Corvette and Cadillac should become more independent

"El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First!" (lightningzone) 01/16/2015 at 16:21 • Filed to: None

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I always liked the idea of more Corvettes, and now that Bob Lutz talked about it, that idea has more weight to it.

Think about it. Corvette and Cadillac are what GM needs to go after Porsche and Audi.

And to be honest there is no reason for Corvette to be dragged back by Chevrolet, especially since Chevrolet failed in important markets such as Europe and Australia.

Lutz talked about how a more independent Corvette brand will grow to mirror Porsche, and it's a great idea.

Why? Because Porsche brings a lot of bacon to VAG, enough to justify both LMP1 and GTE investments(among others).

If the Corvette brand could bring GM half of the profits Porsche is fetching for VAG, it would fully justify the initial investment, and would give America a proper performance brand.

Lutz also talked about a small Corvette, in the image of the Porsche Cayman and Pontiac Solstice, and that's a great idea, too.

Corvette would need a crossover, to keep that cash coming in, but not a crossover like Porsche is doing, Corvette needs something like the Lamborghini Urus.

I'm not sure if the Camaro should become a Corvette or remain Chevrolet's halo car, but that's less relevant.

As for Cadillac, I always said it needed more independence, and to only use parts from GM's corporate bin, when it makes sense to Johan's new management team or only if it's something really special, like Zora's mid engine platform.

Apart from that, Cadillac should be free to make it's own decisions and strategies. Including purchasing other companies and racing against other GM brands in motorsports, because why the fuck not?

For Sweden > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 01/16/2015 at 16:24

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Counterpoint: SRT

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > For Sweden 01/16/2015 at 16:26

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Bad execution and not enough models.

camaroboy68ss > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 01/16/2015 at 16:29

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will not happen, The Corvette already plays by its own rules at chevy, always has. It's the jewel of chevy and the top in new designs and tech that eventually trickles down the line.

Zohaibman72 > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 01/16/2015 at 16:33

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It would make sense for the Corvette to have a whole brand. Corvette C7 Z06 being the flagship, with mid-engine, and four door being nice additions.

I don't think a SUV would be necessary, it could remind everyone what a Corvette really is, a Chevy, water down the brand. I'm not even anti-SUV and I still think it would make people think lesser of America's sports car.

A smaller corvette would do good, competing against the Boxter and Cayman.

Maybe a small hatch named the chevette. Just kidding.

Milky > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 01/16/2015 at 16:37

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IMO Corvette as a brand makes no sense. They already sell a shit ton of them and it works as a Chevy. What they should do is just make Cadillac better. Make the Elmiraj and the XLR again, aka a 2+2 GT and a sports car.

Not to mention expand the range. Just a sedan for the CTS? BMW sells 5 things in that category (5, 5 wagon, 6 coupe, 6 convertible, 6 gran coupe). Just a sedan and coupe for the ATS? I can't even count all of the 3 & 4 series variants.

StingrayJake > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 01/16/2015 at 16:43

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Corvette sedan... wagon... crossover... I'm feeling nauseous.

VonBelmont > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 01/16/2015 at 16:59

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I feel like the CTS/DTS should be rebranded as a Buick, and Cadillac should compete with the 7 series/S Class crowd. Or revamp Buick as a sportier Ford/Cadillac, ŕ la AMG/Msport.

Or they could do their own thing and not obsess over copying the Germans/Japanese.

burntartichoke > StingrayJake 01/16/2015 at 17:10

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I know, I feel that too when I get excited :P ....mmmm wagons....

and T-Tops!

StingrayJake > burntartichoke 01/16/2015 at 17:30

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So much horrible...

Alex from Toronto > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 01/16/2015 at 17:31

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I'm okay with this, makes the corvette easier to sell in other markets. Just keep it as a chevrolet but call it "corvette by chevrolet" like they did back in the day with the Camaro.

Somthing like this.

burntartichoke > StingrayJake 01/16/2015 at 17:50

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If by horrible you mean awesome!

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > Alex from Toronto 01/16/2015 at 17:52

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There's no need for that. You got the Chevrolet logo in the Corvette logo and that's enough.

Remember that Europeans are more analytical than us. They see the propeller in the BMW logo and know that Alfa Romeo comes from Milan, just by looking at its logo.

lucky's pepper > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 01/16/2015 at 18:18

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Damn that 4 door C7 illustration looks good. Very Rapide-ish. I'd love to see sedan and shooting brake versions of the Corvette if Chevy could make a business case for them and I can't imagine that sedan wouldn't sell.