New Corvette deliveries dropping

[Jim C.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

still has to many european copycat stuff for me and the rear glass and side glass look very similar to mustang, or old 280 nissan. my opinion still is crappy looking, but to those who like and buy great for you and enjoy and ignore people like me who don't like....after all it will be your car.

plus 1. It will have to look a lot better in person for me to write the check. For me it takes me back to my first impression of the C3. I think the Corvette following divided a bit between those that liked the C3 styling and those were somewhat less enthused . I sense some what the same sentiment toward the C7. But what do I know ? It's still a great car for the price or otherwise.

[Paul J.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

As long as there is a void in the styling department the trend will continue. Who wants to pay 50K for a Camaro? Nobody!

We need another Harley Earl!!!!

JR

Well said.

[Patrick N.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

the new sting ray caused me to decide to buy a 2013 427 convertible. all will have Z51 engines and the car a least to me resembles the camaro. they also deleted the round tail lights that have been on all cars since 62... hope it sells well for GM and corvette...bryan hepper

Although, it is not the first time we have seen Corvette and Camaro share design equity cues:
1970-camaro-taillights.jpg32112.jpg

[Pat M.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

I would not say this is a round tail light circa 1994.

My only issue is the rear area is all angles which is fine for me but then you have round exhaust tips they just look out of place.

Sure, those C4 tailights are not perfectly round. The C5 tailights are also more oval than round as I recall. But neither are so far from round as the C7 tailights.

[Dick W.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

I agree 100% with Joe Ray and Joe Lucia. In order for the Corvette to survive, it needs to have dynamic styling and be priced at 30k which when one adjusts for inflation is where pricing was in the 60s.

Marketing saw to it that pricing would go upscale about '79-'80 +/-

[Steven B.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

I about crapped when I priced out my '77 in August '76 and it was about $10,000, then I priced an '84 and over $20,000! A very early '84 I know of sold by an Indianapolis dealer, gift from wife to husband, was inflated to $50,000! Unbelievable the increases in a short time.

[Steve B.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

Marketing saw to it that pricing would go upscale about '79-'80 +/-

Agreed and it has hurt production and more importantly getting younger buyers in the showrooms. Even an L88 which listed for just under 7000 would be about 55000 adjusted for inflation and it would blow the doors off a Ferrari. A 13 ZR1 lists for well over 100K, hmmm. I think that that the General needs to rethink their marketing strategy. All that aside, if the styling misses the mark, the car will not sell. We do need another Harley Earl!

[Art B.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

Another big factor that must be considered is the poor economy. Joe Lucia touched on it in his discussion on price. Back in the days of the C1 and C2, a guy with a middle income salary could swing a new Corvette. Today, you have to most likely be in the upper middle or upper income brackets to be able to afford one. We are seeing the effects of this bad economy on the entire collector car market with the exception of the Barrett Jackson auctions. The Corvette management apparently has decided to build a great car from an engineering standpoint and let the price go up. IMO it is becoming a rich man's sports car, but there are not as many rich guys ready to slap down the money on a C7.

[Patrick N.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

The issue is brand cache - somewhere along the way Corvette may have become seen by the younger crowd as the old guys car and, as their head of marketing said, its not the car for the "Successful plumber" (anymore). Corvette as a brand is not trending as it should, look at current barometers of trending data: Corvette Facebook likes = 1mil, Porsche = 5 mil Ferrari = 10mil Likes. - The work is on marketing to fix that, they have the car, they need to do better job reaching out.

As far as price goes, you can't compare the sales and price of today's Corvette with C2 or C3. The market is very crowded today then it ever was back when most US consumers only bought domestic. The technology and cost to manufacture are vastly different. The question today is- how can Corvette make itself stand out in the very congested and confusing global crowd? Corvette has evolved from generations past, and competes in the high performance market at the lower price-point of that segment. Corvette is priced on par with Porsche and to some extent the A8. A Base Corvette is a trade-up on the fully loaded camaro / mustang consumer and loaded Vettes are a trade-down to the porsche 911 crowd and maybe even an A8 consumer or two.

Camaro MSRP: 24k-66K
Corvette MSRP: 52K-73K
Porsche 911 MSRP: 84.3K-98.9K
A8 MSRP: 72K-134K

[Robert R.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

Even the marketing tied the two cars together back in the 70s.
This was the cover or the 1971 Camaro with the tag line: "The closest thing to a Vette yet"

it drew me in to buy one back then, especially since I could afford one but not the extra $2,000 for a coupe.




image.jpg

[Michael J.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

I saw this today....OUCH!

http://www.corvetteforum.com/articles/c7/2014-corvette-stingray-hit-by-a-lincoln-town-car.php

[Chuck G.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

I assume they are in production now, but there is probably a shipping hold until it's determined that there are no production problems, so they won't arrive at dealerships until late this month or next month. Does anyone know?

Duke

A fellow in my NCCC Corvette Club who is sorta "connected" to the plant in BG said that the cars won't be delivered to dealerships till the middle or end of October. He made this announcement at our club meeting last night, 8-13-13.

There apparently have been minor production problems. One that I recall is the weatherstripping in/around the hood. Another is the removable top seal on the coupes. Apparently the cars that have already been built are being held till all "issues" are rectified.

Chuck

[Pat M.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

All that aside, if the styling misses the mark, the car will not sell. We do need another Harley Earl!

Agreed. Part of the problem is the understandable pursuit of aerodynamics and simplicity. A lot of cars look alike today, apart from subtle differences, because the general wedge shape is the most aerodynamic. Moreover, unique features like hidden headlights have mostly gone away in the name of both. The result IMO is the loss of distinctive features that made cars beautiful and unique. I'll happily give up both for a car with the "wow" factor, but I fear those days are gone forever.

[Mike E.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

The automotive press is sure having a lot of fun with the C7. It seems they can't say enough good things about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsEGlRakmmk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXvOAFKOI9U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NjYGtxClsM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1nlfMTL154

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4bMLHNatYM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eziXqx4VIU

Comparing it to a Camaro to me makes no sense, they look nothing alike when seen in person. The Camaro resembles a 1969 Camaro and has a retro look, C7 is contemporary. There are some similarities however this has always been true.






As for folks saying the C7 isn't as good a car as our classic Corvettes are really need a reality check. What makes our old Corvettes wonderful machines is the pure raw feel they have. Something that is not possible to produce in a car today and if they did nobody would likely buy one. I also like the way you can personalize the look of the C7. If your a 30 something you can go with the black alloy wheels. This is not my cup of tea so I would opt for the bright finished wheels which totally change the look of the car. To be honest If I had the $$$ I would order a Lime Rock Green Z51 coupe tomorrow.




Mike

[Kent S.]

Re: New Corvette deliveries dropping

My daily commute is on I-65 north of Bowling Green. To date, I have seen exactly one northbound transporter carrying C7s. All of these cars were white.

Per Tom Hill at the National Convention, all Corvettes will be delivered with a tight white cover. Cool thing is, it's reusable and is given to the customer with the car.