Last Saturday I attended our Corvettes of Naples Charity Show and while talking to several fellow C8 owners we all came to several conclusions. One is we all think that there's too many models of the C8! Count them: Stingray, ZO6 , E Ray , ZR1 and the ZR1X and now there's talk of a C8 Grand Sport. They should have called the E Ray the Grand Sport and they would have sold more of them. Second is GM pricing the Corvette Line out of the grasp for the average American can hope to own one some day? I can tell you that if I ordered a 2025 Stingray with the exact same options as my 2021 Stingray it would cost $ 12,480.00 more! This in 4 years! I can understand the ZR1 and the ZR1X up to $ 200 K because they compete with cars that cost at least $ 150 K more than them but if this goes on it'll end up like Ford's GT and no one will be able to buy one. Just saying!

 

That’s true.

But also true, and even sadder, is that by the time someone pays the ADM and all the associated fees it has become too pricey for most to take a chance on driving. They really should have named it the “BJ Special”. No, not that. Barrett-Jackson.

 

It seems that the path towards ownership for the average American is to buy a used one. That is pretty much how it has always been.

 

The Zr1 and X are priced so high... might as well buy a Exotic...

I want one, but I cant drop 300k. will they ever come down to the normal ish range, like a C6 Zr1? at one point 60-65k bought you one.

 

That's what happens when the cost of everything goes up by ~25% in just 4 years. It isn't GM's fault.

 

The auto business doesn't want models running 8-10 years anymore. The interior update was supposed to happen for '25 but was delayed a year. I think we see a Grand Sport for '27, possibly a '28 model then C9 time. The first C8 test mule pics leaked in January '15 so we're coming up on 11 years!

C5 1997 - 2004 (8 years) - C5 was supposed to be released in 1993 to celebrate the 40th but was delayed (All Corvettes Are Red) so this idea that the 75th has to be a C8 doesn't have standing.
C6 2005 - 2013 (9 years) - C6 was supposed to come out as a '12 per Harlan's comments post-retirement and it would have been ME if not for the BK
C7 2014 - 2019 (6 years) - C7 was a stop-gap generation on a 1/3rd of the budget of a new gen. I remember a post on here in C6 days that had it 100% right, that C7 was kind of a hold-over for the C8 as they couldn't bring ME to the table for C7.
C8 2020 - Present (7th MY so far) - We know we're going to get a '27 MY announced late next spring so that makes 8 years... it's time for a C9.

 

I just don't see the massive amount of R&D going into the C8 as yielding to a limited timeframe.

 

C9 is going to be a revised C8 so that R&D continues to be leveraged. Just like C5 - C6 - C7 are all the same car when you take the body panels off. Those 3 gens are just continuous improvement of the original 1997 C5. Anyone who says otherwise, doesn't understand cars / mfg.

 

Another consideration is the major shifts that have occurred within the ranks of the Corvette team. Hopefully the new team has what it takes. My guess is also around 29-30 model year.

 

This is also true, management shift and new people. could be good or bad, or slower.

 

2029 is my guess. My gmpp goes until 2029 so I'll take a new 2030 please.

 

1- Inflation from 2020 to 2025 has been OVER 20% (2021 pricing comes out in 2020). A base 2021 Corvette say it cost $62,000 the factored inflation would be exactly $12,400 more.
2- The Corvette was NEVER intended for the average American.
3- Interestingly enough Ford sold every GT they made on a waiting list with high ADM (we sold ours at the Ford dealer I worked for at 150k ADM) and they are worth more used now.

 

And when the C9 does come, will it only be a Stingray? Like the first year C5, C6, C7 and C8.

Will we have to wait a year or so for the Z06 and other variants?

Will they even do a C9 E-Ray, since the sales have been lackluster?

 

GM is facing a growing challenge with the Corvette lineup. The brand now spans multiple C8 models—Stingray (SR), Z06, ZR1, ZR1X, and possibly a Grand Sport—ranging from a seven-year-old base model to newly released and rumored variants, plus an all-new interior released for 2026. This created an identity problem: Corvette is trying to be both an attainable American sports car and a high-end supercar, while offering everything in between.

Having “models within models” dilutes clarity. GM needs to break Corvette out as its own brand, similar to Cadillac. This would allow Corvette to support a broader portfolio without confusing its core identity, positioning it as a dedicated performance marque rather than a single nameplate stretched across too many segments. Moving into a C9 release without addressing this risks further brand erosion.

Just my 2 cents..

 

Porsche makes 20 different models/variants of the 911. IMO, we don't have too many models/variants of the C8.

 

And it is its own brand.....

 

The 911 isn't its own brand. Porsche makes more models than just the 911, including multiple different SUVs.

 

That is what I mean....Porsche...not 911.

And honestly I would be willing to bet you that most folks on this forum couldn't tell you all the various 911 models and the differences between each....

 

That's probably true. Outside of the obvious GT series models, some of them are pretty tough to tell apart even if know something about them.

But at the end of the day Porsche is to 911 what Chevrolet is to Corvette. Manufacturer -> model.

Porsche makes sports cars, sedans and SUVs. Chevrolet makes a sports car, trucks and SUVs.

I wouldn't mind seeing Corvette be made its own brand. Have heard that talked about for years. Have also heard from dealership owners as why it likely wouldn't work/won't happen. But who knows, perhaps some day it will.

 

I agree, I doubt it would happen…it could be me but I just feel like they “missed a step” (from a marketing standpoint) along the way and need to regroup…who knows..