Quote:
Originally Posted by rj45
You're right about the bang for the buck. The Corvette is fast/handles well for the money. But...what if Nissan dropped their V8 into the Z? The car would be as fast as the Corvette, cost about the same, yet still offer its advantages in solidity, fit-and-finish, etc. The Corvette would then be lacking value in comparison. GM places the standard Corvette in its own category, there is no direct competition, per-say. But, that doesn't mean you sacrifice quality. You never know when the competition will sneak up on you. IMO, GM shouldn't turn current buyers off in any way. Why have customers yearning for a better package, because one day the competition just may offer it.
IMO, as it stands, there's not a (roughly) $12K-15K difference in effort between the current 370 and C6. The Corvette is built using mostly normal materials (excluding the Z06 and ZR1, of course), equipped with a relatively low-tech V8 and boasts average sport-suspension tuning...i.e., really no more effort than the Nissan designers put into the Z. Plus, GM offers the Corvette with plenty of optional amenities, it's really not a bare bones, pure sports car (like a Lotus, for example). And you're not buying exclusivity, either...GM builds plenty of Corvettes, roughly 30K-40K a year.
The Corvette is aimed at enthusiasts with a few dollars. They can appreciate quality and performance. Point being, if GM wants to keep future Corvettes priced where they currently are, they need to up the quality a good notch or two. The Corvette does sell, but how long can GM hold off the competition?
|
So it's just that easy right? Just slap on/drop in a V8 and BAM! Poof! It makes a car magically better?
If that was the case, how much more expensive do you think the 370z (wait....570z) would be?
I mean let's just forget about
: chassis design, balance, transmission, suspension, emissions, etc. etc. All these components would most likely need to be redesigned --> brand new car.
...the point is it's not as easy as just "dropping in" a larger engine. There are tremendous costs associated with such and if Nissan thought they could make a profit and undercut the Corvette in price while still delivering value, don't you think they would have done it already?
As for the last part, how long can Nissan hold off the competition? (I'm pretty sure in terms of performance, the competition aka 2011 Mustang GT has already surpassed the 370Z while at the same time being less expensive).