to be so thoughtful of how to sell cars for the next 365 days instead of totally ice sales unless huge rebates are announced!
OR C7 production is ending this July and C8 production won't begin until December, with many dealers not getting C8s in before Christmas. In that case, they'll need thousands of C7s to sell between August and January. The national inventory is already at the right size for that span, so all they have to do is keep it that way until August. The inventory has shrunk by multiple months worth of cars since the year began, so it's no like they aren't making sales progress.
Meanwhile, GM is looking to invest an additional $1 billion dollars into an undecided American production plant this year, and is adding hundreds of jobs to their autonomy startup Cruise. All the media likes to cover about GM is layoffs, and they don't seem to notice when GM adds jobs back in other places.
The same old stuff comes up at every generation change. The sky is falling, the sky is falling. Anything can happen. My guess is that GM and the Vette will survive. The C8 will sell. C7's on lots around the country will eventually sell as the last generation always does. Then we can repeat the same old stuff when the C9 is announced.
Agree, there is a lull right now in anticipation of seeing the C8 for the first time. That would have happened no matter when the reveal date was announced. After the reveal, C7 sales will likely pick up a bit. Not every one is going to love the new car, and a lot of manual people won't be happy.
So, GM "iced" the C7. Perfect strategy. This way, GM can retrofit Bowling Green for C8 production 2 months early. Since the C8 will likely have HUGE DEMAND, this makes sense.
Having a 14 month first year of production is very smart, in the long run.
Harley did this with their "100th anniversary edition" bikes. They sold a crap ton of what buyers thought to be "limited production run" bikes. Those buyers got bilked as HD flooded their own market...
Hey, the ZR1 is plenty good enough for me....I'd take one in a heartbeat!
And hey, why don't we all just wait to see what the C8 actually is (instead of all the constant speculation) !!!! We a little more than 2 months to wait....
I don't think that is the case at all. Sales were slowing before the bulk of the population knew anything about a ME, the majority of Corvette buyers aren't sitting around auto blogs and forums eagerly following progress. I'd buy that sales have slowed since the reveal, but I don't think the downturn for the months beforehand can be completely attributed to waiting for the new one.
OR C7 production is ending this July and C8 production won't begin until December, with many dealers not getting C8s in before Christmas. In that case, they'll need thousands of C7s to sell between August and January. The national inventory is already at the right size for that span, so all they have to do is keep it that way until August. The inventory has shrunk by multiple months worth of cars since the year began, so it's no like they aren't making sales progress.
Meanwhile, GM is looking to invest an additional $1 billion dollars into an undecided American production plant this year, and is adding hundreds of jobs to their autonomy startup Cruise. All the media likes to cover about GM is layoffs, and they don't seem to notice when GM adds jobs back in other places.
I see now...
so the goal is not to sell the c7's, because we are worried we are going to run out. And its not going to take 5 grand extra per car to make them all move, possibly even 10 grand extra.
And a 66 year run of front engines is nothing to celebrate, but a 5 year run of any VW model deserves the "wolfsburg edition" (look up what that car has, they load it with options and charge the same that they charged for less options in the years past, and they put a little badge on the side that people are proud of and a different set of wheels, and call it a day)
on a non related note, have you ever been around someone who never admits they have a flaw, and instead, they go to total dream world to pretend their every move was a stroke of genius? Just curious.
And for those of you saying this lull would have happened no matter what...
nah, i explained over a month ago what GM coulda/shoulda done.
Its pretty simple, every 19c7 from feb or march or april forward, should have had the final edition badge, "FE", front engine, final edition, and each of those cars simply needed a 10hp bump (easy to do in tuning) and a new set of wheels and a new color people could order if they so chose...
And when asked about the c8, Tadge and MB should have said "its a year out"
and any questions anyone asks "its a year out" is the answer, and just leave it at that... because guess what... that's the truth isn't it?!
And if you are going to run a placeholder auction, make damn sure you tell the public it is the placeholder auction, and ballpark that this auction car could be built as late as October or even Christmas....
And then, when the c8 is finally ready to be revealed, and you know for certain you will be rolling them off the factory line in less than 6 months... THEN YOU REVEAL THE C8, and you give less than a month heads up that its going to occur.
Those who can make it, great, those who cant, no problem, there's 200 other people happy to beg to fill your seat.
Reveal could still happen in july... or, if the c8 is not ready until next spring... keep the c8 reveal for a big auto show in the fall.
Either way, focus in on the c7, its all about the c7. they could have had a grand sport or a z06, with a zr1 fender option, and extra cooling. They could have had an ACR-E like car for the track. They could have done a plethora of things...
but someone, or someone's at the top, are just so ...... i cant even put into words how blind and clueless i think they are.
05-07-2019, 03:01 AM
The best Corvette ever made isn't good enough...
Her and Tadge, out there fulfilling their goals and dreams of attracting the younger crowd base with their good looks.... Nothing says "corvettes are no longer for old people", than having the car being driven around by a couple old people that the masses have no clue who they are who look like they should have retired 5 years ago 
... so lets just wait for that next car which logic says should be here by ... September probably?!
