Breaking News!!!

[Rob]

AM&P Magazine Reveals General Motors' Plans To Separate Corvette Out as a Premium Performance Brand

 

[Tom Bryant]

Corvette

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand it might strengthen the Corvette brand being on it's own. But on the other hand I'm not sure I would ever like a Camaro or other sporty car being labeled as a lesser model Corvette. Leaves open the possibilty for a Corvette Metro SS or something like that.
Tom

 

[twiget]

I love the idea of a Corvette line. If GM truly wants to compete with the supercars from across the pond, this should give the Corvette design team the clout they need to build a... dare I say it? A mid-engine Corvette.

Jason

 

[Rob]

Official Chevrolet Response Just Released:

To: ALL Chevrolet Dealers

March 3, 2001

Statement in response to a report in AM&P Magazine that General Motors plans to make Corvette a separate performance brand...

Attribute to Kurt Ritter, General Manager, Chevrolet Motor Division

Corvette has been a highly successful Chevrolet brand for almost 50 years, and General Motors has no plans whatsoever to separate Corvette from the Chevrolet franchise.

Corvette recently finished yet another year as America’s best selling high-performance sports car, and it remains a vital part of the Chevrolet lineup.

Chevrolet’s strategy continues to be to offer high volume cars and trucks in a broad range of market segments, along with halo vehicles such as Corvette, Avalanche and the recently announced SSR. This strategy continues to make Chevrolet one of the most successful brands in America.

 

[twiget]

Re: Official Chevrolet Response Just Released:

To: ALL Chevrolet Dealers

March 3, 2001

Statement in response to a report in AM&P Magazine that General Motors plans to make Corvette a separate performance brand...

Attribute to Kurt Ritter, General Manager, Chevrolet Motor Division

Corvette has been a highly successful Chevrolet brand for almost 50 years, and General Motors has no plans whatsoever to separate Corvette from the Chevrolet franchise.

Corvette recently finished yet another year as America’s best selling high-performance sports car, and it remains a vital part of the Chevrolet lineup.

Chevrolet’s strategy continues to be to offer high volume cars and trucks in a broad range of market segments, along with halo vehicles such as Corvette, Avalanche and the recently announced SSR. This strategy continues to make Chevrolet one of the most successful brands in America.

Oh well. A guy can dream cant he?

Jason

 

[SUJIMO]

I think the response was GMspeak for "No comment". With their ever-decreasing market share you gotta think they'll come up with something new and appealing. Look at their product line and figure out which vehicle can match both criteria. It aint Aztec...

 

[ssvett]

I agree to not agree, or whatever

Jason, When I first read this, I thought that it was almost sacrilage, and agreed with Tom. But, you have a very good point,ie whats a Ferarri, Porche(OK a Porche is a VW, kinda). My point being, and I think Jasons too, is these world class sportscars(not that Corvette isn't a world class sports car) are, for the most part, stand alone nameplates. The only drawback that I could see would be the funds that the General has to produce the Corvette now, and it's price if it did become a stand alone. How many 200,000 dollar Corvettes would they sell. Talk about small, close nit clubs and forums. I could see it now.....New Corvette Action Center Forum for the "Corvette"(notice not Chevy Corvette), after only 10years we now have 3 members, welcome Money Bags 3 to the Forum.......I think Chevy has too much riding on the Corvette. I know people who don't even like Chevys, but thay have a Corvette(Yea I know there are some sick people out there)........Steve

 

[twiget]

Originally posted by ssvette
My point being, and I think Jasons too, is these world class sportscars(not that Corvette isn't a world class sports car) are, for the most part, stand alone nameplates.

That's not quite my point Steve, but now that you mention it, it sure makes sense.

Originally posted by ssvette
How many 200,000 dollar Corvettes would they sell.

I think that if Corvette had branched off into it's own marque, it would be modeled after the other "high" volume supercar manufacturers like Porsche or Ferrari. Looking through GM's current inventory of car's and trucks I can think of a few off the top of my head that could qualify for a spot on the totem pole of the Corvette Marque. I.e. The Camaro SS, the Montie Carlo SS, the Impala SS, Caddilac's new Evoq, perhaps Pontiac's Grand Prix. Heck, throw a decent V-6 into the S-10 Extreme and it could be an entry level sports truck, just under the new SSR.

The point being that with all these car's in the Corvette line up, they would be the ones to make the profit, and would give GM's performance division the clout it needed to build a Corvette that could truly compete with the Jaguars, Aston Martins, Porsches... with out having to go to Calaway or LPE, just to name a few.

Judging by GM's statement above it seems to be a moot point anyway.

Jason

P.S. When was the last time you saw a street VW pull over 1g on a corner and top 200mph+?

 

[ssvett]

P.S. When was the last time you saw a street VW pull over 1g on a corner and top 200mph+? I said Kinda. When I was in the army in Germany back in the mid 70's the "lower" grade porches had VW motors Or at least they would fit into a VW. We had GI's searching all the junk yards for these wrecked Porches. Steve PS. I saw alot of VW's going down the Autobahn passing my 350CI Olds going about 95 like I was setting still. I was a weird sight to see

 

[KretzJ]

Hey all! New to this board.. looks good!

I hate to say this.... but I would have to agree with the idea of unbundling Corvette from Chevrolet.. if only for ONE reason...

If this new brand could build a world-class SERVICE group. How many of us Corvette owners are familiar with the Porsche / Lexus / Infiniti / Honda-NSX service departments? The guy monkeying around with my Corvette at the Chevy dealership JUST finished monkeying on a 1989 Citation. I am sorry but I am YET to find a service location here in the Phoenix area that I trust ... even a little bit... with my car. BUT, take the lexus in and they treat you like gold.

If there ever was an achille's heel to owning a Corvette, it's the service-side of things.

But GOD would I miss the bowtie connections...

 

[Rob]

Hi Kretz,

Welcome to the Corvette Action Center.

Personally, I agree with you on some of these issues. I wouldn't mind seeing Corvette pulled out from under Chevrolet as well, however, if it was to be done, I'd rather see the Corvette move in the direction of Ferrari....where all the models built that fall under the Ferrari nameplate, are top of the line, high performance models. A Corvette station wagon or SUV would be completely out of the question.

In terms of service, I have to agree yet again. Dealerships are quick to treat the Corvette and the Corvette owner like just another Chevy Citation/owner. Most of the dealerships are out of touch with who a Corvette owner is and what they expect. This has always been a major issue which seems to go unanswered. Don't get me wrong, there are some dealerships that are awesome; that do fantastic work; and take great care and pride in not doing a fast, sloppy job.

In any case, I'm rambling. Once again, welcome aboard and thanks for sharing your views.

 

[KretzJ]

Rob..

GOOD point.. a Corvette station wagon? Ugh...


Another Point: What I would like to see is a return (somewhat) to what the sixties were like for the Corvette. You could walk into a dealership and purchase a stripped-down big-block/4-speed Corvette that you're gonna run hard down at the strip on Saturday night, or you could buy a mild small-block/automatic and have a decent streetable daily driver.

Today what ways do we really have to differentiate our Corvette when we order it? Okay... now we can pick engine... BUT to get the LS6 engine you have to go with the entire Z06/hardtop package...

Sorry, I want an LS6 convertible. Yep, make mine six-speed, but I'd like the F1-style shifter please. Yeah, I'm willing to sacrifice a little storage space under the top for an upgrade to that dog that Chevy calls a standard Bose stereo. Uh... yeah, I'd like Navy Blue/Lt Oak/Lt Oak... that's okay, and add polished wheels, too. Ixna the standard exhaust and go with the titanium package... upgraded 13" rotors on the brakes...

anyway, you get the idea. If someone really has the cash he/she SHOULD be able to order a $80,000 corvette... or I should be able to order a $35,000 corvette (since I'm certainly not able to afford my dream car listed above!) Any more a C5 is a C5 is a C5... with carbon fiber accessories from Mid-America adorning everything. And in fifteen years what will differentiate all these C5's rolling off the factory line? Not much I'm afraid... no longer will you be able to scour the countryside (via wireless Internet link I'm sure) looking for an example of that elusive "1 of 15 made" Corvette. They'll all be "1 of 35,000" made unless you're picky about body color.

Want customization? Ferrari, my friend. Sure we're talking expensive, but how would you like that connolly leather stitched, sir? Why, I'd like my black hides sewn with fly-yellow stitching... everywhere. No, sorry, for my 456 I'd like houndstooth material on the inserts. I am constantly amazed at how (nearly overboard) you can go to customize a Ferrari these days... right from the factory. Is that what we need for Corvette? No. But I think I'd like to see a lot more than what we DO have.

[steps down from soap box]

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Corvette on its own...

I'm sorry, but I feel if Corvette becomes a 'stand-alone' brand ranking with Ferarri, etc... that Corvette will be sold to an entirely different consumer, one who will not cherish their 'Vette the way that many owners who have attained their American Dream Corvette do.
You will see the snooty attitude encountered with many of these other foreign super-performance vehicles and the death of The Wave with these new owners.
As far as service goes, I think it would greatly improve for the 'new brand' Corvette, but the rest of us who purchased before the changeover will be treated like the unwanted poser, when in fact, we are the Corvette history.
Yesterday and today's Corvettes are priced to make a person appreciate what they are spending their money on, yet still be a realistic goal that is attainable with perseverence when bitten by the 'Vette-bug.
Myself, I am happy to belong to a special group of people owned by Corvettes.
We share pride of ownership, pride for our generation of 'Vette and mile wide grins when we drive and get "that envious look"!
Lets keep it in the GM family.
Silver

 

[GreyGhost]

Point of view

Silver:

I agree with you...... an independent Corvette venture would not be attractive to me. I think GM is interested in a different marketplace for it's future Corvettes. I will probably never buy a brand new Corvette anyway. I just like tinkering with the older ones.

Keep wav'in
__________

Al

 

[Rob]

Silver,

[personal opinion]
I agree with you. I used Ferrari as an example not because of price or owner qualities, but because of the general model lineup they follow....all cars are high performance whether they are a two seater or a four seater and you can buy everything from the base $165K model (or whatever it is they go for), all the way up to the ultra-rare, ultra-performance F-50 (yes, I know it's not sold anymore).

In a way, Porsche is doing the same thing. You can buy a Boxster, or if you've got the cash, you can buy the top of the line 911 Turbo, or for $300,000, the ultra-exotic Carrera GT (assuming they decide to move it into production). The only exception about Porsche is that they're coming out with the Cayenne SUV. Personally, I think sports car company should stick to building and engineering that which they do best: sports cars.
[/personal opinion]

 

[Tom Bryant]

I was reading someplace about the speculation on the C6 being downsized, Boxer like. I think we have a picture of a chopped off
Corvette in the Corvette Chuckle on the home page.

Tom

 

[twiget]

I was reading someplace about the speculation on the C6 being downsized, Boxer like.

Thems fighten words!

Jason

 

[Djohn01]

Corvette Brand

This 'concept' has been being tossed about for about 18 months at GM. As has putting the Corvette under Cadillac. There is no certainty to what actually may happen - if anything. But, I think some of you have missed the point. Whatever they do, they know now they will sell 100% of them - whether you buy one or not. Since '98, they have sold 100% of their allocation every year - before they made the first car. Their major concern is the $45K+ Corvette and its buyer have outgrown Chevrolet. That the buyer deserves more than a Geo Mechanic, and a Geo loaner when he/she takes the new C5 in for service. My suspicion is they will do SOMETHING. I think service is the key as well. When you take your C5 in, you should be treated like a $45K+ customer, and like at Cadillac, they should give you a new C5 as a loaner - without all the begging.

I also feel we're wrong to make the 'blank' reference to the C5 as a sports car. The C1-C4 were sports cars. The C4 was a sports car with luxury features. The C5 switched the concept. The C5 is a 2-seater luxury car with Sports Car features.

Regardless, it is the finest performance car in the world for the dollar, and I too believe it has outgrown Chevy's ability to sell or service it.

They need to do something.


Doug Johnson
Vettes Online

 

[lone73]

Djohn01:

I agree with you. I believe the marque has gained enough momentum to make it if GM did spin it off from Chevy. I also agree with your comments on the service end too. I believe they should do something although, like Silver I will probably never buy a new vette to enjoy it. I have a '73 and the wife drives a '96 ce. Both bought used.

lone73

 

[CorvetteArchives]

Re: Corvette Brand

Thank you Doug.....was thinking similarly while reading that this has been discussed for years now
..........Also,
The core problem that results in the entire service question is the buyer themselves.......the major market share is midlife crisis people of both genders...who are incapable or unwilling to work on their own cars....

I think your assesment of the C5 as a luxury 2 seater with sports car features is right on the $...........thats why they NEEDED the Z06 to pacify the true performance sports car buyer.........

Besides, the factory isnt really operating at anywhere near capacity from what I hear.......the perceived "rarity" is all marketing smoke and mirrors to make the C5 "special" when they could practically crank em out like cavaliers at $10,000 cheaper if they wanted too...........

This 'concept' has been being tossed about for about 18 months at GM. As has putting the Corvette under Cadillac. There is no certainty to what actually may happen - if anything. But, I think some of you have missed the point. Whatever they do, they know now they will sell 100% of them - whether you buy one or not. Since '98, they have sold 100% of their allocation every year - before they made the first car. Their major concern is the $45K+ Corvette and its buyer have outgrown Chevrolet. That the buyer deserves more than a Geo Mechanic, and a Geo loaner when he/she takes the new C5 in for service. My suspicion is they will do SOMETHING. I think service is the key as well. When you take your C5 in, you should be treated like a $45K+ customer, and like at Cadillac, they should give you a new C5 as a loaner - without all the begging.

I also feel we're wrong to make the 'blank' reference to the C5 as a sports car. The C1-C4 were sports cars. The C4 was a sports car with luxury features. The C5 switched the concept. The C5 is a 2-seater luxury car with Sports Car features.

Regardless, it is the finest performance car in the world for the dollar, and I too believe it has outgrown Chevy's ability to sell or service it.

They need to do something.


Doug Johnson
Vettes Online