I remember when Cutlass was kind of a separate brand. Ditto Genesis before it became one.
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?
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.
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.
Ugh. I'm not sure what's worse: That manufactures decide that their research shows that the marketing association of utilizing these classic names is so large that it will increase net profit without diluting the marketability of that names historic core product; or, That it works and consumers lap up the Corvette TM brand rebadged Spark.
I honestly wish they would have continues with a down market front engine Corvette model when they introduced the C8. Yes, I understand that one model would have cannibalized sales from the other and they converted the line over to the mid-engine model but I sure miss the thunder of the C7 models in the new car line up. Funny, I never really liked the styling of the C7 until the C8 came out and now it is the one I would rather have.
If GM really does this branding thing with Corvette it will be interesting to see what comes out of it. Hopefully, it will be unique models and not just a re-badged Cadillac sedan or SUV.
Funny thing is I find that lead photo very flattering to the C8 and I really like the way the car looks in that pic.
I am indifferent to brands and dilution so I only care if the new vehicles are interesting. I could care less about the "heritage" or other BS. As a life long Mustang lover I shrugged when they came out with the Mach E name. Make something good and I'll think it's cool no matter what you call it.
In reply to Toyspyder :
Like a front-engine Corvette Classic? The C8 is selling like crazy. Are there enough people still interested in buying a new C7? (Also, does GM even have the capacity to build more?)
hobiercr said:In reply to David S. Wallens :
Possibly the most uninspiring car I ever drove.
Definetly the crappiest car I ever owned. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought it.
Toyspyder said:I honestly wish they would have continues with a down market front engine Corvette model when they introduced the C8. Yes, I understand that one model would have cannibalized sales from the other and they converted the line over to the mid-engine model but I sure miss the thunder of the C7 models in the new car line up. Funny, I never really liked the styling of the C7 until the C8 came out and now it is the one I would rather have.
If GM really does this branding thing with Corvette it will be interesting to see what comes out of it. Hopefully, it will be unique models and not just a re-badged Cadillac sedan or SUV.
Yep, IMO the C8 should have been a Caddy and Corvette remain front-engined. If nothing else, Cadillac's design language would have been more restrained than the over-busy Corvette.
My issue with the iconic nameplate as a brand concept isn't that it devalues the nameplate it's that it creates confusion and I don't think there's really any reason to do it.
I don't think people are buying the electric SUV because they've always like Mustangs but I know that when someone says they bought a new Mustang I don't know what they're referring too.
I can't remember from whom, but I did get the truth about the Mach E getting named a Mustang from someone with close ties to Ford. Bill Ford was (wisely, IMO) against it but the vehicle's main target market was California. And, of course, the marketing department did a study out there to see what name would generate the most recognition and interest. Thus, the horrid application of the running pony onto a four door SUV.
Marketing people. Ugh. Round them up with the lawyers.
They could have called this the 911XL and it wouldn't have affected the coupe at all. You could argue that the Porsche brand was as strong or stronger than the Corvette one and it survived. In fact, it gave Porsche the bank to build crazier and crazier 911s.
How about a sedan version?
Think of how many straw hats, Hawaiian shirts, crying dolls, quick detailer bottles, and folding chairs a Corvette SUV could carry!
We live in a world where Porsche, Maserati, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Bentley and Ferrari sell SUVs.
Besides those, you can buy SUVs with over 600hp from Jeep, Dodge, BMW, Mercedes, Cadillac and I guess Tesla too.
Between the Maverick, Mach E, Blazer, Eclipse, etc in recent years I think we've learned that brands don't really matter any more. If an OEM has a trademarked name with any marketability at all it's going to be used regardless of what the product originally was or the new one is.
Then the collectors will be all over the C7s as the last real 'vettes, sorta like the air cooled Porsche hoopla.
After all the hate toward the Mach E, this thread is pretty calm and quiet, I must point out.
Funny...
Doesn't General Motors have enough four door SUV's? A Corvette is a SPORTSCAR. Not a Soccer Mom/Dad vehicle. If GM want to make a SUV to compete with Porsche don't call it a Corvette. I don't call a SUV Porsche a 911. It is bad enough that almost no cars, trucks are two door.
alfadriver said:After all the hate toward the Mach E, this thread is pretty calm and quiet, I must point out.
Funny...
Ford broke everyone in with the Mach E. It's never as bad when you're the second one.
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
I've seen references to this elsewhere and I don't really believe it.
But stupider things have happened.
The looks I would get at the solid waste transfer station were awesome. Best looking Chevy truck ever!
Just remember, Duntov was pushing hard for a mid engine Corvette...back in the 60s. The only thing new is GM finally pulled the trigger.
Appleseed said:Just remember, Duntov was pushing hard for a mid engine Corvette...back in the 60s. The only thing new is GM finally pulled the trigger.
Yeah, but he also hated that they put the big block in the 'Vette because it was too big and heavy. So he'd hate a big, fat Corvette SUV.
There's already the Cadillac Escalade-V, and the Cadillac Lyriq EV and the Blazer EV SS are both on the way (both 500-ish horsepower EV crossovers). What does a Corvette SUV bring to the table that those don't?
Of course this modern GM we are talking about, which is a company that's about as smart as a sack of hammers. They spent a decade building up the Cadillac V badge, just to water it down so they can build up the Blackwing name instead. They spent a fortune developing that Blackwing engine and launched it in a car that had been already discontinued, giving it just a 6-month run in a lame duck car, and the engine doesn't fit anything else. They are buying out Buick dealers, because they don't have any EV Buicks in the immediate future, so then when they do start development of new Buicks they will have dismantled their own dealer network.
EvanB said:I was certainly upset when the Baja Cutless was discontinued, the Supreme just doesn't compare.
Indeed.
So the most important question is which generation of the vette will the SUV be? I'm thinking C5 or so.
MyMiatas said:Doesn't General Motors have enough four door SUV's? A Corvette is a SPORTSCAR. Not a Soccer Mom/Dad vehicle. If GM want to make a SUV to compete with Porsche don't call it a Corvette. I don't call a SUV Porsche a 911. It is bad enough that almost no cars, trucks are two door.
These supercar companies I suppose need to make an SUV to survive as going concerns. GM is already mainly an SUV/truck company.
alfadriver said:So the most important question is which generation of the vette will the SUV be? I'm thinking C5 or so.
I want to see the Corvette SUV look like a lifted, four seat, open top dune buggy with heavy C3 influence.
GCrites80s said:MyMiatas said:Doesn't General Motors have enough four door SUV's? A Corvette is a SPORTSCAR. Not a Soccer Mom/Dad vehicle. If GM want to make a SUV to compete with Porsche don't call it a Corvette. I don't call a SUV Porsche a 911. It is bad enough that almost no cars, trucks are two door.
These supercar companies I suppose need to make an SUV to survive as going concerns. GM is already mainly an SUV/truck company.
Yep.
The problem isn't them. It's us. We don't buy the great cars that built the brand. We buy the stupid SUVs that parasitize it, or we don't buy any of them at all.
MadScientistMatt said:alfadriver said:So the most important question is which generation of the vette will the SUV be? I'm thinking C5 or so.
I want to see the Corvette SUV look like a lifted, four seat, open top dune buggy with heavy C3 influence.
Someone beat you to it:
Chevy already tried it once before during the late 70's and 80's with the other Vette, Chevy Chevette that is...
Nothing is sacred anymore. Everything "new & improved" is usually a ruined re-design. Obsolescence rules the marketing planning. Creativity is basically re-doing something already done, ie- ridiculous movie re-makes.
I guess a move like this is easier for the engineers than for Marketing to think up a new name that doesn't end up being offensive in another language. It all smacks of the memory of the sixth generation Pontiac LeMans - thanks Daewoo.
sigh, a good rant always helps. -now get off my lawn, it's naptime...
In reply to jabos7 :
The Pontiac Lemans was a Daewoo, yes, but it was a Korean built Opel Kadett. So it is still a GM through and through.
Unlike, say, the Chevy Nova, which one would think would be the same chassis as a LeMans but surprise! Corolla.
IamFODI said:GCrites80s said:MyMiatas said:Doesn't General Motors have enough four door SUV's? A Corvette is a SPORTSCAR. Not a Soccer Mom/Dad vehicle. If GM want to make a SUV to compete with Porsche don't call it a Corvette. I don't call a SUV Porsche a 911. It is bad enough that almost no cars, trucks are two door.
These supercar companies I suppose need to make an SUV to survive as going concerns. GM is already mainly an SUV/truck company.
Yep.
The problem isn't them. It's us. We don't buy the great cars that built the brand. We buy the stupid SUVs that parasitize it, or we don't buy any of them at all.
I was under the impression that car companies were guessing when they made cars for us to buy. I have never received a letter or email asking me about cars I like that they have designed.
In reply to Datsun310Guy :
Ugh, the ad writer sounds like he's trying something like: "if the reader just believes hard enough, it becomes fact in their own mind." Did anyone ever lose their mind and time a dead-stock Cutlass salon at Riverside? It's got to be pretty terrible. But hey, if it sounds good, it sells.
In reply to MyMiatas :
How often do you buy new cars? If you buy a new car every 2-3 years, car companies will care a lot about what you want. If you only buy used cars, then they don't give a crap.
Since I've bought 2 new cars during my 35 years of adult life (last one in 2007), car companies don't really care what I think.
Sure, why not ruin Bill and Zora's legacy further?
I expect the concept to look something like this:
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