Report: Chevy Looking to Give C7 Corvette More Youth-Oriented Appeal With "Smaller" Design
General Motors sees rough waters ahead for the Corvette unless changes are made to the vehicle now. So in an effort to solve any potential issues before they actually become problems, Chevy has decided to look outside America for help.
So what would sort of problems could the incredibly capable American icon have? Well, according to a report in AutoWeek, GM saw a 48 percent sales decline for the Corvette over the last year, while the bigger issue might be that the average age of Corvette buyers continues to rise. Last year, the average age was 54. Chevy believes that in order to combat this issue and make the Vette more attractive to a younger demographic it needs a design change. After all, the car’s performance certainly can’t be in question.
According to GM’s VP of global design, Ed Welburn, last year the company approached its European Design studios to to send in next generation (C7) Corvette design proposals. “We have to develop a design that feels trimmer, meaner, to go along with the incredible performance that the car has,” said Welburn. Currently, the Corvette faces the stigma of being a large car, when in fact it is roughly the same size as the current Porsche 911.
Still, Welburn doesn’t want to alienate his core audience. Speaking about the new design he says, “It can’t mutate into something that gets so far away from Corvette that it is no longer a Corvette.”
We’re eager to see what a more European-style Corvette might look like. Now if only Chevy would give the Corvette a more European interior.
[Source: AutoWeek]
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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