C8 Corvette Propelling Chevy Into a New Era
C8 Corvette demand is hotter than hot. The Detroit News says it’s changing how Chevrolet conducts its business.
Henry Payne of The Detroit News recently detailed how the C8’s introduction changed Chevrolet’s status quo. Essentially, the new model generated so much interest, it altered how the brand approaches new product initiatives. Chevy implemented a number of new practices to retain as many potential C8 buyers as they possibly can. If their work pays off, the C8 will absolutely dominate anything that deigns to compete with it.
Red Hot Corvette
With everyone and their dog up knowing that the C8 is right around the corner, Chevy altered how they go about a new car launch. That’s because customers not normally in the market for a Chevy are now heading to Chevy dealerships. These individuals are not the type of people that would buy an Equinox or Traverse. They’re exotic car shoppers. “We’ve gotten a lot of interest from people who can afford anything,” said Corvette product manager Harlan Charles. “They really appreciate it because they can drive it every day, cross-country, and take trips with confidence knowing they have Chevy dealer support.” Chevy found that these customers normally would purchase something much more expensive. However, the Corvette attracts them because it has exactly what they want in a much less expensive package.
With such a large influx of a specific type of customer, Chevy realized they needed to switch things up. Some of those changes involve more intense dealer training. “Charles says every dealership that sells Corvettes now must train a staffer here at Spring Mountain Raceway. That’s to make sure they have a Corvette expert who has driven the Stingray on the track and experienced its state-of-the-art technology. So-called “signature” Chevy dealers who sell high numbers of Corvettes will send two salespeople and a service staffer,” wrote Payne. Chevy also created a concierge service and produced educational YouTube videos for new owners.
Anticipation Builds
Towards the end of the article, Payne managed to get an assessment of the C8’s handling prowess from a veteran driving school instructor. The consensus is that it handles just as good if not better than the Italian exotics. Dealers are aware of this and are basically on all in on the new Corvette. “Bomnin Auto Group in Miami, one of the country’s biggest ‘Vette peddlers, plans to give the Chevy sports car its own showroom as it converts an abandoned Toys R Us building near its Chevy showrooms,” wrote Payne. That’s a pretty big bet on the Corvette.
Forum Members Sound Off
With the impending arrival of the C8 Corvette, forum members have some thoughts about how the Chevy will impact the market. Basically, some members are saying that the C8 will completely upend the exotic car market. Member “New car dude” believes that will be the case:
The car will simply destroy sportscar market places where ever its sold.
It is a possibly that some people in the market for an Italian sports car will buy a Corvette instead. But that’s not what most people in the thread believe. Instead, they think the C8 will merely supplement some other, pricier exotic. “Mr Triple Black” certainly thinks that will be the case:
I don’t know why people keep saying this. People won’t be buying a C8 instead of a Ferrari, they’ll be buying it in addition to a Ferrari.
And I’m not surprised at all by the demand. Obviously the reason more people don’t own more exotic cars is the price. The Corvette is already a high volume seller, all they did was give even more people reason to want one and desire one.
Not everyone agrees with that assessment though. “Punky” thinks the number of future owners who will also have a Ferrari in the garage will be insignificant:
The number of C8s that will be sold in any given year to an owner who will have the car “in addition to a Ferrari” is so small that it is really not worth even thinking about.
Will the Corvette disrupt the exotic car segment when it launches later this year? There’s a good chance it might. But we can also see many wealthy buyers simply using the Chevy as a daily driver while keeping their pricier cars in the garage when they run errands. In any event, there are tons of people interested in the C8 Corvette. And for Chevy, that’s a good thing. Make sure to head over to the forum if you want to share your opinion about how the market will ultimately react to the C8.
Photos by Derin Richardson for Corvette Forum