With Viper splitting from Dodge, should Corvette have separated from Chevy?

[USA1Z06]

Well, it's about time for me to unsubscribe from this thread. Too much politics for me. The Vote count says it all. Bye!

 

[TerryO]

That makes two of us.

Well, it's about time for me to unsubscribe from this thread. Too much politics for me. The Vote count says it all. Bye!

 

[trooper]

Easy Answer........ NO :nono

 

[Strodder]

X3

 

[440Music]

I don't think it's fair to look at Viper splitting from Mopar as it's still in it's infancy. Now on the other hand look at Lincoln's split from Mercury and the success that Lincoln has had since.

Do I think Corvette should split from Chevrolet? Yes, Corvette is a sports car and Chevrolet is a mom & pop car. A split would give Corvette an identity all it's own that it can continue to build on and with it's racing heritage in time maybe become a Formula 1 race car. If that happens I don't think I'll be able to afford one but who knows.

 

[devilleader501]

That would be tantamount to saying Chevrolet is no longer the performance brand that it represents in the racing world. The duplication of setting up a dealer network that can sell, service, and support Corvette is ridiculous. Corvette has been around for 60 years while Viper has been a brand associated with Dodge for one third of that time. Viper has never been more than a shadow of a sports car when it comes to sales along with the shaky quality, and the many other less than stellar attributes associated with the vehicle. Did you ever pack one up with your belongings and take a trip in it across country? Better yet, did you ever watch them build a Viper? The Viper sales volumes don’t even represent a threat to Corvette and Chevrolet. The value concept of Chevrolet and Corvette is still realistic because to obtain a vehicle with similar performance characteristics represents an investment of significantly more money. Breaking Corvette away from Chevrolet also impacts the rich history of the vehicle so all in all the idea doesn’t have much validity. Zarrella? Who dat? He doesn’t work there any more and that may be one of the reasons why he is gone.

I can't agree with you more. Dodge nor Ford can hold a candle to what Chevrolet has done with the Corvette. Mustangs dont have enough guts from the factory even with superchargers installed to hold a good race with a Vette. Viper? Really they have to have 2 extra cylenders to even start. With the money Chevrolet has put into the Corvette in the last 60 years to be the best American made sports car ever built and can run against the supercars of Europe for a fraction of the cost, Chevrolet would be foolish to seperate Corvette and put it into a class all of its own. Corvette is Chevrolet's Flagship car just as the Silverado is the Flagship truck. If you take Silverado and make it a stand alone vehicle that anyone could sell would be outright blasphemy. The Dealers that sell these cars need salesmen who know how to sell a car of its calliber. You cant walk up to an 80 year old and expect them to buy a Corvette, but you can walk up to a successful 25 year old and sell him just for the cool factor alone. Oh and I have problems with GM working on my Vette because of prices as it is Imagine if some hole in the wall company got ahold of it and said Uhhhhhh hey we did a test and seems as though your engine is toast even though the car ran fine to begine with it was just there for an oil change. Keep Corvette with Chevrolet.

 

[SG Lou]

NO ! But what Chevrolet SHOULD DO & REQUIRE is each Dealership MUST have at least 2 fully trained sales reps. who know the in's and out's of a Corvette, including it's Heritage.
Same goes for Service Tech's.

 

[tonyman262]

Should Corvette separate from GM?

Separate Corvette from GM is a question that should be asked every 10 or 12 years for several reasons!
That's enough time for younger hotshot execs, engineers, and designers at GM to have risen to the point where their 2 cents will actually be considered.

That's enough time for current owners to consider the service they've received from their current Corvette(s) and are pondering the next model / body style change.

That's enough time for younger people that have dreamed of owning a Vette to get their family and finances to the point where getting a corvette is not crazy (hard to justify if you're still carting around 2-3 kids to school).

If the builders and current owners (yes, we have a part to play) have done their jobs right, there will be an ever increasing number of folks in the third group.

Yes, that question should be periodically trotted out, dusted off, thoroughly considered, and summarily rejected.
While most people don't aspire to own a Chevy per se, have you considered how many people that need a family car or just transportation that they can afford that walk into a Chevrolet dealership dream of the time when they can get a Corvette?

While I can't even consider speaking for how women think, I do have a clue on how a lot of guys think.
The next time any of you are in a Chevy dealership notice how any of the customers act when they pass by a Corvette, especially the current crop of Corvettes.

There are a couple of sayings that come to mind; "Out of sight is out of mind" & "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
By separating Corvette from Chevrolet you not only lose all of the financial and engineering support mentioned many, many times already; but I also belive you lose all of the built in gravitas that comes with having the big dawgs on the lot.

It's like I have to stay on my chain on the porch right now; but there will come a time when I can drop the chain and run with the big dawgs!

It's at this point that I'll add a little aside:
GM should have allowed the XLR to stay in the mix a little longer.
The XLR development should have continued to the point that when a customer wanted to purchase a sports car, the decision should have been hard as hell to the point of agonizing.
Which only means that after we bought our Corvette we would have to get an XLR (you know, for the wife).

The whole conversation about salespeople selling Corvettes is kind of crazy.
Ask yourself when was the last time a salesperson actually sold a Corvette?
That Corvette was already sold when the person walked into the dealership.
At best the salesperson may have sold some accessories, or maybe, just maybe the salesperson got the person to get this Vette instead of that Vette (convertible vs coupe, or this color instead of that color because it wasn't on the lot).
In my mind, when it comes to Corvettes, the salesperson at best just facilitated the purchase and tried to upsell as much as possible.

While familiarity with the product should be a no brainer, it's the service staff that really needs to be top notch along with building the ecosystem. It's the service staff that will ultimately make or break possible return buyers.

I suggest that the dealership would also be well served cultivating one or more of the nearby Corvette clubs or starting one of their own.
The dealership could then encourage as many of the salespeople and service techs to participate as are interested.
Here in Las vegas we have quit a few events that come to town like NASCAR, National Finals Rodeo, and so forth in addition to the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School just 60 minutes outside of town (35 minutes by vette). GM and Chevrolet could be served well by sponsoring Corvette events in this area during these times, especially since the economy appears to be getting a little better.

No, we should leave the Corvette, as a Chevrolet Corvette. This is a win, win win (remember the 3 groups) situation.
Besides my white Corvettes are right at home next to my white Silverado.
I live in the desert, and white vehicles are less of a pain to keep looking nice than darker colors, they show less dust and stay cooler in the summer.

Now, let's get back to a serious discussion; upgrade the interior and bring on CUE!!!

 

[Verle]

Corvette split from Chevrolet

I would like to see Corvette stay part of Chevrolet.

The danger of that is, as in the past, bean counters have tried to close Corvette. "Not enough revenue."

The problem with splitting off is a small company would not have the financial resources to do the high tech development that lead to today's Corvette.

 

[Bob Heine]

Corvette separated from Chevrolet would be the perfect way to kill the Corvette as we know it. Once you make it a stand-alone brand, even if it stays under the GM umbrella, it's contribution to CAFE numbers is negative. Its cost structure is negative and its dealership network consists of five outlets -- Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Miami. The smaller dealerships outside those five markets would go bankrupt real quick just from the cost of test drives. The four-door Cadillac CTS-V with a Corvette badge would be next next in line, followed by an electric car that gets a gazillion miles to the gallon.

Car salespeople are salespeople. Selling one or even two Corvettes a month is not going to fill their sales quota. A Corvette guru sales rep will get sucked into a four-hour discussion with a customer who can't afford to buy a new Chevy Sonic. Might still be there the second month of operation but that's doubtful. Relying on a sales rep is nuts, especially for high-end purchases. I wouldn't expect a sound system sales rep to know the inner workings of a $75,000 Continuum Audio Labs turntable and tonearm. I would expect them to know enough to sell me the $25,000 stand to set it on. Very few sales people are taught the inner workings of the products they sell. Their goal is to meet, greet and close the deal. Apologies to the rep (s?) who are knowledgeable.

 

[CAPTAIN AL]

Corvette without Chevrolet would be like Superman without Clark Kent

All successful Brands have a premier product to showcase why change this philosophy. Please try to present logical discussions.

 

[upinsmoke]

Corvette Split

I think it is an advantage that the sales people do not know what we know about the Corvette. Most of the time here you end up talking to the Sales Manager anyway because the salesman can not negotiate the final price. I do not buy new cars for this reason plus I let the original owner take the first hit as far as depreciation. There are to many Corvettes with super low miles out there so as far as I am concerned the only thing a dealer is good for is service and I question this thought on a regular basis also. With all of this being said I do think that seperating the two would be a terrible move but that has never stopped them before. I love Corvettes and I always will but the dealer network needs a lot of work. The Corvette will always be a Chevrolet and it is the BEST bang for your buck bar none!!!!

 

[Clive]

Keep It In The Family

Chevrolet should keep Corvette under the Chevrolet umbrella. It was Chevrolet who put the Corvette on the road and now the 2 names go hand in hand. To have Corvette go alone would break the tradition and relationship that goes back the the very first Corvette.

I know that when I'm out in my car and should anything ever go wrong, there's bound to be a Chevrolet dealer nearby even if it's in some small town somewhere and that's comforting. Sure, maybe they won't have the part in stock because no one can carry every part, but it will be there in a day or so.

Keep it Chevrolet and if it works, don't mess with something that isn't broken!

 

[Topless]

Bad employees ruin the Corvette name

Why Chevy dealers don't deserve to handle Corvettes? Let's see, where to start? Chronologically?

• A family friend just bought a Corvette from a Chevy dealership. He was "sold" a Z06. Too bad it was just a fixed roof coupe.
• Fitting weather stripping to a convertible with hardtop is a joke at a dealer.
• You mean you actually wanted synthetic oil?? (Service dept. put in conventional after a couple years of service history of the REQUIRED synthetic.)
• Targa top flew off after repair, and the Targa was not the item being repaired!
• Selling a 2004 Commemorative Z06 as perfect, despite having a cheap aftermarket hood installed. (where did that carbon fiber go?)
• They cannot figure out how to release a parking brake (C4).
• Sell you Camaro parts for a Corvette (same part numbers, but different and non interchangeable parts)
• Wash an engine with Opti-spark!!
• Replacement of opti-spark required the use of a crowbar? (I still do not see that in the service manual)
• You want a what kind of serpentine belt? Double sided? There is no such thing! ('92-'93E)
• You don't even want to know responses involving the '62,

I have stopped going to dealers for service, and don't trust them for sales. If Chevrolet had a certification program for the Corvettes, I might go back.

 

[irloyal]

Having a dealership that knows it's product is good business. There is always going to be a "new" salesperson that doesn't know everything about every car on their lot. That would be impossible as models change specs and dealerships change sale staff.
Now, would I like a "specialist" that knows a particular model line? Hell yes. I've made it a point to learn more about Corvettes, (C6) and be the most up-to-date on TSB's, recalls, trends or whatever with regard to Corvette. Forums like this make that easy.

As far as Corvette "heretage" goes, that is an emotional thing that has zero value. A salesperson doesn't need to know that in 1967, GM offered 3 deuces (tri-power) on their 427BB Corvette that produced a "claimed 435HP." (Closer to 500, btw.)

So, would I like to see Corvette divorce from GM?

Yes, as it can be specialized. and

No, a new Co. won't have enough $$ to develope the car to the stage it is developed today.

I withhold judgement until I see what Obama motors does with the 2013

 

[81jim]

Vette and chevy

The vette should remain part of chevy. It is a chevy icon. However I would like to see it a special part of chevy. Specially trained seperate sales and specially trained techs. Specializing in all vettes old and new. It is very hard to find a guy who really knows how to work on a vette especially the old ones.

 

[njlouc]

The vette has to remain part of chevy.

In reality it has no other place to go.
A new Corvette dealership is immensly too expensive to start now!
There are not that many cars sold and logistics would pose a problem. There would only be a handful of these new dealerships and if you are not reasonably close, you are talking a long trip.
Dont forget there are so many independent repair specialists all over the USA.

AND what makes you think that the new dealerships would be any better??

They eventually they would have to do like Porsche - 4 door/vans/SUVs etc to make up the difference in sales.
I would not be too keen on a badge engineered Corvette SUV.

In reality there already are Corvette-only style dealers.
Some in NJ, Texas, CA, etc have a major presence in the Corvette culture.
Effectively they are Corvette specialists - much different from the other "all" Chevy dealers.
They would be the closest business model.

 

[catbert]

I think the idea was to open Corvette sales up to select other GM branded dealer - or that was my impression. I have a feeling the buying/servicing experience at Caddy dealer that really wanted the brand would be good, but none of this will ever happen. The Vette will be a Chevy, even if the name isn't anywhere to be seen on the car.

 

[81jim]

corvette and chevy

I never said anything about new dealerships. what I was trying to say is that the present dealerships should have specialy trained personel within their dealerships. I don't know were you have taken your vette. here in st.louis every dealership that i have taken mine to seems to be scratching their head. as for as special shops i have taken mine to one here in st.louis area and sure they can work on the new ones, but bring them a c-3 or older and it's the same thing, get out a book and lets see if we can figure this out.

 

[tonyman262]

Obama Motors???

I withhold judgement until I see what Obama motors does with the 2013

Alright, I'll bite, what in the heck does President Obama have to do with:
Corvette remaining with Chevrolet
Corvette getting upgraded seats or materials like any other $50K+ automobile
Corvette getting upgraded electronics like any other highend sports car
Corvette being able to handle wet roads better with the tires that comes stock
Corvette apealing to a larger market so it can continue to be produced, you know, like a production car

Perhaps you should explain;
are you saying that the Corvette is now a democrat car, or did you mean something even more hateful?