Chevrolet News:Corvette Plant Closes Their Doors To the Public for 18 Months

[William Maley]

Whenever the Corvette plant closes it doors for public tours for a certain amount of time, it usually means some big change is coming to the model. 

The Bowling Green Daily News reports that starting next month, GM will suspend plant tours for 18 months. National Corvette Museum Marketing and Communications Manager, Katie Frassinelli tells the paper the suspension is for a reconfiguration of the assembly line and a new paint shop.

“The new paint shop at the plant has to be tied into the existing assembly line. The old paint shop is on the opposite side of the plant,” said Frassinelli.

It should be noted this is the longest time that the plant tour has been suspended.

Unsurprisingly, this announcement has caused many to wonder if the change is somehow related to the long-rumored mid-engined Corvette. Speculation has it that the model will debut at next year's Detroit Auto Show.

Source: Bowling Green Daily News

View full article

[G. David Felt]

Very Cool  Is this the mid engine stingray and they also have a traditional corvette? Or is the traditional corvette going away?

[A Horse With No Name]

...the way of the Dodo bird and passenger pigeon.

[daves87rs]

Should be some interesting stuff there....

[Cmicasa the Great]

I'm thinking that GM has finally given the green-light.. to not only the mid-engine, but also a CUV. I wouldn't be surprised if the Corvette is about to become its own brand.. and the Mid-Engine, Front engine, and CUV are the forerunners 

[A Horse With No Name]

1 hour ago, Cmicasa the Great said:

I'm thinking that GM has finally given the green-light.. to not only the mid-engine, but also a CUV. I wouldn't be surprised if the Corvette is about to become its own brand.. and the Mid-Engine, Front engine, and CUV are the forerunners 

Interesting speculation and that would be highly intelligent of GM!

[oldshurst442]

Rumor is the front-engine RWD Vette C7 will be sold alongside the mid-engined Vette for a couple of years? 

I think this is still true.

After what happens next is anybody's guess...will Chevy keep a front-engined RWD Vette around as a base car?

Rumor also had it that the C8 platform would have been able to support and adapt the two drive-train styles. How true this rumor is/was is unclear to me.

 

 

I personally dont mind Vette becoming its own brand.  It kinda is/was if you think about it.

The Vette logo ALWAYS suggested this.

The 2 flags and the Fleur De Lys = Corvette winning races

The Bow-Tie =  Chevy

The entire logo = Corvette (front and center) by Chevrolet

To expand its portfolio may very well be the next way up.

I stated the reasons why many times over...

The Vette, to be a destroyer of its competition needs to stop being a Jack-Of-All-Trades sports car.

The Porsche 911 has a million and one variants, that the Vette just cant keep up with, partly because Porsche now also sells SUVs and CUVs by the boatload, but Porsche also has HYPERCARS with GEEWHIZ electric motor technology that the Corvette only dreams it could have....

And whether we want to admit it or not or see it at all, the Corvette NEEDS to conquer this area as well, and as is, even as the new ZR1 is coming soon, it wont be able to conquer...

Oh...it WILL compete, and at  a much much much lower price point than the 918, but it NEEDS to CONQUER IT!!! NOT JUST COMPETE....

VETTES ALWAYS WIN!!!

The Vette as a base car...could keep its heritage intact....by offering a TTV6 or a sub 400HP V8 front-engined entry level model....

But that poses a problem at Chevrolet as the Camaro is already in that position...

Hence why Vette may need to become its own brand?

So Chevy could continue to develop the Camaro into a global sporty coupe like BMWs in the 2 Series and 4 Series variety and the Corvette could tackle the likes of Porsche...

Remember,  Porsche also has not only the entry level 911 that the Vette does battle with, but Porsche also has the Cayman and the Boxster that the Vette currently has no answer for....

And for Corvette to continue to develop, maybe expanding into other niches might do the trick...

Corvette tuned SUVs and CUVs sold in Corvette showrooms just outside a Chevrolet showroom (with specially trained representatives selling you the vehicles) certainly has a chance to succeed. Especially in Europe where the Corvette is finally getting the respect it deserves and GM/Chevy is nowhere near to be represented anymore through the sale of Opel through its decades long winning (2 decades since 2000) at the 24 hours of Lemans...crushing Porsche, BMW, Ferrari and Aston Martin, not to forget Viper who the Europeans also admired and Viper took those races by storm in the late 1990s...

Maybe GM's re-entry to Europe is through Corvette showrooms....

 

 

Edited May 5, 2017 by oldshurst442

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, Cmicasa the Great said:

I'm thinking that GM has finally given the green-light.. to not only the mid-engine, but also a CUV. I wouldn't be surprised if the Corvette is about to become its own brand.. and the Mid-Engine, Front engine, and CUV are the forerunners 

I could love me a Corvette AWD CUV to replace the Trailblazer SS AWD!  

[A Horse With No Name]

4 hours ago, dfelt said:

I could love me a Corvette AWD CUV to replace the Trailblazer SS AWD!  

Warm garage in Ohio if this happens for the Trailblazer SS...

[G. David Felt]

6 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Warm garage in Ohio if this happens for the Trailblazer SS...

Will keep that in mind as it is in mint condition.