The Opel GT Concept is the latest tease of a small, two seat sports car that could position itself against the Mazda Miata, Fiat 124 Spider and Toyota GT86/Scion FRS/Subaru BRZ. Such a vehicle could add enthusiasm and passion to the somewhat pedestrian Opel brand, as the late-model Kappa-platform Opel GT did in the early-mid 2000s. Ironically, that European-market roadster was built in America.
Alas, Opel boss, professor-doctor Karl-Thomas Neumann, alleges that the Opel GT concept has no place in the showroom as a production model. Maybe the red wheels are a reason. Regardless, the curvy coupe may not have a future as an Opel, but what if it were a Chevrolet? What if it were an entry-level Corvette model?
We teamed up with RM Design to render what a mini Corvette would look like, based on the Opel GT. The C7 Stingray cues are instantly noticeable front and back, while the bubble roofline and rounded edges of the GT remain. Under the hood, we imagine an LTG 2.0L four cylinder turbo engine will fit snugly in there. We’ll fantasize about a naturally aspirated motor with a high red line mated to a manual transmission sending significant power to the rear wheels, but it’s unlikely GM will ever build such an engine. Let alone build a mini Corvette.
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Comments
Oh please this is a disgrace of an effort.
I have no artistic talent and could do better than this!
You want someone to buy in on an idea like this hire a pro to do the work.
Scott,
Thank you for your feedback.
I should tell you that this is the work of “a pro”. In fact, we went through several iterations and changes on this and are ultimately satisfied with the result. Of course, you’re entitled to your opinion, which I thank you for sharing.
You had better ask for your money back.
Sorry the concept of a smaller car is fine but it will not be a Corvette for one.
Two the execution here is just plain odd. Kinda of looks like a Genetically mutated Dwarf of the original C7.
Just clean up the Opel and put a name on it like Corsa or Monza and call it a day.
Besided Chevy has one 2 seater already move this to Buick where it could be sold in lower volumes at a higher profit and be equip with better features still at a affordable Miata like price.
Sorry I am not trying to be harsh but come on just grafting over C7 details on a Opel is no way to design a car. Use a little more imagination and artistic talent than cut and paste here and you may have an integrated design.
Right now Ed Wellborn is sobbing quietly after seeing what you did with one of his designs.
Well if you post things it is to get Opinion and that is all I gave.
On the web Sometimes you stick it out and get a high five. Other times you come back with a bloody stump. Well this time is the latter.
You should call Ed and ask to make sure he’s upset. You seem to know everything, and have the perfect eye for what looks good. You should probably tell him what you think. Here’s a grand idea, go make a rendering yourself, as you say you can make a better rendering. Make your own website, too. We’ll wait.
Hit a nerve?
Hey when you become a Painter, Song Writer, Artist or web page writer and stick something out for critical acclaim be prepared for the good and the bad reviews. I would think you would understand this by now.
Sorry to be harsh but this was a poor effort in my opinion and I shared it. If you like my opinion fine if not so be it and you should be the same.
I am not going to be the only one not thrilled with the final result here either.
Like I said it is a neat idea but Does Chevy have room for a second 2 seater cheaper roadster where profits and volumes are low? Few cars in this segment last long like the Miata that also enjoys global sales.
GM has already done the Fiero where they over sold the car for the first couple years to keep the plant open till the GM 80 program came but it then failed per the GM 80 program was killed and the plant with that kind of volume could not support a car only selling 30K or less cars.
At least at Buick they could sell it globally and then they could charge a little more to the point that there is some profit at lower volumes. Just look at the history of Miata volume in America and it is generally less than 18,000 units per year to keep demand up. Global sales take up the rest. As for effort here sorry but putting Pamela Anderson’s head disproportionately on the Mona Lisa is not going to make it a work of art. If you take it personal sorry but you are not my son in first grade so I figured you could take it and not need the nurturing. If you need that call you mom.
If it makes you any better many of the concepts that the web or magazines do are poorly done. Those who can do and those who can’t write blogs or criticize it on the web.
I freely admit I can not do any better but at least I am not sticking my concepts out on the web.
You think I am harsh the feed back from those in the Tech Center can be even harsher when you get it wrong.
The bottom line is the Opel could be fixed for production very easily and it was not broken to start with.
The Opel and Corvette are both fine on their own like Pizza or Ice Cream. But that does not mean they work well in the same bowl.
Here is some hints. Clean up the nose as it dose not shrink well and it too busy. Shrink the side vent and go more retro like a 1959 C1. Then lose the rear window and just make it a roadster that is what most people buy in this segment with a trunk that can hold a couple weekend cases. Finally give it a fresh face. This nose looks great on a C7 but on this car it just looks odd. Be more original.
Also name it something other than a Corvette. GM already tried to save Olds by naming everything Cutlass. {Supreme, Calais. Ciera} and we know how well that worked out.
Now that is my opinion like it or not. You have given yours and I have given mine. If you did not want any feed back but positive in nature then post it in your story.
FYI when you get it right I will be the first one to tell you it looks great and you did good so it is nothing personal.
You act as if your job was on the line for this one? I would surly think not as generally you get it right more than you get it wrong. But then again that is just my opinion.
For you to strike my nerves I’d first have to care about what you have to say or think. I was just continuing with your gloating, citing that you can do better than we can. I invite you to do so. It’s confusing why you bring up the Tech Center like we should have delivered to their standards, or that you think you’re doing us a favor by being a contrarian. You don’t like the rendering? Cool. Don’t like it. You won’t be the only one. You wish to attack our character and integrity as professionals? That’s an overstep on your part.
You’re also not the one holding a banhammer over your shoulder. So I suggest you approach in a more constructive tone.
This rendering was not only inspired by the idea of what the Opel GT is (rather than the Opel GT itself), but of the rumors of an entire “Corvette Family” that could expand well beyond the C7 program. To take it in the literal sense is to miss the point entirely.
If you read my post I stated
“FYI when you get it right I will be the first one to tell you it looks great and you did good so it is nothing personal. ”
“You act as if your job was on the line for this one? I would surely think not as generally you get it right more than you get it wrong. But then again that is just my opinion.”
You just came at me overly sensitive and your post is there for those to decide.
So you want to threaten with a Ban? What ever.
So I am outside the lines for hating this graphic? I never called you names, I never made fun of your mother and I even state you get it right more times than others. Your beef is I state this was a poorly executed idea of a graphic representation. So if that is Ban material so be it.
I don’t get it right all the time and neither does anyone else. Web sites like this are to express ideas and opinions. I expressed mine and you don’t like it. I’m ok with that. If you want to debate why I am wrong civilly I am game for it.
I understand very well how the whole Corvette program could expand per what some think. I disagree with this to a degree as offering a smaller 4 cylinder Chevy 2 seater and tying the Corvette name to it is just wrong. Call it a Monza. Corsa or some other name but never a Corvette. Even Manta Ray would be fine.
Also the business side of this it would better place this car in the hands of Buick. We already have many that want Corvette ripped away from Chevy and sold as it’s own brand at Cadillac. I am not for that either.
Right now you will get a Corvette C7 for a while longer joined with a Mid Engine Corvette we may see next year. As time goes on the C8 will be build with a variety of variations at a variety of cost that will supplant the C7 in time. We will even see a Hybrid version at some point.
But it would be wrong to make this small car and to call it a Corvette in anyway. Call it something else and that is fine.
Also so not tag a truck/SUV with the Corvette name and do not tag a sedan with a Corvette name. This devalues the image and trade mark. Now if you want to take a sedan leave the name on it but you could say tuned by Corvette Engineering etc. Same for this little car tuned by Corvette engineering would work.
Too much equity has been earned to slap the Corvette name on just any car you please even if it has two seats.
Ok you may not like what I said and if not show me where I am wrong in my opinion vs. tossing out banhammer threats. That is just the easy way out.
Web sites are for debate lets debate. Stone Sharpens the Sword and that goes both ways for us here.
Keep in mind I am not the one who said it looked like it contracted the zika virus?
The zika virus comment was funny. I even liked it. It wasn’t a monologue of opinions. Gordon Ramsey doesn’t insult mothers on his show, but nevertheless. Despite your “insight,” the rendering isn’t going to change. We’re moving on to another rendering for another vehicle. Hopefully you dislike it even more.
It’s disagreeable that a vehicle like this would devalue the Corvette name in some way. Look no further than Porsche, which has the “entry” level Boxter/718, all the way up to the 918 Spyder. Despite the broad lineup, Porsche remains one of the most coveted brands on the market. Corvette can enjoy this as well. To be clear, I’m not advocating a Corvette CUV. Look at the way Ferrari does things in that regard, leaving CUV offerings to Maserati and Alfa Romeo.
The Corvette nameplate needs to be spun off to reach a higher potential. The Chevrolet showroom is holding it back.
Man I am glad you at least still have your sense of humor.
I did not like the drawing and did not degrade you unless you made it. The guy who made it took my brunt of lack of originality.
As for your next I am open minded and hope it is step in the right direction. If it is right I will be the first one to compliment but if it is bad I will be there too. Nothing personal just calling balls and strikes. I am not the one using a threat to ban someone if you will note and that will not stop me calling what I see.
I could lie to you like a grade schooler and tell you they all are wonderful but I expected that you want the truth and I gave it. I was not over the top as I really think this one was that bad. There was no intention to hurt your feeling just I just judged it based on what I saw. And based on what I see I am not alone here.
Man as for the name you are mistaking brand name for model name. The smaller car could be called a Chevy and it would not hurt but to call it a Corvette would be like calling a Boxster a 911 light or a Mustang a Mustang II.
The Corvette may be a brand to some but to the majority it is a model and if you do a sub model it much live up to what the other one is.
If you had posted this on a Corvette web site I expect 85% of them would demand you be burned at the stake as at those sites they do take it personal. You even mention a TT V6 option then they get really upset.
To me if you want to spin off the name plate it can only be done by going up the chain not down. Unlike Cadillac where you can dumb down the brand into a Chevy you can not dumb down a Corvette brand or you will be in danger of creating another 924 image car.
The Stingray right now is price wise in the Boxster class and is not only considered a great car but a great car for the money. To move the brand lower is just dangerous waters.
Now move it up you can continue to make lower volumes but add to the mystic and brand. Also you can make more money and not have to rely on low volumes at low profits.
The Solstice for example was a low profit car as there was little meat on the bone. When volumes drop it becomes an at risk car. The RX7-8 died because of that the MR2 died twice because of that and even the 280-300 Z died because of that.
I would recommend to you what I was recommended to study by a GM guy. The history of the 924-944. It was a popular car in the 80’s and they sold a lot of them. But there were issues.
First off the traditional 911 people did not accept them. Also the quality was not there. Profits were only based on high volumes that could not be continued. The car started to erode the image and profits of Porsche. They were not a company suited in the 80’s to compete with the Camaro. Their name lost some equity just as Harley did under the AMF era,
Porsche killed these car when they tried to move them up level in price and people stopped buying them. They went back to the 911 to build image and then tried again with a more expensive Boxster in the Corvette price range and moved the 911 even higher in price.
There is a great lesson to be learned there. Sports cars do not live long at lower prices as volumes can not sustain the profits with thin margins.
Also the lesson to be learned moving up is care there must be taken in how you use the name on what kind of product. The 928 was considered top of the line but never really clicked. Even today you can buy one for $4,000 while a 911 air cooled is going up gang busters.
With the Corvette you have an image people like and want. Just as with a Harley you could build a great inline engine for it but people still want and expect a V twin. With Corvette heritage as it is a Mid Engine will work as it is the Unicorn they never found. Moving up in price will keep volumes low but they will make as much on 2,000 mid engines as they make on 10,000 C7 models.
While there may be some merit to the Chevy brand holding it back there is also the argument that the Chevy brand is also the thing that really puts it out there too. Chevy is a very strong performance name brand and people yet today will fight over the brand at the local tracks defending it.
Finally there is no way Chevy will let them pry it away from them. They are the company that has carried them in good and bad times and they will not give it up with out a fight. Also keep in mind if things ever do go south at GM Chevy would be the last division standing.
Now I would agree to make Corvette a private brand outside North America. I would Include the Camaro there too so you could sell them through what ever GM brand is in that country be it Opel or Holden or Cadillac in China.
But like I stated I have no issue with a small roadster but just do not call it a Corvette with a 4 cylinder in it. That would be thin ice to walk on and there would be a greater price to pay if it goes south than what you stand to gain.
Keep in mind a small roadster will only sell in numbers 12K-18 K at best. If you sell more than that you risk saturation of the segment and you will find few buyers in 4 to 5 years. Mazda could have sold more Miatas here in NA but they want to keep the people wanting for more and between limited numbers and special paint packages they keep interest flowing. That is the secret to their success where so many have failed.
I hope you realize I meant no harm to disrespect in all this. But I will warn you if you do something great you will get praise but if it is bad I will call it out. Nothing personal just call it as I see it.
Road and Track is due for another drawing of what they think the C8 will be again and as normal they will miss it again and not do a very good job. The Vette team watches these and always gets a good laugh. The only one that got it right recently was another web site on the C7. I saw it and knew they nailed it. Hell broke loose inside GM on that one. One thing you do today is if you see something from a GM insider is to keep it under wraps if you want any more peaks. I can wager that web site will not break the C8 this time.
You seem to think you’re laying some long-winded “truth” here regarding the critique. Don’t twist your opinions as truth. Again, you don’t like it? Don’t like it. But don’t pretend your opinion carries weight as fact.
You can’t present a case study of the 924, 928 or the 944 and deem them as failures in areas where Corvette as a brand can’t go, when Porsche currently enjoys sales (and profits) from crossovers, and while the 911 enthusiasts may not like that, it ultimately doesn’t seem to matter. Meanwhile, Ferrari is going to roll out TTV6 models and hybrids. A few buyers won’t like that very much, but ultimately, things are going to be okay.
From what I’ve heard, GM is flirting with the idea of a Corvette brand a lot more seriously than you’d like to think.
Manoli What did you do remove the Reply?
You seem to think if you deny my opinion that you have proven me wrong.
Make a case to either prove me wrong or prove you are right.
Ferrari is a company not a model of a brand. You tend to confuse a model or models with a entire company.
Since when has Corvette become a company?
With your thinking Camaro would also be a Company since it is offered in different models to?
What did you do hide the reply?
I am well aware of the Corvette Branding but it will remain at Chevy in NA and could be a independent brand overseas. Chevy sells more cars and Chevy gets more say over the Corvette than anything.
You really think Chevy who has killed other cars inside GM and new models and limits Cadillac on power will give up the Corvette that easy?
Yes Chevy has denied Pontiac for how many years a sports car. It killed the Fiero as I held the classified papers that killed the car and was given the info by someone who was at the meeting. He said Chevy sells more cars and Chevy get the most say.
For Chevy NA to give up Corvette it would be Bloody and tough this is not what I have heard but what I have been told by those inside GM.
The Corvette holds power but Chevy still holds the leash.
As for sports cars TTV6 models and Hybrids will be part of their survival. They really have no choice. The Corvette will see this option sooner than most expect but it will be in a regular based model not a smaller separate car.
As for the SUV models and sedans again in this case Porsche is a company not a model.
I think you will see when the C8 gets here that we will have two distinct models but to expand that to many more is a stretch at this point. If the C8 Mid Engine struggles the whole thing could change again.
One must keep in mind that the Corrvette not long ago was on the chopping block. A well published story of the man who ignored GM and kept the car alive at the cost of his future at GM is well known.
Here is the issue. Tadge stated the C7 had to increase volume. It did but like most C models they go up for several years and then it goes down. At this time they need to get a new model out to drive sales. The last C6 was really hurting for sales. Now if you add more and cheaper models you are going to cannibalize the sales of the one main model you have now with cheaper models that will demand more volume to make the same money. That is a tough business case. You do understand the car still has to make a business case and still does not get a free pass.
If you want to continue to compare the Corvette to Porsche make it an even comparison and compare it to the 911 That is what it is compared to. Not the entire line of Porsche Same for Ferrari etc.
Porsche is a company like Chevy. Corvette is a model like a 911.
GM has just killed off how many divisions and models and the last thing they need to to add so many more when they still have not fixed the ones they have. Cadillac is more important to get up to speed profit wise and the Continued improvement at Chevy in their SUV models and their trucks and mid size and compact cars is much more important. Slapping the Corvette name on many other models is not going to make much difference to the bottom line and may even do more damage than good. Again look at the Cutlass. That was the most popular model in America and now look where Olds Is.
I didn’t remove anything. Maybe it’s the internet’s way of drawing the line.
I’m glad that you’re now accepting your point as just an opinion. There’s no “proving wrong” your arbitrary perspective on an art form (a design rendering). But to arrogantly suggest an opinion as some form of truth or fact is something that nobody here should have to tolerate.
I fully understand the point of hurting feelings and dealing with an uphill battle for somebody to dare see the Corvette as something more than just a vehicle name plate. The customers lost could just as well be made up by customers who become suddenly interested in the Corvette name. Picture, if you can, a dedicated Corvette showroom with a dedicated Corvette family, sold by somebody who is an inside-out subject matter expert, and not just some dude in khakis who works on commission. Corvette will never be able to tap into the influential and discerning customers that Porsche and Ferrari enjoy if it stays in a Chevy dealer. The Corvette is a $120,000 car, sold for half off because of the Chevrolet dealership experience.
“Now if you add more and cheaper models you are going to cannibalize the sales of the one main model you have now with cheaper models that will demand more volume to make the same money.” Only if you do it wrong. A Boxter/Cayman doesn’t seem to get in the way of the 911. I compare Corvette to Porsche because originally Porsche was just one vehicle, which evolved into an entire family of performance vehicles. And I’m sure you’ve noticed that the interior and exterior of a current Corvette do not say “Chevrolet” anywhere. The only hint of lineage is the Chevrolet bowtie in the badge. I’ll need more than the notion that the Corvette-Chevrolet relationship needs to belong on some sort of sacred pedestal because feelings. And if Corvette wants to enjoy a more global stature, it can’t be carried by Chevrolet. The equity just isn’t there. Besides… the Camaro has just gotten too damn good, good enough to where a vehicle could even slot underneath that.
looks like a corvette caught the zika virus.
if it is real and a low price-and it can handle highway speeds,yes then it is great and i as a vet owner would get it.In fact i have sold 3 as batmobiles and working on a 4th.the mini would be fun to do as a batmobile.
Would General Motors do something like this and the answer is no, it didn’t allow Pontiac to build the Banshee which was a variant of the Corvette and the Opel GT would be capable of the same thing; thus, the only really logical option would be to use the Alpha platform which is currently used by the Chevy Camaro and Cadillac ATS as this is a less expensive and heavier platform meaning any resulting car wouldn’t be capable of competing against the Corvette.
This is so awesome!
This plus the Daytona delivery package would be perfect
I know Ed and have worked with the guys at design staff on a bunch of project and I think he would agree that this has awkward lines. Those guys are constantly sketching stuff in meetings and none have these kind of proportions.
As far as producing two seaters. It is a tiny market today BUT if the vette goes mid engine and the base price goes close to 6 figures a mini vette could work as described above. But again the volume would be low and they need to have an existing architecture to make it feasible.
not bad idea. baby vette or something like this. mid engine vette-simple vette and baby vette. something like some other car brands porfolio
GT production is totally dependent on developing a platform, there’s an interesting little chat going on over at GMI regarding where/when/how GM might go about this.
http://www.gminsidenews.com/articles/is-the-opel-gt-concept-just-sound-and-fury/
Mark Reuss has been a champion of a smaller RWD platform that is sub Alpha. He would like to visit this smaller platform again but for now there is little support inside GM.
The Alpha as of now will not go small enough and there are too few platforms to share this with for the volume they would see even in a 2+2 coupe or small sedan.
GM has watched and the small RWD coupes all have struggled at Scion/Toyota/Subaru and the Hyundai is not really giving anyone a run for their money even with so little competition.
I think the key to bring this about is to get Cadillac to go smaller and RWD. If they could bring a Cadillac that would use a sub Alpha platform it would help pay for a Opel and even a Buick lower production platform.
This would really have to be leveraged out to save cost and to make them affordable.
We may see these smaller cars in the next Alpha anyways as they will have to gain more MPG and to do so they may have to go smaller yet. If they do I am sure they may make the platform even more flexible.
When trying to do something like this a platform needs to see well over 100,000 units sold to make it worth while the investment anymore unless you raise the price and then that defeats the lower cost models.
At some point the wants and the needs may line up but right now it is a tough market to even consider this.
I expect the Corvette to become a two model vehicle. The Stingray will remain traditional. It also will remain the cheaper but it will never be much cheaper than what we have now. It gets tough to go much less unless you go global.
Just a lot to consider in the making of a what if. It is the damn numbers from reality that really do the damage to kill these plans.
Sports cars are not usually expensive because of what is in them. It is because they make so few of them as they can only sell so many a year.
Definitely see this as a sub-ATS Cadillac. It could do battle with the Z4 if given more power and have Cadillac’s newfound expertise in chassis balance and handling.
It would be sub-ATS in size, but not in price given that the Z4 starts at $20,000 more than a 3 series.
That said, a vehicle below the ATS will need to have four doors and several body variants. See the Audi A3 lineup, which has a 4-door sedan, 5-door hatch, and 3-door hatch. There’s also a soft top convertible.
I think once Cadillac is ready to go back to Europe a RWD/AWD sub ATS platform would be in the cards. the size is very popular there and the hatch would be a must there while the sedan would take car of most here.
Once that is done a Open top GT roadster would suit Cadillac well to start as they are not ready for a super car and a smaller good handling GT touring like sports car would not compete or be compared to the Corvette.
Do a version for Buick to compete with the long in the tooth styling of the TT and you could get more volume.
But start it at Cadillac and move it down.
I would rather see Chevy get a Coupe RWD to slide under the Camaro but again it would be a tough sell unless the market changes. The car would have to have something about it to attract more than gear heads and drifters.
I would have interest for a daily driver but I would be in the minority in this market where people think they will die in the snow without FWD.
“Let alone build a mini Corvette.”
Tell that to every Solstice GXP owner and Saturn Sky Red Line owner… like me. GM did build it. They just need to rebuild it.
I am so sorry that this type negative opinions came out on a mini Corvette , you should just delete all information and go to maybe a future diesel in the Silverado 1500 series information.
If the Opel GT can’t be built as it is being shown in Geneva, this is not because of the red wheels, but because the side windows can’t be opened and the windshield is together with the roof and the read window one single glass dome.
We’ve got the technology.. as Opel can use Cadillac’s CT6 as the starting point to build a GT featuring a tweaked 550-horsepower LF4 twin-turbo 3.6L DOHC-4v V6 with all-wheel-drive and all-wheel steering.
Omega would be a terrible roadster platform. It’s designed for long backseats and five people. It’s not like stretching Kappa to four seats.
Alpha would be far superior as a potential budget/un-Corvette roadster platform, in the same manner Nissan adapted the 350Z from its mid-size RWD sedan parts bin.
Holden clearly is using/parroting Gamma with the drivetrain reversed for the GT Concept, but that has horsepower limits… it may not even be able to handle LTG.