Should Corvette Become its Own Brand?

[LongTimer]

Re: Just when you thought it was over..

What worries me, other than the thought of a non-two door, sports car Corvette, is that the cost factor will push Corvette into the high end market ($80k+)

That would worry me too. Why would this happen?

But what's the likelihood of getting Corvette to break away from Chevy?

Probably VERY, VERY slim.

The appeal to me has always been here's a world class performer with the dependability of a family sedan. Parts interchangeable with everyday Chevy's,

That IS a problem, .... and my point. Other than trucks, how many Chevies have interchangable parts with today's vette? (We're not talking radios and turnsignals here either). There are no Chevelles, Novas, Impala SS's or Camaros that share any parts.

...as well as reasonable (even for an 18 year old working at McDonald's). Technology now moves too fast. Corvette is a separate animal altogether now, and so perhaps, it is time for a Corvette brand.

Who's gonna convince GM to reverse directions????

C'ya
D

I would rather see Chevy return to the good old, REAL SS days than see Vette spin off. But if Chevy doesn't, I need to understand why the Vette should be a Chevy. The answer: "Because it always has been" is a head-in-the sand position that will lead to extinction.

 

[LongTimer]

Rob,
I agree with almost everything you said in your last post. The one exception is the "Billy Bob" vette. As you know, successful car companies arround the world (exotics and micro economy mfgs to a much lesser extent) offer entry level cars to "hook" young customers hoping they will periodically move up the model line as the years go by. Too frequently the entry level car is a dog and the marketing theory backfires. However, Toyota, MB, BMW have executed this theory well. Once, GM and Ford were successful applying this to divisions too ( start with a Bel Aire, Bonneville in a few years and on to a Buick or Cad later in life).

Although the Billy Bob would seem to offer this entry level vehicle, I think the entry car must be significantly different (please forgive if I misunderstood the content of your BB) from the mainstream (today's ) Vette. I think it must appeal to a bit younger market could bring the Cool back to Vette, that's why I suggested that middy from Vauxhall / Opel. That is a car the younger set would describe as "cool." It would need to be engineered to absolutely "crap" all over the Miatas, MR2s, etc that it would inevitably be compared to. In fact it should cost at least 2-4k less than a 350Z, yet easily outperform it. As you see, my suggested entry car is not an econobox, but a high value / performer that would earn the vette name in its market share.

Cool. I read an article about a year ago, that as a parent of a young man, I tend to agree with. The author stated that as great as the current Corvette is - highest level of performance, quality, technology, and value perhaps ever attained by corvette - it does not have the "Cool Factor" that it had when he was a kid. The 350Z, or even the Celica are "cool" to the kids today. The "admire" factor may be there, maybe even respect vettes, but do not descrbe them as "Cool". "Cool" gets their attention. It hooks them. If the Vette is a one car Cheverolet Model, I could care less about it's perceived "cool" to the younger set - that's the mission statement for some other Chevy. If vette is it's own division, however, "Cool" must be considered. IMO.

 

[ROCKETBLOCK]

This thread is so long it is like reading a book! A good book.

 

[LongTimer]

Thanks for the feedback Rocket. Sometimes I look at my posts and think, "What an opinionated megalomaniac I sound like." I enjoy these discussions with Rob and everyone here. The future of the Covette is something that I am passionate about.

 

[LongTimer]

But wait, there's more ... (I know, I'm plagiarizing)

Please forgive if this is a dupe here, it's hard to remember where I've read what sometimes.
When Lutz "Discovered" Holden in Austrailia, apparently more than just a GTO was born. Being half a world away and rather isolated, Holden has been rather inventive with their production methods. They are not only RWD experts (isn't it sad that we've had more than a generation of very limited RWD US production?), Holden also has "perfected" a means to produce several, significantly different cars on the same production line. GM, it is rumored, is planning on applying this Holden formula here in the US. The rumor says that a CAMARO has been under development in a GM skunkworks program for some time and when the GTO begins USA production for the 2007 model year, a smaller-than-GTO Camaro will be built on the same production line. Assuming this porduction method works well here, all sorts of options become available:

SWAGs:
1. A. A single production facility could pump out RWD Camaros, Chevelles, El Caminos, and Impalas that are content and design unique. Result: the Chevy I loved as a kid!! Several altenative performance niches that include higher perfamance V6s and V8s.
B. The Vette stays a single model under Chevy.

2. A. Chevy gets the Camaro back as their only showcase car (I think the SSR is scheduled to be gone by 2007).
B. Vette is spun off to it's own division to produce multiple models (2 or 3?)on the BG production line applying the Holden methods.

The problems with Scenario 1 is the potential duplicity of target market between Pontiac and Chevy as more RWD V8s are produced by both division. Remember that the new GM goal is that the different divisions attack the market in harmony, not in competition with each other.

The problem with Scenario 2 depends on the Carmaro's mission statement. The Camaro target could be TOO close to that of the lowest tier in the vette 3 model line up - unless that tier is filled by that small Middy Vauhall / Opel. That Middy would aim at a different market segment but, most likely, NOT be produced at BG -- Just waaay too different.

3. Too many other possibilities, one of which is right and who the heck knows what they will do and I have wasted both of our times.

By the way, I've long been a fan of Holden. I have posted their SS (El Camino) and their 4 door, LS1 powered sedan here in the past. Both of these cars are based on the old Opel Omega platform and are produced on the same production line.

 

[LongTimer]

Just ran across this. Thought you might find it an interesting read:

Auto week Aug 28, 2001