GM to let '11 Corvette buyers build own engines
07-13-2010 | 07:34 PM
#1
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From: Maggie Valley, NC
GM to let '11 Corvette buyers build own engines
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38211262/?gt1=43001
DETROIT — Corvette owners could soon be revving up an engine they built with their own hands.
General Motors Co. said Monday that buyers who order a 2011 Corvette Z06 or ZR1 can help assemble their cars' high-performance LS7 and LS9 engines. The automaker believes the program is the first of its kind in the industry.
The engines will be built at GM's Performance Build Center in Wixom, Mich., where GM assembles all of its high-performance engines by hand. The facility can assemble up to 15,000 engines per year, GM spokesman Tom Read said.
Read said it will take buyers about six hours to assemble, adjust and clean their engines with the parts provided. A skilled technician will supervise.
The 2011 Corvettes are just going into production and will go on sale soon. Read said the company expects to have customers building their own engines as soon as next month. GM sold 13,934 Corvettes last year, according to AutoData Corp.
GM suggests dealers charge $5,800 for the engine-building program, which doesn't include air transportation but does include one night of lodging. But that's just a fraction of the cost of a Corvette Z06, which starts at around $75,000, or a ZR1, which is more than $100,000.
The engine-building program joins a list of special options available exclusively to Corvette owners. ZR1 buyers can attend free Corvette driving courses in Arizona or Nevada, for example. For a fee, Corvette buyers can also have their sports cars delivered to the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., or watch their Corvettes be built at the Bowling Green assembly plant.
Read said the program shows the lengths Chevrolet will go to for its customers. The program could also help build positive buzz for the company, which is planning an initial public offering as early as October.
The U.S. Treasury Department has owned 61 percent of the automaker after a brief stay in bankruptcy protection last year.
DETROIT — Corvette owners could soon be revving up an engine they built with their own hands.
General Motors Co. said Monday that buyers who order a 2011 Corvette Z06 or ZR1 can help assemble their cars' high-performance LS7 and LS9 engines. The automaker believes the program is the first of its kind in the industry.
The engines will be built at GM's Performance Build Center in Wixom, Mich., where GM assembles all of its high-performance engines by hand. The facility can assemble up to 15,000 engines per year, GM spokesman Tom Read said.
Read said it will take buyers about six hours to assemble, adjust and clean their engines with the parts provided. A skilled technician will supervise.
The 2011 Corvettes are just going into production and will go on sale soon. Read said the company expects to have customers building their own engines as soon as next month. GM sold 13,934 Corvettes last year, according to AutoData Corp.
GM suggests dealers charge $5,800 for the engine-building program, which doesn't include air transportation but does include one night of lodging. But that's just a fraction of the cost of a Corvette Z06, which starts at around $75,000, or a ZR1, which is more than $100,000.
The engine-building program joins a list of special options available exclusively to Corvette owners. ZR1 buyers can attend free Corvette driving courses in Arizona or Nevada, for example. For a fee, Corvette buyers can also have their sports cars delivered to the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., or watch their Corvettes be built at the Bowling Green assembly plant.
Read said the program shows the lengths Chevrolet will go to for its customers. The program could also help build positive buzz for the company, which is planning an initial public offering as early as October.
The U.S. Treasury Department has owned 61 percent of the automaker after a brief stay in bankruptcy protection last year.
07-14-2010 | 09:07 PM
#2
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Joined: Nov 2007
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From: Maggie Valley, NC
Just to share the funnies part of this is that GM will deliver your new Vette to the National Corvette Museum.... this is located directly across the street from the Corvette Assembly Plant.
07-14-2010 | 11:00 PM
#3
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,708
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From: In The Ether
The automaker believes the program is the first of its kind in the industry.
07-15-2010 | 07:14 AM
#4
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Joined: Aug 2007
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From: Medford, OR
Originally Posted by G,Jul 13 2010, 08:34 PM
Read said the program shows the lengths Chevrolet will go to for its customers.
and dang! 5 grand for something that doesn't cost them anything? Yes the engine will be assembled slower, but it cant be that kind of loss in productivity
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