I remember when Cutlass was kind of a separate brand. Ditto Genesis before it became one.
Photograph Courtesy GM
First Mustang, now GM is seemingly jumping into the “model-into-a-brand” party by turning Corvette–yes, that Corvette–into a multi-model brand.
Our colleagues over at Car and Driver are currently reporting–although we have not been able to confirm through official GM sources–that Corvette will expand into a multi-model brand as soon as the 2025 model year with a four-door “coupe,” and a high performance crossover which will sit alongside the upcoming two-seat EV Corvette sports car.
Of course, we still haven’t seen the final form of the current C8 platform which is currently the only vehicle wearing the “Corvette” name. The Z06 is hitting showrooms as we speak, although the entire allotment is spoken for, so the showroom stop will only be for a quick photo op before they go on to their owners, where they will either get dusted with a sock every five days or show up immediately in a ditch on Instagram.
There’s also a ZR1 variant in the works, a hybrid (the C8 chassis is designed with electrification in mind, with space reserved for batteries), and the ultra-performance Zora versions, which is said to be a hybrid that will demolish all previous Corvette power and speed records.
But, yeah, let’s get back to this “brand” thing.
Honestly, we’re too shocked to have much of a hot take on this at the moment, so we’d love to hear what you think about iconic nameplates trying to transition themselves into iconic brands.
On the surface it seems weird, because for nearly three quarters of a century “Corvette” has only meant one thing. But now we live in a world where Disney has theme parks, movie studios, TV networks and probably a weather control lab buried miles below the earth’s crust. Metallica makes whisky. ALF is on pogs.
The future is diversification and branding, but are we all ready for Corvette to be part of that future?
I remember when Cutlass was kind of a separate brand. Ditto Genesis before it became one.
David S. Wallens said:I remember when Cutlass was kind of a separate brand. Ditto Genesis before it became one.
Editorial Director, Grassroots Motorsports & Classic Motorsports
Yeah there was the regular Cutlass, then ther was the Cutlass Supreme which came with tomatos and sour cream.
JG Pasterjak said:David S. Wallens said:I remember when Cutlass was kind of a separate brand. Ditto Genesis before it became one.
Editorial Director, Grassroots Motorsports & Classic Motorsports
Yeah there was the regular Cutlass, then ther was the Cutlass Supreme which came with tomatos and sour cream.
I was certainly upset when the Baja Cutless was discontinued, the Supreme just doesn't compare.
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
Exactly. I thought I once heard that, at one point, Cutlass was like the third-best-selling nameplate in the U.S. Or something like that. We had several, both front- and rear-drive. Never had the ones with tomatos and sour cream, though. We did have one with a factory tach, however.
PS: Cutlass Ciera with a factory tach, body-color mags and auto on the column. :)
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Possibly the most uninspiring car I ever drove.
In reply to preach (dudeist priest) :
I used to see a guy with a C5 towing a small trailer with a dirt bike on it during my morning commute. Saw him driving that combo more than a few times.
Corvette SUV? With the number of Cayennes driving around, I can't see why not. If built and priced right, I can see GM selling a lot of them.
This is not saying I like it or would want one, but it definitely appears the majority of buyers think otherwise.
Cadillac currently offers an Escalade V: supercharged V8 making 682 horsepower, big wheels, big brakes, etc.
How would a Corvette SUV differ? It's like GM's already pretty much there.
David S. Wallens said:Cadillac currently offers an Escalade V: supercharged V8 making 682 horsepower, big wheels, big brakes, etc.
How would a Corvette SUV differ? It's like GM's already pretty much there.
This. If its just GM's typical half-assed badge engineering hack job, dilution of the name and utter failure.
If they do something interesting such as Ford did with the Mach-E, maybe it'll work.*
* interesting does not necessarily mean good, just interesting.
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