New Corvette C7 lower cost basic coupe

I would guess the "cheap" vette would compete with cars like the 370 Nissan Z with a commensurate price. Likely come with the standard truck automatic, a/c, accessories etc. I don't see the point.

Bigger market, more revenue, more exposure of their product......

I do not see the point either. If you want a cheaper Vette, just by the regular one after it is a few years old.

Vito

GM wants to sell more cars. A lower cost Corvette will attract more buyers. GM gains no benefit when somebody buys a 'regular one' when it is a few years old.

Yes, but a Corvette is a "prestige" auto. No prestige in buying a cheaper one. Also GM better watch out. When the fixed window coupe came out years ago, its chassis stiffness made it the car to buy for max performance. The cheaper car actually becomes the more desireable one.

Lets correct a few things here, first off it was 1999 and was called a fixed roof coupe with the bonded body it made the car 12% stiffer, the chassis and other assorted parts were the same. The bonded body was the reason for the added stiffness not a chassis change, plus it was 80# lighter. Option restrictions, like color (WOW) made it a different buying experience, 4031 sold that year. Price was $394 less than a base coupe, another wow with less emphasis. So much for being the "desirable one."

Then in 2000 the marketing strategy of GM kicked into gear and the added wheel change pushed the sales to a whopping 2090 of the 33,682 sold that year at $575 lower price. That year the base coupes that had some engine tweaks were kicking the FRCs ass on the tracks. Now come the 2001 Z06 option, add on, engine changes (385 HP), and the ever coveted "price hike" back to WOW. Now the Corvette buyer had everything, more power for more money and bragging rights. In 2002 the lowly (FRC) Z06 now topped the base coupe price by $8,700 with 405 HP and they sold 8297, high HP and a high price sells Corvette, carry on GM.

Time passes and the "NEW" C6, skin change, wheel spacing, and bells and whistles with pretty lights here and there hits the streets with a lower base price??? Next they take the Z06 back to the full coupe design with new fenders, 427 CID, and more bragging rights for nearly a 50% increase.

Now GM is going to start this parade of incompetence over again with a smaller engine? I was planning to have a 7th generation Corvette since I've owned all 6 and most likely could use an automatic at this age but this new design is like a fart during sex. Somehow I think I can get along with what I have, plus there is no reason to be seen it the new design be it bragging rights (?) or anything else. Used to be that people would point at the Corvette and wishfully smile, now there's a good chance they will point and laugh.

Vito and Dad,

I think we all agree that this move by GM is not necessarily a good one, and that the prestige and mystique of the Corvette will somehow be reduced if another lower cost model is introduced.

Plain old fashion greed is at work here, and Porsche Boxsters, Caymans, and other watered-down versions of the more deluxe 911 unfortunately create this type of competitive pressure for GM to imitate / match.

FWIW, I am still lusting for the C7 convertible and I wait impatiently until next year for it to arrive.

Thanks for the correction and your knowledge. After I slept on it I realized it was Fixed Roof Coupe. Going to the Peterson Museum in downtown Los Angeles tomorrow with my Corvette Club to see the new C7. Will take photos. Have not been to the Peterson in a while. About 30 min away from where I live but in the CITY. Arg.

Snip

I have a soft spot for their engine over the DOHV designs and did like the seats but they just blew it on the body design. I'd take the old design of the Lexus SC300 any day but they dumped their V8 this year.. Then there's the brutal design cues of the Lamborghini that could have sent the C7 over the top instead of the Ford method of adding chrome, vents, and scoops. The only thing they took from the 2009 concept car was the stingray and the nose flag emblem. So sad. The Corvette design should be a leap ahead not and added wrinkle.

Yep. The C7 is too busy. Take off the scoops and make it smooth and sleek. At least make everything monochrome. Making the scoops a different color is frightening.

...hhmmmnnn...which is probably why I flat hated the first one I saw in red, buy warmed a bit to a "build your own" in grey. With black wheels...