Chevrolet Corvette Most Cross-Shopped Car Among SRT Charger And Challenger
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There seems to be a nearly endless variety of vehicle segments these days, each of which caters to its own unique niche of buyers. Obviously, one of the most popular segments around the GM Authority office has to be muscle cars. Now, according to the head of FCA Passenger Cars, Tim Kuniskis, the Chevrolet Corvette is the most cross-shopped vehicle among popular muscle car entries, per a recent post from Motor1.
Lumping the the Chevrolet Corvette into the muscle car segment may seem off-target to many readers, and in fact, Kuniskis even admits as much. Indeed, the Vette is much more of a true sports car than a point-and-shoot muscle machine.
Nevertheless, Kuniskis places the Chevrolet Corvette into the muscle car segment for one very clear reason, namely its position as the number-one cross-shopped vehicle for Dodge’s SRT Charger and SRT Challenger. As Kuniskis sees it, the competition for muscle car dominance in the U.S. is really down to five vehicles – the Chevrolet Camaro, the Dodge Challenger, the Dodge Charger, the Ford Mustang, and the Chevrolet Corvette, as dictated by online car shopping behavior.
It’s unclear if Kuniskis is referring to the C7-generation Chevrolet Corvette, or the all-new, mid-engine, C8-generation Chevrolet Corvette. Indeed, the latest C8 generation is even more removed from the tried-and-true muscle car formula thanks to its new platform.
Either way, cross-shopping between different segments is not uncommon. Previously, Jeep’s North America Director Scott Tallon said that muscle cars like the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, and Ford Mustang were commonly traded in for the Jeep Wrangler, and that trade-in requests for the Nissan GT-R and Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk have also occurred.
What vehicles would you cross-shop for the Chevrolet Corvette? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Corvette news, Chevrolet news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
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This seems less a problem with whether the Corvette is a muscle car and more a problem with Kuniski’s segment naming. I bet the Corvette is cross-shopped with muscle cars because like the muscle cars listed by Kuniski, it remains one of the few American-made, RWD, V8 performance cars. That’s the segment. There are few non-American muscle cars and even fewer American sports cars. I don’t think people buy Corvettes primarily because they’re sports cars with nimble handling and fun driving characteristics—if they did they’d cross shop Miatas (which is a great car anyway and I wish we still had the Solstice and the Sky). But alas, there are very few RWD American cars left, very few V8 cars (coupes/sedans) left, and very few American CARS at all left.
Of course when you list them together. Anyway, it’s not really surprising to me anymore. Challengers and Camaros have really gone up in price. Back in the 90s, there was a significant price difference between the Corvette and Camaro. Now days the top Camaro or Mopar cost more than some Corvettes. A used Corvette is a bargain when compared to a new top trim muscle car. Then again the Camaro has really closed the performance gap with the Corvette.
That may change if GM starts pushing this mysterious flat plane crank 5.5 V8. What muscle car guy wants his V8 to lose it’s low rumble? GM is successfully turning the Corvette into what it’s Russian father wanted, and less into what true Americans want. I think the whole chasing Ferrari thing lowered the average buying age of the corvette some from rich old man to rich kid, but the corvette seems to have lost its uniqueness among it’s peers. Now, the Corvette is just another buzzy mid engined car in le mans.
Personally the new C8 is the only choice because of the new design. Everything else is just more of the same with a fancy new name. If my C8 gets cancelled then I will look to the Lexus RC F Sport. Sure 800 Hp is great but in the same 12 year old package I just can’t pull that trigger. The Camaro and Mustangs are as common as a Nissan Rouge. Speaking of Nissan , am I to believe that every single car they make is junk but somehow the GTR isn’t. With a Lexus I won’t have to explain why my car isn’t in my own garage. But I’ll take that chance for a new C8
Great job! You fixed the link to the wrong source and deleted my original comment pointing that out.
But hey, at least it’s now known you read comments and still lack even a shred of journalist integrity towards a fellow auto news site whose story you outright stole.
You can go ahead and delete this comment now too. Just wanted you to know people are watching.