mid engine corvette qtr panels leaked photo

Well rats! I canceled plans to go to the show this year because the sentiment is that the mid-engine car will not be revealed this year! Should I change my plans again and go to the show or plan for 2019?

 

This is a different Chevrolet event that is not at the auto show location.

 

I can't imagine they are going to show the mid-engine car in January 2018. They just released the ZR1, showing the ME car would probably kill the ZR1 before it even got started. Also, Bowling Green Assembly is doing ZERO public plant tours until late fall 2018.

 

The C7 will continue until 2021 model year (sold alongside the mid-engine)...leaked supplier documents show GM commitment for C7 body panels through 2021. It makes NO sense to show the mid-engine car 2 months after introducing the C7 ZR1. The mid-engine will be shown at Detroit in January 2019 and go on sale late summer 2019 as a 2020 model. The above is my opinion.

FWIW, there are leaked documents that imply that the mid-engine car is NOT the C8 but rather a line addition....that the C8 will be an evolution of the C7, retaining front engine architecture. Corvette IS and has been successful because of it's exceptional utility for a sports car. Very few mid-engine cars can match that.
Again, FWIW, but GM has dumped over $800MILLION into Bowling Green in the last 2 years...

 

How you gonna make that money back selling 30K cars a year?

 

I assume it will take many years...
Bowling Green's last substantial update was in 1996 leading into the 1997 production of the C5.

 

Well GM doubled the plant size and hired a lot more workers than Chrysler had building air conditioner at that plant. It seemed to work out OK the last time for everybody over the last couple of decades. They were due for another upgrade at the plant!

 

I’m hearing from some in the know that the Mid engined Vette will make about 850 hp in its most powerful form. 7 speed DCT. Magnetic shocks. 220+ mph top speed and sub 10.5 quarter mile with a high 130’s trap. That’s hypercar stuff guys for 150k.

 

Dream on. Their top level will be 80 grand more than that.

But still I'm sure it will be a value over anything else at it's price point. The Corvette faithful though are going to be very, very upset when they see the pricing. Most of their most loyal fans will be frozen out by the price point.

Chevy didn't do all this investment to make the margins they make on the C7. They want their investment back.

Would I get one? Darned right I'd be interested. If Chevy gets its act together it can be another 1990's NSX. Will it? History is not in their favor...

 

Of course it makes sense - the ZR1 is not a volume models and C7 sales are tanking. My opinion is they will show it very soon - it's a 2019 model.

The ME is the C8, regardless of what even GM says, it's by no means a line extension. People get so wrapped around the axle with emotion - "the Vette had ALWAYS been FE". Yea, and Porsches are always air cooled and Ferrari will never make an SUV.

Just as you have your opinion, I have mine. I try hard to base my opinion on relevant experience, I've been doing this for 20+ years of my career. The math is simple: GM needs to sell 40,000+ units per year for this to make sense. They are keeping the C7 FE to appease the hardliners, but the C7 has done **** in Europe, which is a huge potential market for the Corvette. They can't get 40,000 units without Europe. Look at what Ford has done with the Mustang in Europe, it's been a massive hit - GM had developed a ME platform that will go a long way to making the Corvette attractive to the Euro buyer. There are a few CF guys "in the know" that have corroborated this.

I may be wrong, but GM is far smarter than anyone gives them credit for. This is product lifecycle 101, the C7 is the swan song for the FE platform and the C8 ME is the path forward.

 

Again, GM isn't stupid - why would this car be $150k? They need volume, and the C7 isn't driving the numbers they need - the answer is a $65k C8.

Guys, the formula is nothing new - it's exactly why Ford has done with the new Mustang, which is an awesome car for the money. They are giving the 911 a run in terms of sales...that's what GM is hoping the C8/ME will do.

 

HUGE difference in comparing the Mustang, which makes almost 300K cars a year and uses parts and tooling from other cars, to a 3000K 2 seat sports car with almost nothing in common to what they are making. You need to get that investment back. That's why the new Ford Gt costs $450K +

If they think they can sell Porsche numbers, I'm with you. But that's a big if.

 

It's a big if, but they NEED it. I'm convinced the entire C8 program has this as an assumption or the internal business case would have never been approved.

 

Not what I’ve heard.

 

The 40,000 car number is interesting. In the 63 year history of the Corvette, GM has produced over 40,000 Corvettes in 8 years.

 

I will not buy the ME if the interior is not on par with other cars in this segment. I am tired of plastic parts breaking, ****ty carpet getting warped in the cargo area and tunnel, elephant skin looking fake leather, plastic seat controls, sagging roof liner, etc. Get the point I hope. Performance and looks are great. The other issues will keep me away from the ME. I would pay $150k for a great ME that addresses all the issues. Anything at all under $100k will not get it done and sadly will bring my new Corvette experiences to an end. Besides, you can't have ME cars priced the same as a ZL1 or GT500. That would devalue the ME and you could never really raise the price from there regardless of what you did.

 

They have a lot of work to do. The trunk of my C7 Convertible strongly stunk of glue a year after I bought it. I'm not sure GM really understands how far behind they are.

 

and yet Corvette has consistently had a huge price spread between the base model and the lower production 'specials'. Look at the price gap between the base C6 and the ZR1 model. The ME won't be offered at only the same price as the 2019 ZR1 Corvette. There will be a price range just as there is with current Corvette models and those prices may overlap other products. People will line up to pay more for a special version of the ME.
Audi is afraid of the ME Corvette; they won't build a replacement version in 2021 of the R8.

 

Of course there will be a spread but to release the ME as a $65k base means that all the things I harped about are still there. I highly doubt the GT500/ZL1/Hellcat crowd will leave those cars at the same price for a ME just because its an ME. I highly doubt Cayman buyers would leave as well as others. A base ME in the $65k range will do little to nothing to advance the Corvette line. If its not epic then it will fail. We already have the great performing C7 line in this price range and it is played out. New Z06's going for $69k and sitting on lots for a reason. Just like the '84 C4 sold big in 84 and fell off a cliff. It will be repeated. There are too many people that would buy a used F430 or Gallardo for under a $100k before buying a base ME.

 

I'm totally fine with material selection in the current car. Material selection that transforms a mundane part into a maintenance item is an error in design in my book.

 

The corvette interior is a maintenance item. Did you not read the list of items I had to deal with as well as others. Well published info. We have dash shrinkage, carpets warp, cargo area mats curl up, seat belt hoops break. I had to have my 3ZR elephant skin dash replaced because of extreme shrinkage on the passenger side. Cost me $2500 just for the new elephant skinned piece from GM. So I guess GM has a error in their design as you say which is the drum I have be banging. Seems we are on the same side.

 

Oh and I have not even mentioned the horrible nav and head unit with sporadic functioning USB ports. I hear the C7 addressed this but in a $130k car it should never have been along with the other items. All said, she is a blast on the track. Which leads to more heat in the tunnel and my carpet warping more.

 

How can you say a base ME at $65k would do nothing? I know of a few people here - including myself - that would NEVER consider a new FE Corvette that will buy a ME 'Vette TOMORROW. You couldn't be more wrong there, I'm the person they are going for, not the traditional Corvette buyer.

And I'm not a Cayman buyer, but a Ford GT350 - nearly bought one. That's the buyer they are looking for.

 

Like I said, first year yeah, second year falls off a cliff. Just like the C4 did. Everyone lined up to buy them then the shiny wore off and the bad stuff started popping up. You ARE the guy they want. They don't want me because I have owned six of them now and expect more for my money. Mustang guys would be giddy because they joined the club finally. I would most likely take a GT350/500 over a $65k ME and it would be my first ford ever. That is how bad a low dollar ME would go over with the masses that are devout Corvette guys. You don't sound devout give lack of ownership. I have the years, cars and experiences to draw from and it will be their loss.

BUT, I don't think I am wrong about the price though. A lot of chatter about 30-40k units being signed up. Those people are missing the point. That number is not per year. Its over several like 4-5 years. And if I am right about that then there is no way they make that volume per year and its under $100k. That said, does not mean that a $100k ME would have exceptional quality materials either. SO I would still be out. I am wanting to move into a Ferrari to experience first hand what its all about anyway so Chevy is and has made it easier for me to move on but the 2012 Centennial ZR1 that I have will always remain in the family and passed down to my son since it was built on 11/11/11 which was his 11th birthday. I did not plan that and found out when I was looking over the build sheet.

 

Modern Corvettes don't fall off the cliff sales wise in their second year, more like their 5th year.
C4 (1984-1996) fell below 30,000 units in it's 5th year of production (1988)
C5 (1997-2004) NEVER fell below 30,000 units during it's entire run (1997-2004) except 1997 because of a late intro and production issues. 1998 is considered the first FULL year of C5 production.
C6 (2005-2013) fell below 30,000 units in it's 5th year of production (2009). It should be noted that the C6 collapsed totally with the end of the financial world in late 2008 and NEVER recovered.
C7 (2014-present) will fall below 30,000 units in it's 5th year (2018). 2018 is a VERY short production year (July 2017 - January 2018)

30,000 units a year is considered to be THE target mark for Corvette. This has been stated many times by Tadge Juecther (Chief engineer for Corvette)