Fresh off the announcement of its new logo and marketing campaign, GM took its electrified message to the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
From that stage, The General unleashed a deluge of plans and details on its electric vehicle aspirations. You can see some of the GM Highlights from CES here.
But…amidst the talks of an electric future, we noticed something. When Michael Simcoe, GM Vice President of Global Design, delivered his keynote address, he did so against a backdrop of some previously-unreleased vehicles.
One in particular caught our eye.
Computer enhance!
As Simcoe was talking, our eyes fixated on this silvery-grey phantom tucked behind his right shoulder. Its rough outline and running lights mimic a C8 Corvette, yet it’s clearly a larger vehicle—which immediately sends our brains spiraling down an automotive “what-if” rabbit hole.
While gossip has swirled about GM making an all-electric Corvette (and Chevy certainly hints at least a hybrid version in the near future), some of the more lofty rumors speak to an expanded Corvette lineup the includes four-door sedans and crossovers. A recent tear down of a Corvette C8 revealed that the Corvette’s front hubs were clearly made to accommodate axle shafts–which means engineers had alternate drivetrains in mind during its design.
Obviously this idea isn’t new. After all, Porsche is making sedans and SUVs now, and Ford’s new Mustang Mach-E sets the groundwork for expanding a nameplate. But how will Corvette purists react to, say, a Vette wagon or an electric crossover with cross-flags on the hood?
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, these are all still rumors. In fact, there’s also a likely chance that this electric mystery machine will come to showrooms as a Buick, given the brand’s presence in China and that country’s demand for EVs.
Perhaps we should cross our fingers for a Buick Grand Touring National instead?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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The move to use a Corvette name on anything that is now two seats and a sports cars is foolish, risky and lazy.
The Corvette is a high equity name of a model of car by a brand Chevrolet. It is not a brand unto it’s self. Porsche is a brand and they have a SUV but it is called a Cayenne not a 911 SUV.
To use the Corvette in this way is just a mistake. GM did this once before with the Cutlass name putting the popular name of a RWD car on a number of poor FWD cars and destroyed the name and image equity.
Ford is doing this now with the Mustang. They applied the Mustang name to a EV minivan SUV that has nothing to do with the true Mustang. While it may be a great EV it is still not a Mustang.
GM needs to stop this thinking and use an original name. Adding Corvette will be as popular as it was adding the Blazer name to a CUV. Again nice car but not a Blazer.
The Corvette has built up near 70 years of name equity of being a sports car and if used on just one bad product it will do more harm than the Vega steering wheel in 1976 did in the Corvette.
Hey Scott, you make some very valid points.
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But there is an interesting bit of history and precedent to consider too. GM teased this idea waaaay back in 1954, during the New York City Motorama, with the Corvette Corvair and Corvette Nomad. (Though the cars never made it to production, the names were soon recycled.)
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Check out this article. I would’ve loved to see a Corvette Shooting Brake!
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Speaking of names, wouldn’t it be awesome for the expanded Corvette lineup to include a featherweight, sub $40K Boxster fighter called the Corvette Fiero?
Little market outside of Europe for a Shooting brake. It is a segment best suited for the high priced sports cars that sell 50 of these models. Besides the move to mid engine makes the real Corvette irrelevant for a Shooting brake.
I am well versed in the Corvette Nomad.
My solution here is I am fine with a Sport SUV. My only issue is trying to leverage the Corvette name on a vehicle that really shares nothing with the Corvette.
I would look to just name the SUV a Nomad and you can put a tuned by Corvette engineering on it. This way you can market the Corvette name but not tie it to a unrelated vehicle.
As for more sports cars it would be cool to have them but there is little money or life span for most.
I was at the home of a GM Marketing manager and he is a true sports car fan. He pointed out that most two seat cars are limited in sales, profits and life span. Most sports cars outside the Vette and Miata at lower prices live more than 5-8 years. The market is limited and it is rare to get one that really makes a dent.
The Vette has hit Iconic status and also delivers super car fun at a very low price in that segment. The Miata has made it as it was sold globally and in limited numbers to keep demand up. Even now it may not live another gen as Fiat is backing out on the shared platform. If Fiat had not shared the cost we may not have had this gen.
Anyone can built a $300,000 Sports car but to build one for the masses just never works long term. When money get tight they are the first models killed. Even the Vette was canceled in the early 90’s and saved by a manager that finished the C5 against the company orders. The car lived on but he paid with his job at GM.
I own a Custom Fiero today and love two seat cars. But I also get the big picture.
In todays market it is not enough to just make money. Today it is all about making the most return on the investment.
The bad thing is with EV cars coming it may make some models easier to make as they are on shared EV platforms with different bodies.
The problem is that small and light do not work well with an EV so this will kill the sports car idea unless it is larger and heavier. ICE will live on at least till 2050 but I would not look for many small sports cars.
My GM friend restored his own Alfa. He loved the cars but explained well the problems in todays markets.
We are going to lose most Coupes very soon too. There is just no market. Trucks and life style vehicles will rule like the Wrangler and Bronco. GM needs a small Hummer or GMC to fill this segment based on a Colorado ZR2. Something with an open top and removable doors. This kind of model would sell in six figures where a small coupe at $40K would struggle to make much money with less than 20K in sales. The Miata averages around 12K a year volume in the states.
By the way, Welcome Back!!!!