If the C8 is a rear only engine car, it will have to start in the 55-60K price rage. There is a good possibility of a rear engine and a front engine car in corvette's future.

 

GM did market a car(actually three of them) for the Boomers. The Solstice and the Sky and the Aztek. Combined sales of the Solstice and the Sky were actually pretty good but at the very low price at which GM had to sell them for, GM wasn't making any money off them.

Even when Pontiac and Saturn bit the dust, GM recognized that it wasn't worth keeping the two spots cars in production(relabeled), because there was no profit in them.

The Aztek was marketed towards the Boomers and it's sister, the Buick Rendezvous, was marketed towards the older group of buyers. The Aztek was ugly and priced to high for it's targeted market. The Rendezvous was priced the same but it's targeted market could afford them and the styling was much subdued, more fitting the tastes of the older buyers.

We all know what a sales failure the Aztek was, and the Buick version lived on selling to the older crowd.

 

The Aztek wasn't a Marketing failure as much as it was a design and management failure. From the reports I've seen, most on the Aztek team thought it was going to fail, but due to a heavy handed "my way or the highway" management approach, everyone was afraid to say anything about it.

Anyways, my point was not that GM needs to market the Vette to Boomers, but rather that it is free to design and market the Vette to any market segment it chooses. Luckily GM isn't the Government and can't demand anyone to just "shut up and buy our cars!"

 

To be honest the last thing on my list is to warm someone's heart over a car. I got something for sale you're free to buy it or move on. You are in Vegas when the boomers die assuming you are not one of them there will be another fire sale on Condos.

I don't see the "kids" driving $50K Corvettes but do see them driving $50K + foreign modded cars. Nor do I see them driving Harleys but crotch rockets.

 

I think because the C7 received a name "Stingray" there will be two models. Corvette Stingray and Corvette Zora.(or whatever) I would not be surprised to see a Cadillac sibling as well. C7's are way too young to quit making them yet.

 

Harvey,
You are right about the age of Corvette owners. However, I am confused by your use of the term rally. Rallys to me mean some sort of performance event. It is rare to see a Corvette Rally (performance event) or to see an older Corvette driver even there. Most Corvette performance events have to invite owners of other marques to participate since there aren't enough Corvette owners interested in participating. They are too afraid of getting their engine compartment dirty, getting dirt on their wheels and stones in their tire treads.

Heaven forbid if anybody asks them to rev the engine up while in any gear as the car might actually go fast.

How many Corvette clubs have any sort of a performance event? Not many and they are few and far between. Most of them are meet and eat clubs that think they are busy when they run a couple of car shows each year and participate in cruises around the country side.

At 75 I find myself one of the oldest of the performance oriented Corvette owners, although I do know a few that are up to 5 years older. I still like running 150 mph accelerating up a long straight and feeling the cornering prowess of the car.

I still believe in Show and Go where you are precluded from showing your car anywhere unless you can whip out some sort of documentation that shows you actually drove it hard on a road course, autocross course or a drag strip. That is the heritage I picked up from my predecessors.

Bill

 

When we were kids growing up back in early seventies, my friends father always kept the hood open. I asked him why? He said to let the heat out and cool off the engine. I Thought about it but never did it. Oh well!

 

mid engine, not rear

 

I thought I had more time (face in hands sobbing.)

 

Let's hope he is as wrong about the five years as he is about everything else in his post as half of the five years is over now.

 

Well you can throw out the theory. GM has already announced the Corvette C8 to be ME and released the C8 crossed flag emblem.

 

The "related thread" crap on the CF app strikes again with a poster posting in the wrong thread and digging up a 2 year old different thread.

 

I think the Corvette should stay Chevy only. Marketing a Corvette under the Cadillac name will only make the Corvette demographic appear even older to buyers of the Corvette. Second, Cadillac needs to get their house in order, and they don't need the distraction of a sports car. They've already tried and failed at selling a two seater car twice.

 

Zzzzzzzzzzz Zzzzzzzzzzz Zzzzzzzzzzz

 

How did this 2017 thread get revived?

 

Why do you care. you buy all new versions of the corvette cause you have more money than god...LOL

 

GM lost about $10k per car on the Solstice and Sky twins. One of the key reasons was the decision to build them with hydroformed body panels that could not be produced in large quantities. Uncle Bob bragged the Solstice would have a $19,999 MSRP, GM raised the price by $2-3k the next year. He built what he wanted, while Pontiac owners wanted another Fiero. Typical GM (Generally Mediocre) at work. They also foolishly built both as convertibles only until the 2009 Solstice coupe arrived. One car should have been a coupe only, the other could have offered both versions. The Sky had an aggressive look and it should have been in a Pontiac showroom, not the jelly bean looking Solstice.

GM made money every year the plastic bodied Fiero was sold and sales averaged 74k units per year. I personally would not count out a Fiero return and it being the 2nd car built at BG. There are rumblings about Toyota bringing back the MR2 again. GM did look at moving Fiero production to Bowling Green back in 1988 before canceling the car and sending the Fiero tooling to Spring Hill to build boring Saturns. Had that happened, there could have been a production ME Vette 30 years ago.

Mary Barra's first job at GM was in the Fiero plant, she even owned a Fiero for a while. So far, she has turned her back on Pontiac and almost every other GM car except the Corvette.

 

CORVETTE has had a very large loyal base over the decades, because of some basics:
performance, design, price, and functionality(level of practicality).
some owners are concerned about it becoming less so on the last element- perhaps not enough space for a set of golf clubs or luggage.
these concerns seem to have been marginalized or even to the point of being ridiculed.
some have no issues and are completely willing to compromise for performance,design, price irregardless.

imo the result may fracture the base, while at the same time with a-wing-and-a -prayer hoping to attract/appeal to a more youthful set.

I hope some within the GM/Corvette organization recall when the original CORVETTE(1953) appeared on the scene. lack of functionality(basic)practicality almost killed it when the 1955-57 Thunderbirds appeared and filled the void with a corvette killing sales ratio of 16-1. -GM hasn't made that mistake since..
imo a little more interior room and very acceptable storage is not to much to ask for. actually long time corvette owners shouldn't even have to ask, since historically it has been a given.
GM learned their lesson some 60 years ago: performance, design, price alone isn't always enough.
i suspect some will be just content to cruise south beach, palm springs,palm beach, or rodeo drive
in their C8, and then go home get the c6 or c7 and take an extended weekend golf excursion.

hope the C8 does remain tried and true its roots.

 

Multiple packages of ME will exist! $65k Base to $190k for the 1000hp Zora!
Fun times just hope look is a big winner!!!

 

There is definitely a void in the cheap mid-engine market. We still don't know how GM will utilize the large expansion at Bowling Green and the additional workers. Perhaps, July 18 will reveal that as well.