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GM unveils new six-figure Corvette at Bowling Green plant
Updated: July 21, 2008 06:15 PM EDT
By Shayla Reaves, WAVE 3 TV Louisville, Kentucky
BOWLING GREEN, KY (WAVE) - General Motors has unveiled a new Corvette with a hefty price tag at a time when gas prices are up and the economy is hitting some Kentuckiana businesses hard. But as WAVE 3's Shayla Reaves reports, is this the right time for automakers to push high-end cars?
For a lot of people a car like the Corvette is a dream. But at a time when some automakers are cutting back, we wanted to know what the ZR-1 Corvette could do for General Motor's Bowling Green Assembly Plant (BGAP).
"You look at the Porsches, the Lamborghini's are much, much more expensive," said GM's Bowling Green Assembly Plant Manager Paul Graham.
"There's no other car that comes close with twice the price tag of the ZR1."
With a base price of more than $100,000, the latest Corvette comes as gas prices are up and sales are down 12-percent at the BGAP leaving GM looking for ways to reduce production costs, keep customers and stay competitive.
"I don't think any product is immune from potential downturn," said Graham. "We can't just relax, we can't just say because we're Corvette we'll always be here. We need to keep improving the product, keep reducing our costs for customers so we have people who want to buy."
That means reviewing inventory levels, reducing utility bills and finding materials the company can do without. At the same time, company officials realize this is a car for people who aren't counting pennies.
"The base price is $103,000. It has definitely got a certain market," said Graham. "But there's a lot of demand right now, a lot of people out there that are interested."
"The people that buy these cars, they save all their life ... this is their dream car," Don Sherman, a GM employee for more than 20 years. "As far as that goes, I don't think they're concerned about gas prices as much as getting a dream car."
The limited edition ZR1 Chevrolet Corvette will be available at select dealers across the country.
Updated: July 21, 2008 06:15 PM EDT
By Shayla Reaves, WAVE 3 TV Louisville, Kentucky
BOWLING GREEN, KY (WAVE) - General Motors has unveiled a new Corvette with a hefty price tag at a time when gas prices are up and the economy is hitting some Kentuckiana businesses hard. But as WAVE 3's Shayla Reaves reports, is this the right time for automakers to push high-end cars?
For a lot of people a car like the Corvette is a dream. But at a time when some automakers are cutting back, we wanted to know what the ZR-1 Corvette could do for General Motor's Bowling Green Assembly Plant (BGAP).
"You look at the Porsches, the Lamborghini's are much, much more expensive," said GM's Bowling Green Assembly Plant Manager Paul Graham.
"There's no other car that comes close with twice the price tag of the ZR1."
With a base price of more than $100,000, the latest Corvette comes as gas prices are up and sales are down 12-percent at the BGAP leaving GM looking for ways to reduce production costs, keep customers and stay competitive.
"I don't think any product is immune from potential downturn," said Graham. "We can't just relax, we can't just say because we're Corvette we'll always be here. We need to keep improving the product, keep reducing our costs for customers so we have people who want to buy."
That means reviewing inventory levels, reducing utility bills and finding materials the company can do without. At the same time, company officials realize this is a car for people who aren't counting pennies.
"The base price is $103,000. It has definitely got a certain market," said Graham. "But there's a lot of demand right now, a lot of people out there that are interested."
"The people that buy these cars, they save all their life ... this is their dream car," Don Sherman, a GM employee for more than 20 years. "As far as that goes, I don't think they're concerned about gas prices as much as getting a dream car."
The limited edition ZR1 Chevrolet Corvette will be available at select dealers across the country.
Jason
