My 24 year old nephew loves the new C7

[dobrenyr]

When i showed it to him in Road and Track, he is very impressed. Of course, he is from the Transformers generation, even has a license plate that says "TRNSFORMER" so i guess GM succeeded in targeting the younger audience. He is gonna be married shortly, buy a house, have kids and in about 25 years or so, will be finally able to afford to buy one.
Will GM still be in business by then ?

What they need to target is the late 30's and early 40's demographic that currently loves the Audi R8, Nissan GTR and Porshe Boxster.

[raidmagic]

I'm 40 and I love it.

[stinger430]

Originally Posted by raidmagic

I'm 40 and I love it.

I'm 40 and I don't love it.

But I suspect I'm the only 40something year old that doesn't.

[PNHNDLE96CE]

I like certain parts. I like that it is faster and more refined but hate that it's styled like a bastard of many cars. I do think with the public response Chevy has a winner on their hands. My old ass probably just needs to step aside and let the new class in.

[BLK 1]

I'm 41 and am going to get one for sure.

BLK 1

[Atheris]

I showed it to a 30 yr. old friend and he said "That's the best looking car I've ever seen in my life."

I really struggled with the rear design initially...it has grown on me. I see now that the Vette, unlike the Viper or Ferrari, is a unique and beautiful symphony of curves and knife-sharp lines. And I think the rear end works. Ferraris are smooth...Lambos are hard. I look at the C5 and C6 now and they look plain (which sucks because I can only afford one of these models).

I few words about the C7 design and marketing:

The form follows function philosophy drove the overall design of this vehicle. Engineers know that the best design for performance exists in a very narrow realm. That's why the C7, the Viper and the F12 share so many attributes. To say that the C7 is a bastard of other cars is nonsense. If that were so, it would apply to the aforementioned cars as well.

To me, the C7 looks totally corvette. And based on response thus far...GM hit a home run with this car. I like the new viper, and think they did a good job with the upgrade...and the C7 (future Z06/ZR1) seems to be a superior car in every way...based on what we know.

Like music, and most if not all forms of art, there are exceedingly few original ideas or works. Cars are no different. To GMs credit...I ask y'all...when was the last time Viper, Mercedes, Ferrari or Lambo built a TOTALLY new car?

The tail lights were NOT inspired by the Camaro. That's a ridiculous notion...whether they remind you of the Camaro or not. GM did not build a car from scratch and then decide to copy a lesser model (we already know there were times in Corvette's history where the tail lights were IDENTICAL to the Camaro). What they did was tie the look of the Vette more closely to the GM brand.

Just to throw out a qualifier...I am a marketing specialist (Marketing Strategy at Cornell Univ.) and have followed GM with interest the last decade. GM is NOT in the top 100 global companies with regard to brand recognition/equity. Toyota, BMW, Mercedes, Kia, Hyundai, Ford, Ferrari...all in the top 100.

GM is using their iconic model (and hallowed name StingRay) to restore brand equity. The C7 is an attention-getter. GM cut no corners with this car...as somebody said "it's a technological Tour de' Force." The symbiotic branding with Sony/Grand Turismo was brilliant. GM is sending a loud message to the automotive world that...we build the one of the sleekest, fastest, most tech advanced sports car in the world...at a price you can afford.

GM had to do this to ensure that they're around to build the C8!

I predict this will be the best selling Corvette in history.

So design is subjective...some will like it, others will hate it and never get past the tail lights. Performance is not subjective. The Vipers and Ferraris on the track will experience the C7s prowess soon enough.

Well done GM.

[bkuper]

Atheris....well done.

[johnb21]

Well said! I agree 100%!

[WNH]

Originally Posted by Atheris

To me, the C7 looks totally corvette. And based on response thus far...GM hit a home run with this car..

That's the main thing. GM has preserved and continued the Corvette legacy with the C7.

[dobrenyr]

I see many do like it and i'm sure it will look better in person. In reading the C&D article yesterday, Tadge admitted that there were no clinics to address the external design, only internal design. Hence, i now know why there is so much controversy... like publicity, even bad publicity is a good thing.
But at least now we know how they moved this to production and why so many oldtimers are upset about it...
Corvette is an icon, and certain design elements are part of that. Sure you can change and play with them... but retain some of the past...

[Atheris]

I'm not sure what Tadge said, but you can't design a completely new exterior with out some extensive design collaboration. Ed Wellborn said they spent untold hours just on the valley between the hood and the front fender.

I'll say this again...everything on this car is new and intentional. Not liking a design element/cue does not mean that GM didn't throughly think it through.

[dobrenyr]

I thought that was Tom Peters ( the bald guy who did the Azteck ) that said they spent hours because of aerodynamic considerations. to spend hours to make it look like it got its design cues from other brands is exceptional work.

[blckslvr79]

Originally Posted by dobrenyr

to spend hours to make it look like it got its design cues from other brands is exceptional work.

I'm sorry. Is that sarcasm?

[Atheris]

Originally Posted by dobrenyr

I thought that was Fred Peters ( the bald guy who did the Azteck ) that said they spent hours because of aerodynamic considerations. to spend hours to make it look like it got its design cues from other brands is exceptional work.

The form follows function philosophy drove the overall design of this vehicle. Engineers know that the best design for performance exists in a very narrow realm. That's why the C7, the Viper and the F12 share so many attributes. To say that the C7 is a bastard of other cars is nonsense. If that were so, it would apply to the aforementioned cars as well.

[bkuper]

Originally Posted by Atheris

The form follows function philosophy drove the overall design of this vehicle. Engineers know that the best design for performance exists in a very narrow realm. That's why the C7, the Viper and the F12 share so many attributes. To say that the C7 is a bastard of other cars is nonsense. If that were so, it would apply to the aforementioned cars as well.