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I'm kind of curious what our members think:
If You Were Chevrolet, How Would You Attract Younger Buyers To The Corvette?
If You Were Chevrolet, How Would You Attract Younger Buyers To The Corvette?
Question: If You Were Chevrolet, How Would You Attract Younger Buyers To The Corvette?
- Thread starter Rob
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Y
YumaZ06
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What is a younger buyer? Someone in their 40's or 30's? In this economy, not much but to lower the price. Base C7 coupe starting at $52K with options well over or close to $60k is a bargain compared to comparable European cars but when college grads can't find jobs and unemployment remain high that doesn't matter. Maybe the Obama admin can subsidize the unfortunate who can't afford one. 
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i would do exactly what they are doing. Give it the looks and performance of an exotic at a price that most anyone can afford if they really want one. And if they cant afford a new one just yet absolutely eveyone can afford a used Vette.
When I was at the Chev Dealership the other day I noticed a new pick-up $50k and you see young guys driving them every day
When I was at the Chev Dealership the other day I noticed a new pick-up $50k and you see young guys driving them every day
Huskerman
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I think they need to keep hitting the social media's and appealing to that crowd. I think GM has the product but with the cost of living where its at it may be hard for 30 something's to swing it....I don't know if it's a blue collar car anymore like it used to be. What they need is some young rock or vid stars to start driving them and putting them in music vids and have them featured in some rap songs and that will bring them............or set the hook anyway.....like in our generation and how a lot of us got hooked on Vettes watching Route 66.....I wanted to be like Todd and Buzz and couldn't wait until I could get my first Vette which I did in 69 when I got a 65 Roadster with 30K for $2500 when I was 19. You have to get to the kids early and the social media and games are the the best way to do that in my opinion.
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berry1133@bellsouth.net
Well-known member
Well stated Huskerman.
It's price and value.... young people don't even consider Corvette as an option.
Here are some comparisons. Back in 66 you could get a base model vette with a 327/300 for about 4 grand. A 289 mustang, with some options like disc brakes, etc. would run you just about 3 grand. This put the 'vette in contention with Mustang buyers. You really had a decision to get a loaded mustang or pony up a few more bucks to get the 'vette.
Today, mustang GT is 30 grand. That gets you a 420 hp 5.0. We don't need to go into all the specifics on why the 'vette is better... bottom line is for most drivers both have more power than you need. The vette starts at 50+ grand and comes 2 seats short which is, quite frankly, not practical for most of us young buyers with kids. Growing up, in a pinch, my Dad would stuff more than one of us kids in the 'vette. I would get strung up if I tried the same today. Furthermore, the spread is greatly increased. What used to cost a third more now costs two thirds more. a 66% premium to step up to the 'vette is too much.
Also, the GT is no bargain. I can tell you that my friends that are into performance are not buying them either. Look at Honda Civic SI, Hyundai Genesis, and many others. They offer a fun driving experience, back seats, lots of technology, great gas mileage, and are viewed as very reliable compared to the Corvette, mustang, camaro, etc. And you get all that for 20-something grand.
Chevrolet is competing on the World level for performance, value, etc. with the Corvette. It's great that the car offers great value for the blistering speeds but there are a LOT of us who can't justify that cost for a car that is simply not practical. Back in 66 you could get 4 different engines and that is how they made the car cheap enough for young buyers but competitive on the World level. Now we get one engine that is expensive and requires better brakes and all the other equipment to go with it.
So, until they figure out the price, young buyers are out. There are simply not enough young people making the kind of money it takes to buy a new Corvette. The ones who can afford it may want the back seat for kids... maybe want a more premium car at the same price that is less performance oriented, etc. The list is endless. I can tell you I had a hell of a time in all of my C4's including the one that had under 250 HP. My 66 is bad to the bone and fun as hell. I am young and don't feel the need for eleven million horsepower or being able to outrun a Ferrari. I want a fun car on the weekends I can run through some twisty back roads in. At 50 grand... or heck, way more, the C7 that my Dad has priced out is going to run him 70 grand, this is WAY too much for me to spend on a fun car.
Here are some comparisons. Back in 66 you could get a base model vette with a 327/300 for about 4 grand. A 289 mustang, with some options like disc brakes, etc. would run you just about 3 grand. This put the 'vette in contention with Mustang buyers. You really had a decision to get a loaded mustang or pony up a few more bucks to get the 'vette.
Today, mustang GT is 30 grand. That gets you a 420 hp 5.0. We don't need to go into all the specifics on why the 'vette is better... bottom line is for most drivers both have more power than you need. The vette starts at 50+ grand and comes 2 seats short which is, quite frankly, not practical for most of us young buyers with kids. Growing up, in a pinch, my Dad would stuff more than one of us kids in the 'vette. I would get strung up if I tried the same today. Furthermore, the spread is greatly increased. What used to cost a third more now costs two thirds more. a 66% premium to step up to the 'vette is too much.
Also, the GT is no bargain. I can tell you that my friends that are into performance are not buying them either. Look at Honda Civic SI, Hyundai Genesis, and many others. They offer a fun driving experience, back seats, lots of technology, great gas mileage, and are viewed as very reliable compared to the Corvette, mustang, camaro, etc. And you get all that for 20-something grand.
Chevrolet is competing on the World level for performance, value, etc. with the Corvette. It's great that the car offers great value for the blistering speeds but there are a LOT of us who can't justify that cost for a car that is simply not practical. Back in 66 you could get 4 different engines and that is how they made the car cheap enough for young buyers but competitive on the World level. Now we get one engine that is expensive and requires better brakes and all the other equipment to go with it.
So, until they figure out the price, young buyers are out. There are simply not enough young people making the kind of money it takes to buy a new Corvette. The ones who can afford it may want the back seat for kids... maybe want a more premium car at the same price that is less performance oriented, etc. The list is endless. I can tell you I had a hell of a time in all of my C4's including the one that had under 250 HP. My 66 is bad to the bone and fun as hell. I am young and don't feel the need for eleven million horsepower or being able to outrun a Ferrari. I want a fun car on the weekends I can run through some twisty back roads in. At 50 grand... or heck, way more, the C7 that my Dad has priced out is going to run him 70 grand, this is WAY too much for me to spend on a fun car.
Wanna attract younger buyers?
10 Year financing at 0% interest for all tier 3 (credit score of lower than 500) qualified buyers.....
They can sell Corvettes like real estate sold in the late 90s.
10 Year financing at 0% interest for all tier 3 (credit score of lower than 500) qualified buyers.....
They can sell Corvettes like real estate sold in the late 90s.
jmhorn52
Well-known member
Chevy needs to drop the price into the40's for a base coupe. There has to be a way to remove some expensive parts maybe cloth or vinyl seats, less expensive seats and wheels, and remove some other parts that run up the base prices. Like Plymouth did originally with the road runner which was a cheaper entry level GTX. Somebody smarter than me would know what they could do to reduce costs
Richard Marvin
Well-known member
Attract younger buyers
The fist thing they should do is make it clear to younger buyers they must have a good job and then set some money aside and before you know it "Wow you have enough money and then you can pay in cash
The fist thing they should do is make it clear to younger buyers they must have a good job and then set some money aside and before you know it "Wow you have enough money and then you can pay in cash
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It's interesting, I asked my 30 year old son. Keep in mind he grew up with his grandpa, uncles, and Dad as Chevrolet dealers. went to College at Northwood (automotive college) and raced from the time he 5 to about 18. He sent me a text from Road America at the races and said they had the new car there. OK, I am going to order one, what do you think. "Looks like a fake Ferrari" wouldn't you want one (he has plenty of $) zero interest. "Thats a car for you old guys"
I don't think the younger guys are as interested in cars as the prior generation, not just Vettes but cars!
:ugh
I don't think the younger guys are as interested in cars as the prior generation, not just Vettes but cars!
:ugh
bragusa
Active member
I think it is a learned love. My son is starting to get in to cars now at 9 thanks to me sharing my interest, spending time talking about cars and attending car shows and races.
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- #12
catbert
Moderator
Start promoting the car in places that aren't populated by Vette owners.......duh. How about setting up the same displays now used at ALMS races at other events? If Chevy wants conquests from other manufacturers, it will have to get out of the corporate comfort zone populated by doting Vette lovers (like Carlisle).
Events like sports car national events, large regional all-makes car shows, concours, lobby displays at up-scale resorts are all the kind of places to get NEW customers. They just need to show up in places that attract folks that can drop sixty grand on a toy. I'm sure they understand that attracting new/young buyers will be a whole lot tougher than making current owners happy.
If GM wants specifics on my ideas, they can always put me on retainer.
Events like sports car national events, large regional all-makes car shows, concours, lobby displays at up-scale resorts are all the kind of places to get NEW customers. They just need to show up in places that attract folks that can drop sixty grand on a toy. I'm sure they understand that attracting new/young buyers will be a whole lot tougher than making current owners happy.
If GM wants specifics on my ideas, they can always put me on retainer.
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That is where my son was "Road America" he eats, drinks, and sleeps racing. But the new Corvette does nothing for him
:eyerole
:eyerole
L
ltmax
Guest
...and Other Sales
I think it's time to get conquest sales. It's time to truly start mashing Ferrari and Porsche's nose into the dirt in a very public way. Motor Trend just got done with their much-hyped Greatest Driver's Car comparo. A C7 was not included because of production timing. They put a 911 on top... a 4-wheel drive 911 (~$130,000 ), not a regular one. We need to get a truthful, head's up comparo, an EVENLY matched event with all the common heros and let the C7 dominate the gig, then do the ads with references. Same for racing series, any series that would actually be truthful with it's rule basis - a stretch, I know. Get every Vette victory of all kinds out into the lamestream press and into all the electronic commo for all to see. Advertise the general desireability of the car, show the new quality, sophistication, capability, do test rides at big-time car events. I get the sense by now that this is a Vette that truly stands on it's own in every way, just gotta get the word out everywhere, but we REALLY got to stick it to the snooty brands in a really public way.
So, Go Vette! Hammer down, Chevy!!
I think it's time to get conquest sales. It's time to truly start mashing Ferrari and Porsche's nose into the dirt in a very public way. Motor Trend just got done with their much-hyped Greatest Driver's Car comparo. A C7 was not included because of production timing. They put a 911 on top... a 4-wheel drive 911 (~$130,000 ), not a regular one. We need to get a truthful, head's up comparo, an EVENLY matched event with all the common heros and let the C7 dominate the gig, then do the ads with references. Same for racing series, any series that would actually be truthful with it's rule basis - a stretch, I know. Get every Vette victory of all kinds out into the lamestream press and into all the electronic commo for all to see. Advertise the general desireability of the car, show the new quality, sophistication, capability, do test rides at big-time car events. I get the sense by now that this is a Vette that truly stands on it's own in every way, just gotta get the word out everywhere, but we REALLY got to stick it to the snooty brands in a really public way.
So, Go Vette! Hammer down, Chevy!!
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Entry level with pricing to match. We don't all need cars that are capable of 190+ mph. A true American made, two seat, sport touring car. Decent price/mileage/handling. Get them hooked and people will want to step up to the next level.
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- #16
YumaZ06 (Tom) is right on with his comment about "What is a younger buyer? Someone in their 40's or 30's?"
Until GM establishes the "Target" consumer they might as well be spitting in the wind.. GM needs to put a PLAN together and ATTACK the "Target" audience with commercials that make sense to them and they can relate too. Showing the progression from the 1953 thru the years to the 2014 means nothing to someone in their late 20's or 30's... I doubt they care about the Corvette "Evolution", Harley Earl or even Zora... sad but probably true!!
GM needs to crawl into the "Target Consumers" head and UNDERSTAND them...
The Cell Phone industry has it figured out, kids as young as 14 are walking around with $400 phones and $75 monthly texting or whatever they are called bills
GM has their priorities, they protect their brand at any cost, and don't understand that a few T-Shirts or a Corvette Club logo isn't going to diminish their BRAND or destroy the GM reputation, the GM BEAN Counters are doing a good enough job of that 
Bud
Until GM establishes the "Target" consumer they might as well be spitting in the wind.. GM needs to put a PLAN together and ATTACK the "Target" audience with commercials that make sense to them and they can relate too. Showing the progression from the 1953 thru the years to the 2014 means nothing to someone in their late 20's or 30's... I doubt they care about the Corvette "Evolution", Harley Earl or even Zora... sad but probably true!!
GM needs to crawl into the "Target Consumers" head and UNDERSTAND them...
The Cell Phone industry has it figured out, kids as young as 14 are walking around with $400 phones and $75 monthly texting or whatever they are called bills
GM has their priorities, they protect their brand at any cost, and don't understand that a few T-Shirts or a Corvette Club logo isn't going to diminish their BRAND or destroy the GM reputation, the GM BEAN Counters are doing a good enough job of that
Bud
The problem is Corvette is a value associated brand and successful people that own Porsche, Ferrari, etc. don't consider it because of that. If you compare a Citizen Eco Drive to a Rolex the Citizen will out perform the Rolex and come in at 1/10th the price (or less). Try to find a successful person, that makes the money to afford a toy of this caliber, that dons a Citizen over a Rolex. These things are functional status symbols and the 'vette doesn't have the status, and never will, unless it is priced higher.
You really can't have it both ways in branding. It will either be value oriented or exclusive. A ZR1 showed up at our local classic Corvette show... it was even tuned up to ridiculous power. It got a few looks from the Corvette faithful but the regular Joes didn't give it the time of day. To them it looked like the other C5's and C6's in the parking lot.
Chevy has really stuck Corvette in the middle at a bad time. You can get more power than you can use in a 20-something thousand dollar Honda SI. Young people are flocking to them. If you make the big money you are buying the functional status symbol and that isn't Corvette.
The other reason it isn't a status symbol is the car has been a follower since the C5. C1-C4 set the style and design trend with limited borrowing of styling cues. C5 is when they started copying other designs extensively. As previously noted people say the new Corvette looks like _______. Since that started, things have gone down hill. Do you really think anyone said the new 63 Corvette looks like _____ ??? or the new 68 looks like _____ ??? They still stand on their own to this day!
GM needs to decide who they are going after for sales. If they are going after the young successful person that is buying a car in the 50-75k range they have a LOT of work to do. It is a tough marketing campaign these days because new cars are just so good. My wife drives a brand new Infiniti G37 sedan. It is fast as hell on the road, tight, nimble, comfortable, and practical. I think sticker was just a bit over 40 grand. Back in the day you got out of a boat of car with approximately 12 usable horsepower and got in a super nimble Corvette with 300+hp. It was a refreshing change that made sales. Now??? My wife's car is tighter and feels faster than my C5. The person looking for a fun driving experience can get it from just about anywhere. Very few people track their cars so I can't quite figure out why Chevy constantly markets at the track.
So... limited status, value oriented brand, better competition, price point, etc. is all killing it.
In my opinion you won't sway the value oriented branding. The way to win is by making something that will win the fun award by regular people (style, technology, fun, mpg, price), not magazine articles beating porsche.
You really can't have it both ways in branding. It will either be value oriented or exclusive. A ZR1 showed up at our local classic Corvette show... it was even tuned up to ridiculous power. It got a few looks from the Corvette faithful but the regular Joes didn't give it the time of day. To them it looked like the other C5's and C6's in the parking lot.
Chevy has really stuck Corvette in the middle at a bad time. You can get more power than you can use in a 20-something thousand dollar Honda SI. Young people are flocking to them. If you make the big money you are buying the functional status symbol and that isn't Corvette.
The other reason it isn't a status symbol is the car has been a follower since the C5. C1-C4 set the style and design trend with limited borrowing of styling cues. C5 is when they started copying other designs extensively. As previously noted people say the new Corvette looks like _______. Since that started, things have gone down hill. Do you really think anyone said the new 63 Corvette looks like _____ ??? or the new 68 looks like _____ ??? They still stand on their own to this day!
GM needs to decide who they are going after for sales. If they are going after the young successful person that is buying a car in the 50-75k range they have a LOT of work to do. It is a tough marketing campaign these days because new cars are just so good. My wife drives a brand new Infiniti G37 sedan. It is fast as hell on the road, tight, nimble, comfortable, and practical. I think sticker was just a bit over 40 grand. Back in the day you got out of a boat of car with approximately 12 usable horsepower and got in a super nimble Corvette with 300+hp. It was a refreshing change that made sales. Now??? My wife's car is tighter and feels faster than my C5. The person looking for a fun driving experience can get it from just about anywhere. Very few people track their cars so I can't quite figure out why Chevy constantly markets at the track.
So... limited status, value oriented brand, better competition, price point, etc. is all killing it.
In my opinion you won't sway the value oriented branding. The way to win is by making something that will win the fun award by regular people (style, technology, fun, mpg, price), not magazine articles beating porsche.
4LT GS RoadsterBuild a quality sports car they lust after/need to own...
:cool
Huskerman
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hmmmm.....I've been thinking.....I think GM needs to send me out a bright red C7 and let me take it to the Husker game this weekend.....I'll promote the sumbitch for em......
melsy
Well-known member
Great thread!!! As someone who caught the bug 60 years ago and only buys Vette's, you will find that today's younger set has very little interest, if any, in Vette's. "Fake Ferrari" kind of sums it up. In addition GM is trying to take the car upscale even though Porche' drivers "and their ilk" don't even see us. There are also too many very good alternatives with four seats and a trunk at decent prices. Years back us kids drove corvette's. Today it's us senior citizen's!! Just look at the last few years corvette sales figures. Beyond dismal. Also, the big vette dealers are taking orders for a great new world class corvette at MSRP!!!!! When have you EVER seen that with a new corvette intro??
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