This is the C8 mid-engine Chevy Corvette

[WolfpackS2k]

Continuing to offer the existing FR Corvette alongside the new MR Corvette, and continuing to develop and build a FR Corvette and MR Corvette, are two entirely different things.

I have a hard time imaging that GM will abandon most of it's clientele, but equally a difficult time thinking they'd build 2 models concurrently. Thus I feel like the MR offering will be more affordable than people think.

It's not like it's more expensive to build a MR platform than a FR. The Corvette's platform is already bespoke so it's not like a lot of parts sharing is going on with other models (outside of drivetrain).

[Rampage]

Originally Posted by WolfpackS2k

Continuing to offer the existing FR Corvette alongside the new MR Corvette, and continuing to develop and build a FR Corvette and MR Corvette, are two entirely different things.

I have a hard time imaging that GM will abandon most of it's clientele, but equally a difficult time thinking they'd build 2 models concurrently. Thus I feel like the MR offering will be more affordable than people think.

It's not like it's more expensive to build a MR platform than a FR. The Corvette's platform is already bespoke so it's not like a lot of parts sharing is going on with other models (outside of drivetrain).

Chevy has to recoup the development cost of the mid-engined design. They cannot do that by inflating the price of the same ole same old front engine car so those cost will go into the purchase price of the mid-engine model. You also have to look at the competition for the mid-engine car. NSX, Ferrari, Porsche 911, Lambo, Ford GT, etc. A $150K price tag will make the mid-engine Corvette a bargain still.

[daiheadjai]

Even if this MR Corvette becomes an amazing performer selling for pennies on the dollar against other MR competitors, it would still be a massive mistake for Chevrolet to ditch the FR Corvette, if only for the diehard fanbase they've built up over decades.

It would be like if Mazda decided to create a mid-engine Miata, and then cancelled (or stopped developing) the FR Miata. The pitchforks would be out in force.

[WolfpackS2k]

Originally Posted by Rampage

Chevy has to recoup the development cost of the mid-engined design. They cannot do that by inflating the price of the same ole same old front engine car so those cost will go into the purchase price of the mid-engine model. You also have to look at the competition for the mid-engine car. NSX, Ferrari, Porsche 911, Lambo, Ford GT, etc. A $150K price tag will make the mid-engine Corvette a bargain still.

A bargain, what? That makes no sense. It would be like Ford selling the next gen Mustang for $75k (base model). Automakers don't just abandon their customer base, which is exactly what Chevy would be doing by tripling the base price of the Corvette. The C7 platform is just a heavily modified version of the platform that was all new for the C5. So front engine or mid engine, the next Corvette will have an all new platform either way.

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

Even if this MR Corvette becomes an amazing performer selling for pennies on the dollar against other MR competitors, it would still be a massive mistake for Chevrolet to ditch the FR Corvette, if only for the diehard fanbase they've built up over decades.

It would be like if Mazda decided to create a mid-engine Miata, and then cancelled (or stopped developing) the FR Miata. The pitchforks would be out in force.

Exactly.

[Rampage]

Originally Posted by WolfpackS2k

A bargain, what? That makes no sense. It would be like Ford selling the next gen Mustang for $75k (base model). Automakers don't just abandon their customer base, which is exactly what Chevy would be doing by tripling the base price of the Corvette. The C7 platform is just a heavily modified version of the platform that was all new for the C5. So front engine or mid engine, the next Corvette will have an all new platform either way.

A bargain supercar. The Mustang compares to the Camaro. Not the Corvette. The Ford that compares to the Corvette is the Ford GT which is way overpriced. Corvette already has models that sell for well over $100K. The ZR1 is over $130K. And they sell. They are not abandoning their base. They will still sell the front engine Corvette to cover that. The mid-engine will be a more limited production supercar that will be made to appeal to those that currently buy those other cars that I listed. It will be a status symbol and much more exclusive than the normal Corvette. I would not be at all surprised to see Corvette continue develop and produce both configurations for a long time.

Similar to Porsche with the 911 and Cayman.

[Yardjass]

Originally Posted by Rampage

Chevy has to recoup the development cost of the mid-engined design. They cannot do that by inflating the price of the same ole same old front engine car so those cost will go into the purchase price of the mid-engine model. You also have to look at the competition for the mid-engine car. NSX, Ferrari, Porsche 911, Lambo, Ford GT, etc. A $150K price tag will make the mid-engine Corvette a bargain still.

I don't know why everyone thinks that having a mid/rear engine layout automatically means a car has to be priced well into the six figure range. There have been plenty of cars that this is not the case for. Looking at the tasks at hand for them, the platform was due for a major overhaul anyway and a transaxle would have to be sourced or designed. The current engines are pretty much good to go and a lot of the smaller odds and ends can be "parts binned" from the current car so there isn't a whole lot of extra work beyond what they were going to have to do anyway.


I wouldn't be at all surprised to see some sort of mid-engine Corvette priced below six figures, if not initially, then later on as the base C8 model. It helps that they make a lot of money racing it too, and don't really need to jack the prices up. They actually cited the program's profitability due mostly to racing as the reason they didn't consider discontinuing Corvette during the bailout.

[Tcoat]

Based purely on historical GM activity I would be very surprised to see them totally drop the FR 'Vette. It may be rolled back to only a couple of trim levels but GM is not know for taking gigantic leaps of faith with their models. To go to just a MR model would take some guts no matter what it is priced at or how good it actually is.


Another major point for speculation is the fact that last year they sank $290 million into the Bowling Green plant where the Corvette is made. This comes right behind the $440 million they just spent in 2015 to upgrade the paint shop. That is a significant investment in infrastructure to just build one version of a car when they don't even know how well it will sell.

[WolfpackS2k]

Originally Posted by Rampage

I would not be at all surprised to see Corvette continue develop and produce both configurations for a long time.

Man, are you kidding? You're arguing...the exact same thing I am! If that's what you intended at the top of the page, you didn't word it very well.

[Irace86.2.0]

I agree with @Yardjass

I could see them drop the FR setup eventually. Corvette purists might whine just like Porsche purists threw a fit when the Cayman went 4 cylinder, but the 718 S is faster than the outgoing GT4. It’ll be the same when the new MR destroys the FR.

Price wise, nothing needs to go up. At one point in time, MR setups were cheap like the Honda Del Sol or Toyota MR2 or Fierro.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Irace86.2.0

I agree with @Yardjass

I could see them drop the FR setup eventually. Corvette purists might whine just like Porsche purists threw a fit when the Cayman went 4 cylinder, but the 718 S is faster than the outgoing GT4. It’ll be the same when the new MR destroys the FR.

Price wise, nothing needs to go up. At one point in time, MR setups were cheap like the Honda Del Sol or Toyota MR2 or Fierro.

LOL This is decidedly NOT a Honda Del Sol or Toyota MR2 or Fierro. They were all built as inexpensive cars from the start and thinking the Corvette will be at par with the FR because they existed is like saying our cars should be cheaper since the model T was RWD.


I think you will find that the uproar created by dropping the FR configuration would be far greater than changing the size of an engine. If they do not replace the old school 'Vette buyers one for one with new customers interested in the MR then the car is doomed.

[yelsew]

Originally Posted by Irace86.2.0

I agree with @Yardjass

Price wise, nothing needs to go up. At one point in time, MR setups were cheap like the Honda Del Sol or Toyota MR2 or Fierro.

Off topic, but isn't the Honda Del Sol FF, but only looks MR?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by yelsew

Off topic, but isn't the Honda Del Sol FF, but only looks MR?

Ahhhh so it is. Even a worse example then.

[reni]

The best example would be to compare the NB Miata to the Toyota MR-S. Both sold at the same time, with similar specs, in the same price range. There really isn't any technical reason why an MR car would be significantly more expensive to produce than an FR car.
(as opposed to, say, FF cars)

As far as the public goes, I really doubt that the vast majority of people who buy a Corvette new are actually going to care about FR vs MR as long has it has a big engine, looks sporty, and can carry their golf clubs.

[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

LOL This is decidedly NOT a Honda Del Sol or Toyota MR2 or Fierro. They were all built as inexpensive cars from the start and thinking the Corvette will be at par with the FR because they existed is like saying our cars should be cheaper since the model T was RWD.


I think you will find that the uproar created by dropping the FR configuration would be far greater than changing the size of an engine. If they do not replace the old school 'Vette buyers one for one with new customers interested in the MR then the car is doomed.

The idea was that the MR configuration isn't inherently more expensive. Those examples were only to give examples. I really only needed one example to sufficiently demonstrate the point is valid. VW managed to make a few cars that were RR and cheap like the Beetle, Bus and Karmann Ghia. Just because they are RR doesn't mean they will be as expensive as a Porsche. That was my point and was Yardjass' point. The FR is more common because it allows for 4 or 2+2 arrangements. It also allows for homologation across multiple cars for a given platform, so it wouldn't make sense for the Audi TT to go to a MR setup, if they can save money by building the car on the Golf chassis along with the Tiguan, Audi 3 series, etc, just as an example (not 100% positive all those vehicles share the same chassis...just trying to make a point). The Corvette isn't developed off of another platform (I think), so the same rules don't apply. For instance, it has an engine that might be shared on other platforms, but the transmission is rear mounted.

Your right that if they don't add as many buyers as they lose then the car would fail, but isn't that stating the obvious? The question is, how many buyers are Corvette purists? I don't know, but the fact is that a Camaro ZL1 1LE was faster than the Corvette around the Nurburgring, so how do you think that is sitting with purists? It means that the Corvette needs to step up its game. It may be the form factor (cooling issues, chassis design) that has to change because a pony car shouldn't be beating their flagship sports car. The fact is they have one FR car already--the Camaro. Maybe a MR at an Corvette-affordable price will draw in more buyers to the model.

http://www.foxnews.com/auto/2017/06/...rburgring.html

Originally Posted by yelsew

Off topic, but isn't the Honda Del Sol FF, but only looks MR?

Thanks, I probably did confuse the look and the fact that I have seen a few rear engine conversion Del Sol's.