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Introductory note: While this thread has lots of facts, its essential thesis is my asking one question about a potential C8 delay, and “if yes,” suggesting some constructive options, with the primary one being that if the C8 customer production has been delayed, GM should extend the C7 one more year but as a modified 2020 C7 to juice its sales and excitement.
Below C8 spyder rendering thanks to fvs!
I am not alone in suggesting last year C7, 2020 changes, for I notice a similar post by Maxster, asking/suggesting identical question/solution.
GM’s current issues:
1) While IMO Mary Barra is current doing exactly and 100% of what is now needed, due to GM announced plant shut downs and the cessation of at least six models, GM is seen as a troubled car company right now.
2) Adding to that is the plethora of doom and gloom overall GM news, is that the Corvette mid engine’s electrical system is at least wounded, perhaps needing an extensive, six month makeover; if true, that would lead to potential delays in C8’s being received by customers for perhaps at long as one model year later, e.g., the mid engine C8’s could well be becoming a 2021 model year Corvette.
The C7’s 1.13.13 NAIAS reveal was more than eight months before the first C7 was received by a customer. Thus, if the mid engine Corvette were not revealed until mid April at the New York Auto Show as many believe, and if such a similar eight months time frame were occur for the C8, it would mean the first customer cars would not be arriving until the week or two before Christmas. If true, why would GM not therefore delay C8 deliveries two weeks further, delivering the first ME’s in the beginning days of 2020, and thus becoming a 2021 model — something that has been already predicted by more than a few of automedia.
The time between the C7 Z06’s 1.13.14 reveal and the first Z06 customer cars coming off the assembly line was even longer, e.g., ten months. So if the Z06’schedule were repeated and if the ME’s were again mid-April revealed at NYAS, the first customer car would not come off the assembly line until around Valentine’s Day, 2020. Not saying this is what would be happening, just drawing some potential historical parallels.
C7 Sales Info/Considerations:
A) Little has been majorly-Corvette-new other the ZR1 in the last two years, i.e., other than that very limited production model, the 2019’s started with the same car as the 2018, and the 2018 was a basically a continuation of the 2017. Whatever happened to GM using the last few years of a Corvette generation to do a major stylistic refresh?
B) Many Corvette owners do not believe that the C7 production is ending at the end of 2019, so in their minds, why not wait a year or two more for that coming visual refresh or that long-rumored “power enhancement.”
C) Based on the GM memo sent to its dealers on December 11, 2017, GM stated that the end of the 2019 ZR1 production was estimated to be March, 2019. Highly unlikely IMO, that GM would stop production of the its newest and still most sought after ZR1 model in March, yet continue the other three models (the ones that are now being heavily discounted), especially since I just talked with two mega Corvette dealers and they still can not get enough ZR1’s to meet their 2019 ZR1 buyer-deposit-request ZR1 lists. As they both told me, they would happily take more ZR1’s produced after this March.
D) C7 sales continue to progressively fall. 2018 sales were down 25% from the year before, just 18,791 units — a far cry form the first three years of the C7 generation when they average 39,000 units per year. During 2018, sales averaged just 1,565 Corvettes per month, which is really sad considering that even without overtime, BGA is producing up to 1,953 per month. January and February sales, true winter weather months, will probably result in sales of less than 1,000 Corvettes each.
E) There are currently 8,000 unsold C7’s on dealers lot nationwide, and that number is growing, i.e., even in September, 2018, production exceeded customer-delivered units. (Source=einventory.com)
Just like the C6’s last year, GM needs IMO, to immediately start a $10,000 subsidy for all current unsold Corvettes (regardless of any other option mentioned in this article).
F) While we all know friends who have bought a C7 in the last few months, we all know a greater number who are holding off buying one until the C8 is revealed — and the number in the “waiting to first see the C8” group appears to be growing more now than those choosing to now buy a C7.
Even many of Corvette owners who believe a C8 mid engine is coming within one year, are positive that it will arrive with a manual transmission option and/or a soft top convertible option and thus for those buyers for whom one or both is a critical buying component, they are happily sitting on the Corvette-non-buying sidelines for a while.
GM’s C7 Conundrum:
C7’s sales are slowing, and eventual C8 deliveries are customer being probably delayed, perhaps to the end of this year, maybe even later.
Not really an option but a necessity, GM please take as much time as you need to fully and properly test and develop the C8, insuring that when it finally starts being delivered to customers, it is a first class Corvette, starting its life as a trouble free generation.
Options:
1) Continue 2019 C7 production, unchanged, another six months past the end of March. IMO, that would be a very poor decision in lots of ways, especially since the 2019 MY is already going to be a 14 month long model year if production were to end in March. It would also add to the feelings that GM has current problems, i.e., that even its flagship Corvette is just biding time, kind of limping along as sales progressively sag.
2) “Pull a 1983” and entirely stop production of the Corvette for a six month time period, i.e., skip the 2020 Corvette model year entirely. Personally, I can not think of a worse solution.
3) Have the 2020 C7 be only changed by replacing two colors or with similar very small changes.
IMO, GM can neither have the 2019 C7 continue production for an extra six months, nor can GM sputter onward having no distinctly different 2020 model year Corvette.
How about instead a new option, a six month only, nicely-changed 2020 C7, doing something special to juice C7 excitement for a six month 2020, C7 model year? This would regenerate C7 sales by putting some excitement back into Stingray, Grand Sport and the Z06 models.
A) Juice up the LT1, if possible by 10-15 HP. However, that solution would do nothing for sagging Z06 sales.
B) Additionally, make the four below (or similar) changes, ones that are attractive and easily visible even 50’ away, so people seeing the 2020 Corvette excitedly exclaim, “that is a 2020 C7!!!”
Specific options:
1) Add hood rear corner ducts to the Stingray, Grand Sport and the Z06 (however, leaving the ZR1’s gorgeous hood however exactly as is);
2) Change only the large lower half of the rear fascia/diffuser “black” lower piece, by including an integral vertical fins;
3) Make a major interior change that is also dynamically-different looking, but also easy and inexpensive to do, i.e., paint the “upside down ‘U’ dash/console aluminum trim” and other existing shiny aluminum trim pieces instead carbon flash metallic black; the cost would be minimal, yet for all walking around the car, it would be clearly 2020 identifiable.
4) Bring out bold, significantly different, 2020 wheels!
C) Change the whole “future produce announcement game plan,” and openly share at the late-April National Corvette Museum BASH, that “these 2020 C7 changes are for a roughly a five/six month-run; that this is the very end of the front engine Corvette; that we start production of the 2021 model year mid-engine C8 early at the very beginning of ; and, that the 2021 ME will not offer a manual transmission, nor offer a soft top convertible.”
Of those roughly 8,500, new 2020 C7, units, make an additional 750-1,000 ZR1’s to meet the demand of those wanting a ZR1 but who will not be able to otherwise get a 2019 at current production rates..
All the above would give GM a public flair of still having a dynamic, progressively-changing sports car even during its last year of its C7 generation, and by openly partly sharing part of what is and is not coming next, and when, would both juice 2019 and 2020 C7 manual and soft top convertible sales, and also generate more C8 buzz. Additional, if the C8’s reveal has not by then been publicly shared, announce the C8’s reveal location and date at the BASH.
Time for GM to do some “jump shifts” by both being open about its C7, simultaneously making the C7’s ending 2020 being an exciting one; and lastly, by announcing the C8’s reveal date/location and also it production beginning.
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