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GM CEO Says ‘Corvette Brand Is Very Strong’ When Asked About Possibility Of SUV

General Motors CEO Mary Barra isn’t ruling out the idea of a potential Corvette SUV.

During the automaker’s recent Q3 2019 earnings call, a Wall Street analyst asked Barra if the company would ever produce a Corvette SUV. Barra was guarded on the matter and didn’t give analysts or reporters much to go off, but her response was still quite interesting.

“I appreciate that you think our Corvette franchise is very strong,” Barra said, before adding that GM will “look at a variety of things as we go forward and we recognize the strength of the Corvette brand.”

This response seems to fall in line with intel we heard back in July of this year, which suggested GM was considering the idea of a Corvette sub-brand in order to leverage the name’s popularity. That report indicated the Corvette brand was still very much in the early planning stages and could hit the chopping block if vehicle sales were to fall off at any point in the coming years. Barra’s response makes sense, as GM recognizes that leveraging the Corvette brand would be a good idea, but nothing is guaranteed at the moment. Even if GM did give the idea the green light, it likely won’t have anything to show or announce for quite some time.

LT5 V8 Engine from C7 Corvette ZR1

Other GM executives have also stopped short of flat out denying the possibility of a Corvette SUV. Chevrolet’s vice president for performance vehicles and motorsports, Jim Campbell, said he “can’t say anything one way or the other” when asked about the matter at the debut of the Corvette C8, while GM president Mark Reuss said we are “probably not going to see that.”

Way back in September 2018, we captured a coupe crossover prototype driving on the high speed ring at GM’s Milford Proving Ground. The rather blurry photo didn’t give us much to work with, but the photographer suggested the sporty-looking prototype could be for a potential Corvette SUV.

Some may find the idea of a high-performance SUV/crossover silly, but there is clearly market demand for them. The Lamborghini Urus has been an immediate success for the Italian performance brand, Ford is working on an electric, RWD crossover with Mustang-inspired styling (which may be called the Mach-E) and even Ferrari is developing a crossover/utility vehicle of sorts. Such products can also appeal to a global market, attracting new buyers to their respective brands in both North America and China.

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Source: Detroit Free Press

Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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Comments

  1. Just keep any expansion of the Corvette brand – such as an SUV – under the Chevrolet umbrella.

    Reply
    1. Seriously. Everyone knows the Corvette is a Chevy halo; no need to turn Corvette into Pontiac and then kill another beloved brand; while further cannibalizing Cadillac.

      Reply
  2. Again Corvette is a model not a brand. It is not the same thing as Porsche since they don’t build a 911 SUV.

    The short term gains here are not worth the name equity risks.

    Reply
    1. You’re partially correct, if done properly it will be a huge success.. but what does GM do currently that is done properly? From what I see only the Corvette, but it’s the first year for a totally new product and technology… we’ll see.

      But as everyone moves away from “cars” to SUV’s this is only logical…. there are 2 Porsche SUV’s to benchmark and it needs to as good!

      Reply
  3. I think this makes a lot of sense. The whole entire Automotive world is changing. Everyone wants CUV’s now and everything will eventually be EV’s as well. So since the Market is in such great change already, why not offer a Vette CUV?
    It has to be done correctly though. Cannot be a Chevy Blazer or something. It has to be Vette specific inside and out. GM will make a killing on it.

    Reply
    1. Momolos you are exactly right. The automotive world is changing. Its all going to EV SUVS soon anyway.

      Reply
  4. Lets see the Mary Barra haters put their spin on this one.

    Reply
  5. Here is my spin on Barra – incompetent. Knows nothing about cars – witness the debacle of Cadillac under her watch – and is simply there because she is a woman. Nothing more.

    Reply
    1. Right she only been there since 1984 or so straight out of college, such a “female”. What in your unlimited male knowledge in what GMs next step? (remember: the company can’t go BK like last time)..

      Reply
  6. Ford will produce a Mustang based CUV (read about it at Ford Authority), so why doesn’t GM do the same? The Chevy Blazer is a good staring point.

    Reply
    1. They are not building it based on the Mustang. The styling will be inspired by it.

      Reply
  7. Do it, yesterday and don’t forget the Vette sedan and Alpha Impala for those who can’t afford a Vette vehicle..

    Reply
  8. Just give us a Blazer SS AWD Twin Turbo V6 with about 450ish HP

    Reply
  9. Then it would be just Another Chevy! Chevy’s are like A$$hole just about everyone has one!

    Reply
    1. Actually, no they don’t. And taking away the Corvette from Chevrolet would only further Chevy’s demise and damage the Corvette’s legacy. If they keep this as a Corvette inspired Chevrolet, I’m all for it.

      Reply
      1. Personal opinion only. There are sports cars , pony cars , and muscle cars. Sports cars only have 2 seats. Pony cars are Mustangs,Camaros, Challengers, etc. Muscle cars are Torinos,Chevelles,Chargers,etc. U.S. sports cars are few and far between. Corvettes,Vipers,Ford GT. Figure it out

        Reply
  10. I would love them to bring back a Chevy SS/Pontiac G8 GXP with the LT1 engine with a 6 or 7 speed Tremec. I always love those sleeper type vehicles. If they bring an SUV version, the Trailblazer would work because the last Trailblazer SS and Saab 9-7x Aero was packing a LS2. The closest the SUVs will ever get to a Corvette V8 is the Tahoe RST, Yukon Denali, and Escalade with their 6.2L L86/L87 (LT1 Truck version).

    Reply
  11. Do, it, as long as you still keep it a Chevrolet!! Find me one American sports car that competes with the Corvette. (sports car, not muscle car… Big difference!!!) The Corvette is Chevys shining star!!

    Reply
    1. I would be supportive of the CT6 chassis being the basis for all mid to large sized Cadillac crossovers. That should have already happened.

      And the Camaro chassis could certainly support a performance SUV (like the next gen Blazer) for Chevrolet.

      But the Corvette is by Chevrolet. It’s not it’s own brand and shouldn’t be.

      Reply
  12. I don’t understand the point of creating a another brand for sports cars and SUVs.

    Chevrolet already does both of that.

    GM doesn’t need another automotive brand. They need to consistently invest in the ones they have. Save the new brands for when they enter a new market – like batteries, locomotives, or solar panels.

    Reply
    1. It’s rumored to be a sub-brand (think GEO) , the Vette SUV will still be a Chevy

      Reply
  13. So they are thinking about doing a top rated Corvett SUV while giving Cadillac so so SUV’s. Make you wonder where is Cadillac suppose to fit in the GM stable? IMO Corvett should stay strictly a sports car.

    Reply
  14. If Land Rover figured out how to make the Range Rover vehicle into a growing Sub-Brand then I am sure GM can figure out how to grow the Corvette Family Sub-Brand as well under Chevrolet. Or so one would hope so.

    Reply
  15. Shouldn’t they invest the resources into making a stellar electric performance SUV under the Cadillac brand?
    The Corvette is a Chevy, through and through. I’m really not sure why that pisses so many people off, but they should get over it. And why shouldn’t there be a performance SUV under the Chevrolet moniker?

    GET OVER IT. Chevrolet is the brand, and Corvette is a model. Suburban is a model. Camaro is a model. Get the F*&* over it!

    Reply
  16. Not saying there shouldn’t be a performance SUV under the Chevrolet moniker. They should have had one a long time ago. Just that IMO it shouldn’t be a Corvette model. Mind you that is my opinion, everyone has their own opinion.

    Cadillac desperately need something to separate it from the rest of the GM vehicles be it ICE or electric.
    What ever they make it it should be second to none. Cadillac will not survive by continuing to offer vehicle the rank second third or fourth in their category’s. Again just my opinion.

    Reply

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