Blog: GM should (still) kill the Corvette

[Rob]

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

 

[njlouc]

Archaic pushrods??
More like bullet proof. I was talking to a Ferrari 308 owner who did not do the mandatory $3000/3000mile timing belt(s) change. Well it (one) broke after 5000miles and it is expected to cost~ $15k to repair. I hate those crappy rubber belts. Heck!!! You could buy a VERY good used Vette for less, and still have a great car. BTW it would be faster than his now. :lol

 

[vetteboy86]

I dont think I have enough time during my lunch hour to type out response.

 

[Mike G]

Morry Moron

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

Does Morry live on the same planet that has The NORDSCHLIEFE track, the 24 HOURS OF LE MANS and AMERICAN LEMANS SERIES racing? < racing success > Is he aware that anyone can walk into a Chevy dealership and buy a Vette that outperforms (putting it mildly) cars that cost 3 and 4 times as much? <standard production> Is he aware of how desireable the Vette is after 56 years < lineage > Is he aware of the SOLID DESIGN that IS the small-block Chevy < engineering > This could go on to take the form of an auto-education but we don't have time for that, so I suggest that Morry either learn ALL about the Vette or get out of the auto-writing buisiness.
I'm sure site members will take it from here.....

 

[BADRACR]

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

 

[Eric]

After reading this, I think I'll trade mine on a Toyota Pious <--intentional mispelling. Wait, I've never owned a car that wasn't capable of exceeding the speed limit - what have i been thinking all these years.:W

 

[XLR8]

GM should (still) kill the Corvette

:harhar

 

[minifridge1138]

If you actually read his blog, he makes some interesting (and in my opinion) true statements.

Talking about how GM merged several smaller companies into a single corporation, the eventual merging of components to reduce cost, and the loss of brand recognition that followed.

I agree that GM needs inexpensive entry level vehicles that are fun to drive and reliable. That way young people can buy a fun, affordable, reliable car and that good experience will carry forward into the future to establish brand loyalty.

I even agree with his idea that Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac need to establish a separate brand for each division. I'm tired of seeing the same car with a different sound system sell for thousands of dollars more because it has a different logo. Buick -> Cadillac. Ford -> Lincoln -> Mercury. Toyota -> Lexus (the list goes on).

What I disagree with is the conclusion that corvette should be dropped. It is not a luxury car, so it should not be a buick or a cadillac. So the only place it fits in is in Chevrolet. I see no problem with the brand that is supposed to represent the entry level having a high performance car. If nothing else, building a car that can drive 180+ mph safely will force engineers to come up with new ideas and solve problems that can be applied to ther cars in the fleet.

To say the corvette is too superior to fit in with Chevrolet is the same thinking her refers to when "I once told a GM manager that the Cadillac Cimarron was a terrible car that did not come close to a BMW by any measure. His response: "Our customers don't know that. They'll buy it because it's a Cadillac." That kind of thinking ruins brands." -quote from his blog.

I don't ask why the corvette is superior to all other chevrolets. I'd ask why all other chevrolets are inferior to the corvette.

 

[njlouc]

These threads are good. They are designed to draw out discussion and yes they do.
They also draw out passion about the subject.
Minifridge has a good point. The positioning of the vette has always been questioned.
It is like the VW Phaeton. It is a seemingly great car sold/serviced through VW?? What??
An $80k luxury car in with Passats? Think also that the sales/mechanics are the same. Well at least over here it went up like the proverbial lead balloon.
IMHO i think that the vette should stay with Chev. BUT each dealership should have Corvette certification. I dont mean sending a mechanic to a school for a few hours either. They have to really be proven by training and experience otherwise they cannot sell/ service the corvette. They tried the Cadillac Corvette and it was way over the top and did not get the sales volume needed. I think it should have been a real Corvette - engine and all with only some minor luxury features.

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.

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. My confidence level was very low. Logically they are used to working on lower end cars and the vette is overwhelming to them. Socially they may have a tinge of distain for vette owners.

 

[vetteboy86]

Folks can say what they want, but the greatest recognition lies in a person that drives a corvette. I would go as far as to say mustangs and camaro's, Trans Ams alike, all say something about their driver.

The corvette is an american ICON. It says alot about the driver. It's not that we are snobby or spoiled. We work for what we want, and we appreciate what we have.

 

[KANE]

...The corvette is an american ICON. It says alot about the driver. It's not that we are snobby or spoiled. We work for what we want, and we appreciate what we have.

Absolutely!

 

[killain]

Automotive writers

I think that Mr. Marshall has made some very superficial obvious points, but in overall context, he should really consider going back to writing for Vanity Fair. He clearly knows very little about GM and more importantly since he steered into it, the Corvette. The corvette was made out of fiberglas as a 'Need', but it was soon clear this was the best material for the remaining years or production. There was never any real thought as to making the Corvette a 'Unibody' platform. Ever since 1963 the Corvette has weigted 3000 pounds till 1979 when it weighted in at 3500 pounds and has since dropped to around 3200 LBS. The V8 was what saved the corvette in 1955 at which point Ford was no longer a marketplace threat. I just wish that writers who aren't well versed in this, should stick to something they do know.

 

[njlouc]

The Corvette/Sports Division

a couple of thoughts---

My prior response was clouded with the old GM/Chev mindset/configuration.
If they are going to rip the company apart and start over then the corvette should be its own brand. Forget floor traffic and other ancient marketing ideas. In the past the corvette was considered to create floor traffic "excitement" and then the consumer would buy the Belair/Impala. Now the public doesnt care at all.

There should be only a few regional dealerships that you could go to for sales/service.
They could do really well since there wouldnt be too many of them. They will make money on new corvettes,used corvettes/other sports cars, and excellent/affordable repairs.
That way the sales force will know the product (more than now) and the mechanics will become highly specialized. The corvette has always been considered a salesman's "plum" and They were only interested in the big commission, even though they didnt know too much.
So too for the service managers.

Leave the metal corvette (Camaro) at the Chev dealership to keep them happy.
Then eventually the Camaro buyers will go to the Corvette guys for real service.

This is only a fantasy ... The vette may not even survive the econo/green/hybrid mentality.

 

[NORTY]

GM kill Corvette? Nah.
GM spin Corvette off? Already been done in Europe.
GM sell Corvette? Hey Roger, wanna buy Corvette too? (Just think of the possibilities!)

 

[Black Echo]

GM needs a performance angle oriented towards younger people?

Oops!

Too late, they just killed Pontiac ... the one division at GM that always stood for youthful performance. I've long lamented the loss of identity at Generic Motors and the death of Pontiac was senseless. In hindsight, Pontiac really died when the Firebird died in 2002. In the 7 years since, GM tried to shove the Aztek and a rebadged import wearing GTO badges down our throats. Pontiac has been dead a long time, it's just taken 7 years for the body to stop twitching.

Now, as for the Corvette and GM ... I see the Corvette pretty much like I see the space program. It's not something for everyone but good things come from the evolution of the technology required to produce both space ships / stations and, in a similar mindset, Corvettes. The Corvette generates a lot of "what if" technology that, if it doesn't trickle down exactly as is to the lower models, at least some of that technology probably will, in one form or another.

What I think the writer of this article is missing is the fact that there will always be a need to advance. That which does not advance by its very nature stagnates and decays. The Corvette has always been GM's flagship for performance, styling, and technology. There will always be a need for flagships for all technologies and these flagships will often be the realm of the few and the lucky.

We can't all be astronauts and we can't all be Corvette owners but those of us who get to be just that are thankful for what we have and we're not ashamed to tell you that we worked hard to get it.

 

[93Rubie]

One good reason they shouldnt kill Corvette. The darn car Pays it BILLS and then some...not to many other GM vehicles can make that claim. Besides its GM's flagship, the latest and greatest usually comes out on a Corvette. Magnetic Shocks anyone???

 

[67vet]

I think the writer was trying to jump on some bandwagon to kill the Corvette. He did not give realistic reasons that it should not exist. He wants to downsize the car which probably would cheapen it.
Remember GM long ago tried to make the Corvette into various other models..... the Corvette Nomad, the 63 four seater to name a few. Thank goodness that didn't happen. Ford had a great opportunity to re do the Thunderbird. They stayed too big. The Cougar etc. became to large. Please keep the Corvette.

 

[98tigershark]

Who would Kill the one great American Car CORVETTE

It is my experience that not to many articles are out there about the fuel effiecency of the 1997-2010 vets. When people see i have a vette some always say i will kepp my gas milage. When i tell them what kind of milage a stock corvette gets they simply do not believe it. I actually carry an article with me from vette magazine to give validy to my cause. I have a really built 427 in my 1998 and i still can get over 20 mpg on the highway with a street legal tune. When i had my 346 w/headers and a cold air intake in it i got better fuel milage than my sons new 2005 vw golf. In 2006 we bought him a cobalt ss supercharged. With the stage 2 he gets 30+ mpg highway.
Chevy builds great cars and the vette is the king of them all. Is there any other sports car with that kind of power and fuel economy, i know of none!
98tigershark

 

[unclevito]

It is my experience that not to many articles are out there about the fuel effiecency of the 1997-2010 vets. When people see i have a vette some always say i will kepp my gas milage. When i tell them what kind of milage a stock corvette gets they simply do not believe it. I actually carry an article with me from vette magazine to give validy to my cause. I have a really built 427 in my 1998 and i still can get over 20 mpg on the highway with a street legal tune. When i had my 346 w/headers and a cold air intake in it i got better fuel milage than my sons new 2005 vw golf. In 2006 we bought him a cobalt ss supercharged. With the stage 2 he gets 30+ mpg highway.
Chevy builds great cars and the vette is the king of them all. Is there any other sports car with that kind of power and fuel economy, i know of none!
98tigershark

I think they should definitely keep the Corvette. They need to greatly improve build quality. It is embarassing for the troubles it has when my $20,000 Toyota NEVER has a problem.

Vito

 

[air1jpg]

I think they should definitely keep the Corvette. They need to greatly improve build quality. It is embarassing for the troubles it has when my $20,000 Toyota NEVER has a problem.

Vito

For a '96, I haven't had too many problems with my vette. Not all Toyotas are exactly trouble free.... I remember for instance the Tundras at one point in time had foldable tailgates!.. Every car/truck from every manufacturer has some problems...