“We shouldn’t be surprised if we see two Corvette models on the market in the future.”
That comes from a well-connected source within the General Motors sales community. Take it for what you will, but we think that splitting the legendary Corvette brand into more than one model is a good idea. The current C6 ‘Vette has received its fair share of criticism, most of which surrounds the car’s proportions and heft.
Perhaps Chevy (or Chevrolet?) could produce a smaller sports car that would slot under the C6/C7 but still use the Corvette nameplate, albeit with a different nomenclature. In other words, something along the lines of a Chevrolet Corvette-branded Solstice/Sky replacement sold alongside the C6.
In effect, this may be the beginning of a Corvette brand that could have a lineup of its own. Imagine a Corvette model range that could include a small Corvette (as described above), today’s Corvette (perhaps it could be called Corvette Classic), and maybe even a mid-engined supercar that would compete with European exotics.
What do  you think? Should GM make other Corvette-branded vehicles and/or turn Corvette into its own brand? Let us know in the comments below.
Comments
This post makes it sound more like a Corvette brand then two Corvette models. I think two Corvette models would be better than using the Corvette name like a brand. The two models are more what the GM quote reflects… it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out…
My advice:
The direct C6 successor, the C7, would be most like the current car, as a big front engine/rear drive GT, as comfortable and stylish as it is fast. Call that the Stingray and make it like the Stingray concept which hearkens back to the ’63, when they split from the 2-seat roadster image of the original ’53 Corvette. This name would also break the ‘gold-chain set’ image of this car.
Then below this car, more like an upscale Solstice/Sky, a true performance fun machine, (a more aggressively styled Miata competitor), much like the original ’53 was an American-style competitor to open European sports roadsters like the MG TD, Jag XK 120, and Triumph TR 2. Take some weekend racing cachet back from Mazda. Call this the Corvette in the spirit of the original ’53–a more appropriate name, as it means a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, smaller than a frigate. (For example, if you put a Solstice next to a C6, and a Boxster and Elise, which one in this hierarchy would be the corvette vs. the frigate?–not the big current C6.)
Then above both of these would be a mid-engine ultimate GM halo technology-demonstrator supercar, much like the ’86 Corvette Indy concept, in the vein of the Ford GT but more modern; aero, jet-fighter inspired styling; Call this the Chevrolet C-8 GT. The ‘8’ in C-8 can serve as a technical evolution beyond C7 , also model hierarchy nomenclature much like Audi (A6, A7, A8); plus this supercar would have a V8, especially if the C7 is eventually forced to have a V6 due to increased CAFE. Use it as PR to recruit the best engineers. Anything less than an offering in all three of these models would not serve the goal of offering the best cars in the world; by definition if there’s a segment you’re not even competing in, you’ve forfeited. Add a Cadillac model like Cien to further justify the investment.
If only that was what happened…………………………………
I think the Corvette should be turned into it’s own brand.
Please, make ny dreams come true.
i wish everyone would just STOP with the “Corvette brand” thing. GM can’t even manage the few brands it has left, and now you guys want them to F up the one good thing they have going?!
Okay, if GM and their Chevrolet division are exercising “what if” scenarios around the Corvette “form factor” then I am in for the “visioning exercise”. Background…in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s I worked my way through four British sports cars…1966 Austin Healy 3000 Mark III, 1967 Triumph TR4 w/IRS, 1967 MGB and a 1962 MGA with twin overhead cams…all convertibles…my dad worked at a GM dealership for almost his entire working life…mt two younger brothers were GM, straight up, Monte Carlos and Chevelles…my dad told me that I would need to have a “different” ( metric ) set of tools and to get ready to have my hands go through the wringer using them…and I did…
So, where am I going here…if GM is contemplating a world of Corvette models then I hope that they would consider a three model line up…Keep the current Corvette mode(s) on their development paths…a “scale back” model, a high performance, “ecotech development” platform…and finally, an MGA sized roadster with a tip of the hat to the european sports cars of the 1960/70’s…look at the Miata space 1,000,000 units sold and no real competition…your thoughts..
Right there with you Alan. I think three Corvette models are in order:
1. The traditional “bang for your buck” C6/C7
2. A Mazda Miata/MX-5 competitor. Rear-wheel drive, two-seater, compact roadster
3. A super car with a mid/rear engine layout. Something that takes the Corvette brand into uncharted territory in terms of price, performance, and status.
How’s that?
Alex,
Thanks for your response…I agree with the mid/rear engine layout ( it will compete well with Porsche and other exotics in performance and I bet that most owners would be able to take a European holiday on the annual maintenance savings.) If GM could consider a “paradigm shift” green technology development platform mandate and open their planning model beyond the car itself to the development and ownership or co-ownership of the refuelling or recharging station build ( …think international gas retailers, ESSO, Texaco…”guaranteed convenient recharge”) then the new Corvette Brand will re-position the new Corvette model in alignment with the values of fifties and sixties eco boomers who are also the largest component of current Corvette buyers. Most importantly, it would get prospective purchaser who would “never” consider a current Vette model, into the showroom… where you want them. Alan
RE; Corvette remodels…I forgot to mention that the MGA was a Twin Cam…sold it to a collector who owned three of them..he parted his other MGA’s onto the one I sold to him..adb
Corvette brand? I geuss…….
maybe a c1 LTG miata soft top thing (classic), SUV (Manta ray), flat plane crank mid engine supercar (Zora/Grand Sport), and c2 style 7.0L 2 seater targa GT with styling elements from the stingray concept (stingray 427).
Could work.
I like it, but NO SUV!!!!!