C7 inventories affecting C8?
 

Are large C7 inventories going slow up the C8 release?

No, there is no relationship between current supply and a decision on when to begin production of the ME. GM will begin producing it when they feel they are ready. If there are a lot of left-over C7s when C8s start showing up at dealers, GM will help dealers with incentives to clear them out.

C7 production has been slowed to essentially meet current demand. Current inventory at the large forum dealers is also substantially down. There is isn't anything close to the over-supply we saw in the fall of 2017, which is when the big discounts were being offered.

Production doesn't work like that. You can't just tell a chain of supplier that someone spent 18 months setting up for a new launch "just kidding guys, give us another three months". Plants sitting idle don't make GM money, the second the last C7 order is produced and new tooling goes in, they're going to be working at capacity to produce.

Also, as many people that insist ME is going to be the death knell to the Corvette, it seems that dealers would want to hold onto existing FE inventory and sell at a premium to those folks :)

Aren't they building both? ;):hide:

PC

I doubt it, but there is a load of C7s at my dealer including at least one ZR-1.

Has anyone bought the base model C7 and had second thoughts?

Does anyone know what the actual c7 supply numbers are, is there a way to check?

I've heard varying estimates of 2-6 months.

I have a '19 1LT Base Convertible with a 7 speed manual and dual mode exhaust and could not be happier.....unless the C8 really knocks my socks off and comes in at reasonable price! I would have no qualms about buying a base C8 with a few options.

C7s will fall to high 30s to sell if the ME is the best ever. 2019 C7 will be bargain rate.... when that happens expect 2014 30-40k miles to be 25-27K

Was the duel mode exhaust an option or standard? thanks

And THAT is the problem with Corvette. GM makes too many of them. This is why they aren't special nor exclusive. It's also why used Corvettes can be had for a song.
Now, if GM cut production to keep demand high on the C8, they'd make the Corvette a "premiere vehicle" that it deserves to be.
Yes, it's a bitchen car, but GM just makes too damn many of them.

I completely disagree. There are already plenty of limited production cars out there that can be had. Why take one that isn't, which makes it a lot more accessible to the masses, and turn it into something that is not accessible to the masses? If you want a low-volume exclusive car, go get one... that has never been the model for Corvette, and it will be a sad sad day if that is what it comes to... :shrug:

Making a lot of them is the key to it's success. The car is not suppose to be "exclusive", in fact, just the opposite, it was planned to be "inclusive". For many, Corvette is not a car, it's a way of life. Weekend cruises with fellow enthusiasts, shows, gatherings, clubs, get togethers of all sorts at all times. Road trips, vacations, all of it.

The other half of it that really drives profit for GM comes from those used Corvettes that can be had for a song. Parts and service create huge revenue numbers for both GM and dealerships. The more 'older' Corvettes on the road, the better for them, and for you. Not to mention the licensing money they get from aftermarket manufacturers of all those shiny under hood thingies boasting the crossed flags on them. Economy of scale keeps your car relatively cheap to maintain and repair. The Corvette is the high performance sports car that you can actually drive and enjoy. When GM gets too full of themselves and start trying to make the Corvette "exclusive", that will be the end of the Corvette.

As far any delay, there is no delay, because there is no car in the official sense. There was never an announced target date. The C8, in whatever form it may be, is still, simply, in development. That said, when the car is ready, they will not hesitate to reveal it to the World, regardless of how many C7's are still on the ground in inventory. GM will want to start collecting return on investment ASAP. C7's on the ground are already paid for. From a dealer's perspective, they would much rather see the profit from selling a lot of C8's at sticker or more for two years. That will more than cover moving the remaining C7's below invoice to clear them out.

Stop making sense, It4. You're sticking out like a sore thumb. ;)

The only way GM sells an "exclusive" Corvette is to actually copy Ford and make a GT-style production run, with hand picked buyers and a price tag in excess of other supercars (and well outside the average buyers price range). Even then, I bet the bulk of the buyers are American OEM fans. GM has shown no indication that they have any desire to take the best selling two seat sports car in America and make it exclusive, beyond a few special editions. There is a prestige to buying a Ferrari, a Lambo, a McLaren. There simply isn't in buying a Chevy or Ford. There is exactly zero wrong with that.

The Corvette is what it is because it has always been a very good sports car. that often punches well above its weight, priced at a point where most average folks can afford to drive one off the lot brand new. It makes literally no sense, business, pride, or otherwise, to take a sixty-five year old winning formula and toss it out the window to chase two thousand sales at $400k to make some statement few will listen to or care about.

It was an $1195 option (NPP)

There is nothing exclusive about a corvette, I dont think you understand what that term means.

No, if anything, just the opposite. Slow sales of the C7 will put pressure on BG to get moving on the ME. GM is in the new car business. If releasing a new model improves sales, that's what they'll do. If the C7 was selling well, that might delay the ME car.

I think GM will produce both the C7 and C8 for a while to see what happens. Some people won't like the C8, because it's too radical a departure from prior Corvettes, or because it has less storage space, or because the first-year C8 will be slower than the C7 ZR1, or for various other reasons. I don't see why GM would want to lose Corvette sales to those people.

I've never really had a problem with the corvette being a bargain performance car. That's where it shines best. Make it limited production, same performance, higher cost.

For leftover 2019/2020's - Probably less impacted if the C8 base price is $75k or higher.

...and used 2014 - 2016 C7 is totally different target market than a new C8 of any price.

It amuses me so many people think that car companies make decisions just to see what happens, or to keep a conginency in place. OEMs simply don't do that, if both are produced it will be because of a very particular market reason (ie mid-Engine is a Caddy and FE is Corvette). They have lots of money into their marketing departments,, they know how people are going to react.

The only recent example of an old and new generation of a particular model being built simultaneously I can think of was the JK and JL Wranglers, and that was for the opposite reason: they sold so well the plants were running at full capacity trying to catch up on old JK orders while also sending out new JL. Even then, it was less than a year of overlap, the two models weren't anywhere near as dissimilar as a ME and FE Corvette, and both were selling at capacity. It wasn't just to see how things went. If the ME is a C8, the FE is dead, at least for that generation.

That is my sentiments. The C8 appears to be ready for launch. Mules appear to be doing well in the wild. Not sure I understand the major electrical issue, a launch could happen in parallel while issues are ironed out. I don't think GM anticipated so many C7's unspoken for, coupled at a time when GM is closing plants and cutting costs.

From GM's point of view, every Corvette on a dealer's lot is bought and paid for. GM's customers are the dealers, not the buyers from the dealers. GM only builds what the dealers order. If there is any speculation, it's from the dealers. Like any manufacturer, GM can offer deals to the dealers to encourage sales to those dealers. So do mattress makers and computer manufacturers. As for the used car market, GM couldn't care less. They already made their profit from those cars.

Aside from when they do. ;)
The ME Corvette would be the most radical departure from any prior Corvette yet. Wouldn't it be a little stupid for GM to not want to cover their azz, until they have a little time to evaluate how good or bad acceptance of the radical new platform (for a Corvette) is?

How many Corvettes are made every day? I think its easy to get a good idea on sales just looking at that number. Whatever that number is I think what GM really looks at is how many of those cars are presold and how many are for dealer speculation.. When the ratio becomes distorted/unbalanced to a preset number the factory adjusts or stops production.

Which controller of the money is going to green light a program in which you need to keep a backup old car in production, one with already dipping sales that are only going to drop considerably, just in case? I mean, the Mustang didn't continue making solid rear axles just in case the faithful wanted them, and that could have easily been a line item option. If there is that much fear it is going to be a flop it is just going to be canned altogether. UNLESS this is some sort of a limited production special edition, or a Caddy, there is zero economic or marketing sense to producing both.

Not that I believe this is the case, but if there are truly that many people who would prefer the FE to the ME, why would you even give them the chance to torpedo the ME by continuing to offer the FE?

Someone who believes that the addition of a "halo car" will help the image and improve sales for the entire company?

Which is a corner case I could see, but it is the one way I see them both being produced. I personally think it wouldn't be branded as a Corvette at that point though, unless it is a very limited production, one or two MY production run car.

It was an option on base models in 2014. I think it is part of the Z51 package.

Then they come up with 4 more models. I thought they were loaded with cars they aren't, can't sell.

Look on Edmund's

Right didn't dealers order those cars?

Has anyone bought the base model C7 and had second thoughts?[/QUOTE]

Not even remotely. My C7 Z06 A8 has been great. Fantastic bargain for the money.

This is exactly what I'm wanting right now. A dealer in GA has a few for $11K off sticker at like $51K. The new 2019s come with the 19/20" wheels standard and I don't need Z51 content in a street cruiser. Base 1LT vert with MN7 and red painted calipers only. Add Corsa X-pipe and Extreme catback and done.

Porsche sells more sports cars than does GM. Porsche seems to have a handle on selling sports cars with different platforms, at the same time, in the same marketplace.

When Porsche introduced the Boxster/Cayman mid engine sports car, did they drop the rear engine 911 sports car? NO, and the "old" 911 sells more annually than the "new" Boxster/Cayman.

C7s are NOT affecting or "delaying" the C8 in any way. If GM was worried about the C7 inventories and are foolishly holding off the launch of the C8, they would just throw in incentives and help the dealers get them out at 25% off for the entire inventory. I didn't see anything like that during the holidays or now.

But does Porsche sell a ME and a RE 911, or are they their own separate vehicle lines?

I'm not arguing that GM can't do it, rather that they both won't be a Corvette if they do it.

Toyota makes several different types of Priuses, no reason for Chevy not to make several different types of Corvettes -- if there is a positive NPV case for it. I would be surprised if Chevy has not done the analysis work to look at a 2 or even 3 "Corvette" solution. And I suspect that it is a study they dust off and re-examine every generation. What the numbers told them, and how they plan to fill up BG, well, I, like probably 99% of posters, have no idea. And, those that do know are definitely not saying!

Let me get this straight, some here honestly believe that GM will build and market the C7 and C8 at the same time?

I guess another way to look at it: the C3 and C4 were about as radically different as the C7 and C8 will be, and not only were they not cross marketed in case people didn't like the space age design, there was a MY gap between them.

Some people understand that the BG plant capacity has to be filled with something -- and, unless they are really cheap right out of the box, it won't be just the C8 that will do it (first year "must haves" might keep the plant humming for a year or so, I suppose).

I've listened to both sides of the argument. Neither side has convinced me they know enough to be definitive. Nor would the plant-filler have to be a C7.5, although I think a business case could be made for it (which case, of course, might be pretty weak in today's environment.)

I have lived long enough to have learned that in conjecture discussions (like everything in the C8 section) comments are best couched in a lot of "maybes," possiblys," and "I thinks."

I completely disagree with this statement. The C4 was a radical (and needed) upgrade. It was, however, the same concept as the C3. Front-engine GT with ample space for two folks to take long trips, and performance that could go from road to track and back. Long nose, fastback, big bubble window, V8, transverse leaf IRS, etc, etc.

The C7 and the C8 will be more different than Porsche's mid and rear engine sports car variants. Keep that in mind as you evaluate the arguments pro and con re the "2 Vette theory."

Some of us need to understand that the Corvette as we know it today will very soon no longer be produced. What is coming will be an entirely new performance targeted primarily to a different generation and buyer. The Corvette will not survive on sales to baby boomers alone and GM is well aware of this. Many of GMs loyal Corvette customers have already purchased their last. The 30-45 year olds who will be the next generations target audience are not looking for a "freshened up" C7 with 25 more HP. A mid engine, high revving, corner carver is perfect at this time.

You could have also made that same exact argument in 1967, 1983, 1996, 2004 and 2013. But the C3, in 1968 survived while being a FE, and the C4 in 1984 survived while being a FE and the C5 in 1997 really survived while being a FE and the C6 in 2005 survived while being a FE, and the C7 in 2014 survived while being a FE, so what makes you think that a C8 in 2020 can't survive while being a FE.

Do you think people at GM never considered the Corvette being a mid engine design in the past(Hint: the mid engine design was seriously considered for the new 1963 Corvette per a SAE article written by Duntov in 1962). Every time the Corvette was being redesigned for a new generation, there were plenty of influential people within GM that wanted a mid engine Corvette, but cost was the deciding factor as to why the mid engine Corvette never became a reality.

It was a radical styling difference, I can say that would just as much turn off buyers as the rearrangement of the engine location. Even still, it seems to be the one generation most Corvette owners would have rather never had happen. IT was a design to take on the Euro sport cars of the day, departing from what a Corvette traditionally looked like. Sound familiar?

In any case, Corvette Forums might make up, what, 1% of Corvette owners? Even here, it is a relatively small minority saying they refuse to buy ME. Keep that in mind when viewing how the public as a whole is going to accept it. UNLESS it is some sort of limited, one off special edition, or a Caddy, it would simply be silly for GM to produce both at the same time. If you are resorting to such measures, you are already admitting failure.

The C4's problem was that despite the futuristic styling it was the same old creaky tub of bolts as before. All show and no go. The C8 will a technological masterpiece.

I'm definitely not the world's biggest fan of the C4 (even lesser a fan of most of the C3 years) (the 70's and early 80's were dark times for all performance cars in general), but with that said... just because there are lower-cost options to increase access to a product, does not make the product itself bad, necessarily. That same C4 platform set records for its day...and was a necessary part of the path leading to where we are today...
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...7a72b1120b.jpg

C4s were awesome for their time relative to the competition; period. Those cars pictured above are in the NCM, or at least the red one is.

He is saying that in the NY City area there are more Porsches seen on the road Vs Corvettes which makes them exclusive since there aren't as many in that area. However, in the US the Corvette is far more prevalent than 911 Porsches. There are some areas of the country (even in the coastal areas) where people may see a Porsche once or maybe twice per year as the nearest Porsche dealership is a 3 or 4 hour drive away.

Bill

They definitely were awesome. The C4 won every SCCA Showroom Stock race for 3 years running (85, 86, 87) until the other major brands said they wouldn't participate anymore if the Corvette was in the race ( https://www.hagerty.com/articles-vid...being-too-good ). So the Corvette Challenge was introduced (88/89) and Corvettes ran against themselves for a couple of years. That says a lot when your car is so dominant that it is banned from Competition.

Those Corvettes had 230 HP engines and weighed 3200 lbs. One of the main competitors was the 944 Turbo that had 217 HP pulling 2601 pounds around the track. So much for Porsche excellence.

Bill

I still think they are awesome. My point was more it was a radical departure from the norm back then, and they went balls to the walls with it. There wasn't any leaving C3s in production just in case people didn't like the new ones, they made the changes and that was that. They didn't even bother to keep C3s in production til the car was ready.

I personally think you will see the same course of action. Yes, there are some here who refuse to buy a ME, but I think when it is announced and orders are opened up you'll see the FE die a quick death. Those that want the FE already have the opportunity to buy one, if they haven't I see no logic in assuming more than a handful will in the future.

I agree with all of that. I just turned 64 and am really noticing that people this age and older including myself tend to be resistant to changes of many types. GM knows powers of ten more than we do about what is best for the C8 going forward and have determined that now is the time for a radical new direction for this American icon. Technology along with the preferences of our younger generations are changing at a rate that has never been seen before. There are technical advancements yet to be put into consumer goods that will soon be incorporated into everything we purchase including the next generation of Corvette. Be absolutely certain that there will be hybrid and likely an all electric C8 at some point, you could literally bet your life on this. GM is moving in response to what a generation of sports/performance buyers are interested in and that is not a chrome wheeled performance car that old men slobber over. You might as well just accept what is coming soon, or live in the past. The world will change with or without you.

This is a seriously erroneous claim. The C3 was indeed creaky, as underneath it was a 1963 Sting Ray. Only heavier and with less power!

The C4 was an award winning total redesign. No reusing of a single one of those bolts GM had in the tub,

As far as "go" is concerened, it was competitive with its more expensive contemporaries, and better if you count turns (as most sports car drivers do). Continuous improvemt got them as high as 400 HP before the model died, and base models were putting out 330 HP (conservatively by all accounts) in 1996.

The C8 will be no more of a technological masterpiece (by 2020 standards) than the C4 was (by 1984 standards.) Maybe better to say they're both ENGINEERING masterpieces. I doubt we'll see much in the way of truly new tech in the C8. Now we can all hope that the quality of the 2020 Vette is better than that of the 1984 when it was introduced...

I could not agree with you more. Let the C4 R.I.P. Those things are a bad memory now.

I agree, baby boomer Route 66 folks who fell in love with the C1 when they were 12 are dropping like flies.

I just gave everyone the reason why Corvette doesn't maintain it's value. A car as special as the Corvette is diluted by too many being made.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The current inventory has nothing to do with any delay for the C8, any more than the glut of C6's delayed the C7.

So true, I was born in '54 and remember watching route 66 as well as the theme song. The innocence of that era is almost incomprehensible when compared to todays world. Everything was soooo simple. My high school friends are dropping like flies.

I was born in '42 and in '53 I entered the soap box derby that was sponsored by Chevrolet. When I went to Bale Chevrolet in Little Rock, Arkansas to pick up my wheels and axles(supplied free by Chevrolet), there was a new 1953 Corvette on the showroom floor. That was my first exposure to the Corvette.

As you said, much simpler times. I wish the kids today could enjoy the times that I had as a kid. Of course, getting by all the solders of the 101st airborne so I could go to high school, wasn't so simple. Nor was it when I was a young airman in a Titan II missile complex in '63 when JFK was killed and we were ready to launch all hell on the USSR. It was no drill when we prepared to actually launch our missile.

I grew up fast in those years. I remember well all the buildings downtown that were marked as nuclear fallout shelters and how our elementary school teachers told us what to do if nuclear bombs were exploding around us when I was 8 years old in 1950. I grew up knowing that we could die any day from an attack from Russia. It was a real fear.

I also remember when a young 22 year old Army 2 Lt went to VN in 1967 and two weeks later he came home in a body bag. He was married to my wife's cousin. Kids grew up fast during the war.

I don't drive my '56 anymore, but I do enjoy driving my '64 on a nice warm sunny afternoon. Reliving the simpler past.

C7 Inventories will not affect the release of the C8. Did the C6 inventories in 2013 affect the release of the C7?

You can never go wrong with buying a base model Corvette. Much less investment and all the fun.

On the other side, C7 is getting old hat, seem's logical a new buyer will delay a major purchase for awhile until the dust settles down from GM .

If a base C8 is not priced too much more and is a hit, the C7 will eat it's dust and price will bottom out.....plus a lot a lot were not real fans of the C7 rear design butt a compromise of purchase.

Well, the C7 may be getting old hat for those of us on The Corvette Forum. BUT, with the incentives dealers will offer on the remain C7s and the fact that most Dealers will asking a premium for the C8s. There will still be a market for the few remaining C7s. PLEASE keep in mind that not everyone that buys a Corvette is on this forum and not all are paying attention to the news on the C8. Therefore , the impulsive buyers will see value with the incentives and you may have very well answered part of your question that NOT EVERYONE was excited in 2014 about the rear tail lights, Hence Savings and the what some are use to will sell the remaining C7s. Keeping in mind some may not like a Mid Engine Car, That has been addressed over and over. Some will see the opportunity to buy the last Front Engine Corvette. You MAY see fluctuation to the downside in the wholesale market/Trade In Value for a brief time but that will be short lived as it happened in the C6/C7 change. in 2014.

Actually Corvette is probably the best value when it comes to depreciation of any car and especially if you stick to the base model. The 40 somethings are already buying Corvettes it is not just the Baby Boomers. The Corvette will keep with tradition and I believe what Bob Lutz has said that the C8 will be around $5,000 more than a comparable C7. Making the car more affordable to the masses. The demand will be extremely high if Bob Lutz is right.. I am a Baby Boomer and have been around Corvettes all my life. This , I believe , will be the most exciting time for GM , The Corvette, and the new C8. The demand will sky rocket in Europe with the newly founded respect that this car will have. Porsche BEWARE I think you have a problem on the Horizon.

They weren't "innocent or simpler times" as I remember. Less technologically advanced, is what they were. Just as the C7 Corvette makes the C6 seem backwards, the C8 will do the same. Every previous series becomes the C4. It just takes new technology.