rockville

That article cites the same source as the other one.

Christople

First off, why didn't you contact me for the Indy 500, I had great boxseats.


Second, I saw some "spy pics" of the 3.5 or 3.7 V6 stuffed into the S2k back in the day

http://blogs.insideline.com/straight...ls-37l-v6.html

Chris S

Younger crowd likes the Mustang and GT-R, and those are bigger than the Vette. 911 is essentially the same size as well....so I don't think it's realistic to blame the size for the "problems" of the most successful sports car of all time.

Chris S

Sorry, my ESP failed me, as I had no idea you were there. Hope you enjoyed it!

Penforhire

The younger crowd can't afford a vette.

Starting prices in the C5+ generation are close enough to the M3 to court the same buyers but not have the same lease deals (I read an absurd number of BMW owners lease because of past inflated residuals). Demographically I suppose the average vette owner age could be brought down but they would have to go after the usual European coupe buyer. How would they do that? Hmm, smaller FI engine seems like a must-have.

I'll be most surprised if they call this concept a "vette with an engine option" as opposed to something like an XR4Ti...

ninjajwl

The younger crowd can not afford a Corvette, but if the younger crowd begins to build some brand loyalty around the company, then it sets them up for a brighter future. I believe it was the same way with the Skyline / GTR. Many younger teenagers used to lust over the thought of owning a Skyline and became big fans of the car / Nissan because of what it could do. Now that we have access to the GT-R, I'm sure many would make the jump into owning one when they're finally able to afford one a few years later.

That's how business works; you have to keep up with the times and rapidly changing market. When we get older and become multimillionaires, I'm sure most of us are not going to waltz into a Chevrolet dealer and buy a Corvette with a big muscly V8. We're most likely going to walk into the Ferrari dealer and walk out with something like the Italia.

rockville

I completely agree with you in that GM needs people who can't afford a Corvette to want a Corvette. That way when they can afford a Corvette priced car (Boxster, Cayman, 911, Z4, M3, ie cars in the $45k-60k with a few examples upwards of $100k) but I don't think the average new Corvette owner is going to cross shop a Ferrari. No question that some Ferrari owners also have Corvettes but really Corvette's price range only overlaps with used Ferraris.

Now I do think that many of the younger people who think the Corvette isn't sophisticated and that the pushrod motor is primitive are generally wrong and it seems many are coming around. I was not a Corvette fan in the past. When I first started really thinking about cars I did buy into things like hp/L. It was only when I started thinking like an engineer that I saw the flaw in what I had assumed. Of course, that doesn't mean that perception isn't reality when it comes to car buying. Corvettes need to have power and good, effortless torque. The LSx motors provide both and on paper are nearly the perfect sportscar V8. Heck I think it was Automobile mag that did a review and concluded that the LS3 was their favorite sports car V8 (while the F430 was their favorite V8 sports car). But time has marched on. Ford has the new 5.0 which seems to have so much of what makes the LSx great while also having BMW smooth refinement.

In the end GM should certainly try to work hard to make future buyers lust after the car. That may mean dropping the pushrod motor and the leaf springs. I would hate to see either happen because it would be "proof" for the fools and idiot fan kiddies who thought there was something wrong (other than perception due to their own ignorance) in the first place.

One more note, really to build the brand loyalty, GM needs not only to have them want the Corvette but also be happy to own their other cars and trucks. For the most part S2000 owners are quick to recommend Accords to people who need a basic family 4 door. Mentions of a Hyundai as an alternative are welcome around here. Suggesting the Malibu requires some serious justification! It either needs to be due to price, or something else while the Hyundai stands on it's own merits. Corvette sales would be easier if people were already happy with the rest of the line.

Penforhire

Well said! The GM constellation is filled with dim bulbs and few bright spots. You don't get a "desirable" reputation that way. Hyundai listened to their West Coast design center and put out a whole string of bright spots, overcoming their evil rep. Ask anyone who bought Hyundai's first car in America, especially in the snow belt, and you'll hear a "never again." Huge success story there.

rockville

I found the article, it was Road and Track
http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/co...oughts_page_10

Here is what they said The Corvette has room for improvement but if you will, bang for the buck won't come from the engine. It will come from making the car feel more lively at less that 8/10ths, making the interior feel as good as it should (it has good materials but such lack luster interior design that GM isn't getting bank for the buck there) and finally, making sure that the rest of the GM line up is good enough that people stop spewing out that "well it's a Chevy" shit. Really, I think GM is steadily making progress. The trucks and SUVs are really strong though the Tahoe and family could be better (good engines, nice clean lines but slightly discount on the inside and the body isn't as stiff as I would like). The new small SUVs are very good but the Colorado is past due. The cars are still improving. Buick is very good but not a knock out like Hyundai pulled off with the new Sonata (which I'm actually starting to like less). The Cruze is nice inside but not my favorite on the outside. The mileage and weight are higher than they should be. Again, if GM had a long solid history of small cars this would be OK. Right now they need a home run to have people really notice them over the competition. The Malibu is good but not good enough. The new one can't come out soon enough. The Impala is fine for what it is but, GM needs to fix it or dump it. The problem is people hold it up as proof that GM isn't getting better. That's not at all true but in the world of PR we don't deal in truth, just reinforcing views that people already want to believe to be true. The other thing GM needs is a larger range of small cars. Toyota does well here with several Corolla sized offerings. Finally, Caddy ain't fixed yet. The CTS is a great car though I do see some lines I don't like. The SRX is a good RX300 sized thing. What about the rest of the line up? The DTS needs to die or get fixed for the same reason as the Impala. Even it the car is a great value, the naysayers hold it up as what's wrong with Caddy. It can't exist in the Caddy lineup without being the red headed step child that soils the family name.

So, fix these things and I think the Corvette wouldn't have to stand on it's own merits... or more truthfully, saying it's a Chevy would be a complement just as saying it's a Toyota once meant it was a well assembled, reliable car with a great interior fit and finish. Now it seems to mean it won't leave you stranded while you fall asleep at the wheel.

tarheel91

Corvette: 174.6 inches in length
911 Turbo: 175.2 inches in length.

A 7/8 corvette would basically be an Elise in terms of size.