Did GM President Mark Reuss Confirm the Corvette Will Always Be a Chevy?
As long as there has been a Corvette, Chevrolet has tinkered with its very Corvette-ness. Recall the gorgeous 1953 Nomad wagon and fastback ’54 Corvette Corvair, the various CERV and Mako Shark concepts of the early ’60s, and the many mid-engine (and rotary!) ideas that were part of the Corvette story throughout C2, C3, and C4 development. The C8, obviously, and to a greater extent the C8 E-Ray, is the biggest variation on the Corvette theme in the car’s long history, and while rumors of an SUV have circulated over the last several years, they have remained, thankfully, rumors.
The one thing that has always bound these disparate Corvette ideas, however, has been their maker. From the very start, the Corvette has been recognizable by its own badge, the crossed flags, with the faintest hint of bow tie adorning one of them. The car doesn’t need a Silverado-sized badge, because everyone knows what it is, and everyone knows that Chevy builds it.
Despite long-running speculation, on this site and elsewhere, that Chevy might cleave Corvette into its own brand, GM president Mark Reuss recently appeared to dispel that speculation. During his recent visit to Jay Leno’s Garage, where Reuss unveiled the next Corvette ZR1 and the pair discussed the legacy of America’s sports car, Leno says the Corvette “really has become its own separate brand now.”
“It really is,” Reuss agrees but then adds this important caveat: “We’d never, I don’t think, you know, take it out of Chevrolet, because the core of Chevrolet is offering people more than they thought for the money and doing it with fantastic design and performance, and that’s what Corvette is.” He’s not wrong, of course.
“I like that you don’t change the name,” Leno replies.
“We don’t need to go out and do other things,” says Reuss, appearing to put the matter to bed.
Now, does that mean we won’t someday see a Corvette SUV, or another front-engined Corvette, or a fission-powered Corvette? Nope. Because Chevy keeps on tinkering with the thing—as we should all hope and expect it to. But for now, at least, the Corvette is a Chevrolet, and it’s keeping its bow tie.
Look the Corvette is a model not a brand. It has 70 years of equity blessed on Chevy. But it is what Chevy is that lets the Corvette live.
Yes Porsche does the sedan and the suv because the brand needs more volume than the 911. Same at Lambo.
But Chevy already has high volume SUV models and trucks that more than help fill that needed volume. There is no need for a Corvette SUV.
Now what I would consider is take a Tahoe give it to the Corvette team. Dump a Z06 engine in it. Keep the Tahoe name but call it Tahoe Z06 tuned by Team Corvette.
Lower it and make it handle and stop better. Use the Corvette parts bin. This way you get more equity with no damage to the Corvette name.
Most sports cars last a few years. Only the Miata and 911 have had any lasting in the market. The Vette is now an icon but it still can be damaged if miss managed.
GM was given a hard lesson on what the Corvette value was in 1993 when Jim Perkins worked to save the car after GM killed it. The Book All Corvettes are Red documents this well.
The Corvette has an advantage that most other cars never get. It is an effective money making halo car. It is on nearly every street corner and everyone knows what it is. Men Women and Children wave at you drive by. Even Mustang owners wish Ford had something like the GT in that price range.
The long and short of it is don’t f$#k with the formula.
This article should’ve been penned by Jack Baruth. He reported about the Corvette SUV on this very site a few years ago. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find the article. Did Hagerty purge all of his writing?
This article should’ve been penned by Jack Baruth. He reported about the Corvette SUV on this very site a few years ago. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find the article. Did Hagerty purge all of his writing?