WHICH Would Sell MORE And Capture MORE Interest? A Mid-engine Corvette Or A Corvette SUV Like The Urus?

Well SUVs are the hot ticket, although I think a 4 door Vette ala Porsche Panamera makes more sense.

Porsche was probably on-the-fence when trying to decide if the Panamera would go to production. Cayenne acceptance & resulting sales success was deciding factor. A 4-door sedan & SUV in the lineup has definitely helped to expand the brand's consumer base.

Now...the Corvette has legendary & legacy status. Would these variations hurt the Corvette brand? A little, yes. But in the long-term, there will be a lot more consumers looking at Vette products. Who says a nameplate has to ONLY be 1 type of vehicle?

If the production design is really nice & consumers buy them, then sobeit. Having seen how the XT4 is looking, it's very possible to "see" a Vette SUV & 4-door on the streets. That would ignite new brand rivalries & increase the competition field of positive ways for GM.

The question is - whether GM plans to make "Corvette" a BRAND or not.
IF Corvette is simply designating a "car" - then a Corvette is defined as a two seat Sports car - and changing it over to Mid-engine to compete at a higher level makes some sense if you assume that the price of a Corvette is no longer the issue. But - for years - Corvette was an attainable Exotic car made in the USA - and if changing to Mid-Engine increases the price of the car to take it out of the "attainable" range for many of its buyers - that is not a logical step for the car.

However - IF GM makes Corvette a Brand - it could - logically - produce a RWD Corvette - a Mid Engine Corvette - and even a Four wheel Drive Corvette. The problem here is Exclusivity. WHen you take a car from an limited sales position to spreading the brand over several higher rate production cars - you dilute the value of the Name - PLUS - you have to be absolutely sure that ALL of the vehicles produced are worthy of the name - you cannot come up a little short because it will effect ALL of the Brand's cars.

Frankly - I would not be in favor of making Corvette a Brand. WE already have too many of those to begin with. The problem is - unless you restrict the Brand - you put yourself open to the bean counters - who likely would want ENTRY level products from the Brand - turning the Brand into nothing more than a line of Camaros. I know Matt prefers a Brand Strategy - but I do not - A CORVETTE has always been the Ultimate Chevrolet Performance car - and it should remain THAT one thing.

I don't think GM would have "exclusivity" problems with a Corvette brand.

As long as they resist making a piss-poor base model for the 4-door & SUV models. Every Corvette should have a "base" or performance standard AND be competitive with similarly outfitted vehicles from other (foreign) makers.

Maybe they could call the new Corvette brand Pontiac? I think that name is available.

Make Corvette a brand.

Give it 4 models: Stingray, Zora, "Cayenne", and "Macan".

The problem is that to do that GM would use the Equinox and Traverse as the donor vehicles,

@MD Agreed. Great idea in concept, but the execution would be flawed. The business case for a modular platform to underpin both the larger SUV/Sedan and a smaller SUV / entry sports car/sedan/coupe would be hard to create. The brand deserves better than a tweaked Equinox.

Sometimes long term success requires you to take the path less traveled. Corvette remaining the one pure sports car company has more appeal to many than risking diluting the brand's image and following by taking the path most traveled. I've had four Vettes in the past and loved each and every one...an American ICON for sure. I'm on the fence on this issue though leaning slightly more to leaving the SUV's to other GM brands.

Just like what happened to Porsche! ;)

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@fiftysix your ignorance and lack of knowledge is truly amazing. At the time that the SUV was launched Porsche was just 2 models, The 911 and the Boxster. That's it. It threw a Hail Mary pass with the Cayenne and now in 2018 SUV's dominate their sales. They have plenty of money now for GT3RS's, GT4's, GT2's and anything they can dream up. Corvette could follow the same path. It isn't rocket science.

@56 you are still wrong. 1 car or 2 makes no difference. Seeing how Porsche has transformed itself making SUV's and a sedan, it should not take much thought to see how the Corvette brand could do the same with its soon be to line up of 2 cars, the Stingray and a Zora/mid-engine car. Now do you see? Porsche spins cash like never before in 2018. If you still don't get it ask an Accountant. Cash flow is king. Resting on your heritage does not pay the bills either (ask Aston Martin) fresh products aimed at the heart of the market will.

Keep on posting @56 and also insulting the Agents who own and run this website (good move). You will be having lunch with BobM anytime now... tick...tock.

A "proper" 2+2 SUV based on the Vette (not Equinox or other Chevy product) that was fun as shit to drive, sporty looking and could haul 4 adults and some luggage would be a winner for GM providing they DON'T cheese out with a badge engineered bastard product by name only.

Enough baby boomers/former Vette owners would flock to the product if it had the Vette look, the Vette feel but the practicality of a SUV and that was easier to get into and more senior friendly. Hell I'd be a buyer for the SUV but never for the Vette as it is too small and impractical for my lifestyle.

"would be a winner for GM providing they DON'T cheese out with a badge engineered bastard product by name only."

You've just described GM's business model, so obviously we can expect full blown, unadulterated cheesing out.

I agree and this is why I prefaced this by saying "if". This product would have had a chance to be built properly if Lutz was still at GM but not with the current bean-counter regime whom pretend to be gear heads.