Blog: GM should (still) kill the Corvette

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In my mind that was also the failure of the Thunderbird. It had a Lincoln drive train, and was somewhat quirky. If it were a Mustang based car it would have been a great success since you could do almost anything with it. The original Thunderbird was a ford based car and was very sucessful, as the original vette was a chev based car.

I always thought Ford's mistake that killed the Thunderbird was putting a tiny V8 in a two seater and trying to get someone to spend $50k for it! Exspectially, at the time, the same person could spend about $42k and get a fully optioned Cobra or Salen Mustang with a whole lot more performance than the $50k Thunderbird! The only people who bought that Thunderbird were the people old enough to remember the original two seater Thunderbird and who could afford it.
I had a 1997 Thunderbird(last year before two seater) and loved it, though I always had whished I had gotten the V8!

 

[WhalePirot]

My experience with my local chev. dealerships did not impress me. They seemed as though they didnt care about me,and my business was a bother to them.

The smart dealer treats ALL customers as Vette owners should be treated, not treat Vette buyers with the apathy they treat entry-level car buyers to.

GM has a myriad of problems and the Corvette is a rare bright spot in that corporate landscape. Just because it uses a tried, true and proven powerplant that has evolved since the beginning doesn't mean that the new stuff is worth a sh*t for more than a year.

I buy quality and service; staying power in service to me, so Audi, all Korean, VW, recent MB and most of American car makers' product line is off my radar.

Why do they trust some writers with a pen?

 

[98tigershark]

The Corvette "Truly American"

Many years ago I bought a V12 vert Jag. By far the worst car I have ever owned and I am embaressed to say what I paid for it and what a tune up cost. A beautiful but lossy car. The Corvette is an American ICON. All of the tuners would drop their cars for a Vette especially a ZO6. They want one when they can work up to it, it is a goal. Personally I think the Vette is now back to were it should be. If you want to customize it you can as only in America, make it your own. If you like the stock look you most likely do understand that the Corvette is truly a wonderful car. What other car in the world can do what the Corvette can at even half the price.
I have a 98 convertible and I customized it keeping in mind to be able to return the car to the stock look at anytime. The V8 in all Vettes is a sensered computerized, molecular example of fuel efficiency that spans far above any other V8 ever. Now I do like comfort and to me the Corvette is very comfortable and I have 2 metal hips. I do not know why the interior gets slammed but to me they are critics that get paid to criticize. I have a friend who bought a Porche, he has 300 HP abouts and a much simpler interior and he paid three times what I have into mine. Now, when I park my Vette next to his, it is the Vette that everyone knows is the superior car This has happens over and over. Now I change my own oil and do my own maintenance for around $50.00 a tune up or so. He spends $1,200.00. Marketing, sales and service are one thing but if you are unhappy with a Corvette it is usually the case that they have not owned another true performance car or are a critic, or they just miss feeling important spending $1,200.00 for a tune up.

 

[coffeejolts]

I completely disagree with the premise of mid-level luxury marques. I think having Buick says: "Chevrolets aren't that great" and I think Mercury says the same thing about Fords. I know Buick is the first GM and all the history, but still... there is no current Buick that cannot be a Chevrolet, just as there is no current Mercury that could not be a Ford. Take Buick out of the picture and have Chevrolet & Cadillac: now the Corvette's price point makes sense.

-- OR --
Move Buick to the place where Cadillac is now, and move Cadillac way upmarket like it once was. Now Buick, Cadillac, and the Corvette's price point all make sense.

 

[98tigershark]

Branding todays cars, "The Chevrolet Corvette a Brand Icon"

We are talking about the post, "Killing the Corvette". I will respond to your price points and are an interesting approach to GM and their Brands. Here is the main issue. Chevrolet realized before most that an Icon such as the Corvette has shown that Chevrolet can and do produce cars that America and Markets around the world want for many reasons. The problem with your analysis is that the GM brands have no Icon other than Chevrolets Corvette and now the Camaro. Look at all of the other Major Foreign Brands. They all had to respond to the Corvette and Chevrolet. That says more than allot, it says GM was right. What is Buick's Icon, their flag ship that everyone knows? Yes GM, Ford and Dodge all integrated their Brands and it is very hard to see the real differences if any. This was an accounting and financial decision made to save production costs it would seem and they all have lost their uniqueness, Identity and ability to stand on their own as a brand. Cadillac, Does have a Market identity and presence as does Chevrolet (I think most consider it, the Cadillac, a high end Chevy anyway). Personally, I would take all of GM's remaining brands under Chevrolet and then have a Chevrolet Cadillac, Buick model, etc. Now different countries allow GM to have certain Brands in those countries and things are a different issue entirely in most cases. So I am speaking about the US market here only. Under Chevrolet, Have a Buick, Cadillac, Corvette etc but as a model and not Brand. (The true brand really has been Chevy for a long time). They all should be Chevies, after all, they are anyway as you pointed out. Long live the Corvette and American ICON and the Best Sports Car for the money in the world, The car that shook the foreign car makers to their knees!! Go Chevy and Corvette!!!!

 

[coffeejolts]

I was responding to the following portion of the author's post.

To survive, it needs to re-establish a brand identity for each make: Chevrolet, family sedans for working-class customers; Buick, prestige cars for middle-class customers; and Cadillac, world-class cars for the wealthy. Sadly, the Corvette, as it is today, does not fit into that scheme.

 

[killain]

This doesn't deserve the time it takes to answer it.

I agree 1000%. Time is too short for reading limp, half hearted writing !

 

[Mike G]

Vette Forever!

Pi$$ 'em all off, build the Vette forever!!

 

[98tigershark]

I was responding to the following portion of the author's post.

Hello coffejolts. I think we are saying the same thing with a different ending. I have 5 Chevys, A 2006 Monte Carlo SS (More options than the Cadillac for $10,000 less and a very nice looking car (my wife loves her SS MC) and rides better than a similar Caddy as she drove both at the time. We looked for a sporty economy car as well, we looked at everything and the Cobalt SS SC was better than the other manufacture, This car is for my son but, it is the coolest 4 cylinder we found. Nothing was even close to the 2006 Cobalt SS SC including Pontiac, We also have a 2001 Suburban, a very nice plush dependable and durable SUV that tows very well. My 98 C5 Vert that I love and a 1983 S10 Tahoe extended cab with +590,000 miles with out ever taking off the heads from the motor(it is now not pretty, it works, is easy and cheap to get parts for. I have owned Fords and like a few of them, cant remember owning a Dodge. But When we look for cars, we find Chevy is the one were we do not personally feel is low end and none of these are entry level cars at the time, but they were the best we drove and buying American is important to us, but they are very good cars. The foreign cars that I have owned all have had many more problems than any Chevy we have owned. Now as far as a pushrod motor, Why change what is the best motor architecture for a Combustion motor. Chevy has the best factory sensors and computers in the business and once you have built a motor, all that really matters with any motor no matter how fancy, is how dependable it is, does it perform, does it use every molecule of fuel for a stoich combustion. The pushrod V8 by Chevy has proven that this is the best Combustion technology in the world for a gasoline car, so simple, kind of, the best, by far. Killing the Corvette blog itself to me seems like a critic paid to be critical of the Vette. The best Sports car in the world Pound for pound, Dollar for dollar is with out a doubt the Corvette. I bet Audi, Porsche and Lambo and all the others wish the Corvette died. I have owned most of the other brand from foreign to Ford, but I always go back to Chevy mainly because the can and do build the Corvette. If there were not people that actually are serious about that I would not have wasted the time. Staying current is important and the Corvette has done that and also defines what is current today. 15 years ago I would have agreed with you 100%, now that is to late for the GM brands. It worries me that many people actually do think that the Corvette should die.
If Chevy was ever dumb enough to kill the corvette, we as a family would buy from another company. Why? because they were to dumb to build on success and thus build cars. The Corvette to me is Italy's Ferrari, Germany's Porsche and so on, it is that simple I think.

 

[Intense]

So what do you think? Feel free to post your responses to his blog.
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Blog: GM should (still) kill the Corvette

Morry Marshall
Automotive DesignLine
(07/14/2009 9:26 AM EDT)

I still think GM should kill the Corvette.

My original blog, GM should kill the Corvette, was about automotive technology. The blog has generated a heavy reader response, much of defending the Corvette and its pushrod technology.

I still think the Corvette uses highly-developed but archaic technology. However, the reasons that GM should kill the Corvette have to do with marketing, not with technology.

One of the things contributing to GM's troubles is that its divisions, which had been separate car companies, have lost their brand identity. The GM car you owned, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick or Cadillac, once made a statement about you that everyone from eight to 80, male or female, understood. You wore that identity like a suit of clothes. That's gone.

Full Blog: GM should (still) kill the Corvette | Automotive DesignLine

I have no interest whatsoever in reading your blog but I do have a comment about your post here.

You are making the point that GM has lost it's brand identity because the current cars don't make a statement.

The Corvette definitely has brand recognition and it certainly makes a statement. Everyone on the road recognizes the Corvette. And, they recognize the Corvette as a GM Chevrolet. It makes such a statement to the Corvette owner's that they wave in recognition when they meet each other on the road.

If you want GM marketing to promote brand identity and make a statement with their product then Corvette is the very last car in the lineup that you would want to kill.

With vision like yours no wonder GM is in trouble.