C7 Sales 200% Up from C6...

[Hulkamaniac]

http://www.torquenews.com/106/chevro...ough-april-200

Chevrolet Corvette Sales Through April Up 200%

When the new C7 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray made its world debut at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, many of the loud mouthed, old school Corvette owners cried foul at the new look – insisting that this car wouldn’t succeed due to the unconventional look – but after the first four months of 2014 the new Corvette is outselling the previous model by almost 200%.

When the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe was introduced with a stunning, angular new look that included
taillights that weren’t round for the first time ever, the old school car guys were quick to take to the internet to complain about how much they hated the new look (after their grandkids showed them how to turn the computer on, that is). They insisted that the industry wouldn’t accept a Corvette that looked like this and that a Corvette with rectangular headlights was doomed to fail. Well, much in the same way that these older car guys are unable to answer their cell phone in a timely fashion, they were unable to accurately predict the early success of the C7 Stingray.

As soon as the order banks opened late in 2013, buyers lined up to buy the new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray in such massive quantities that the waiting list for Stingrays with the Z51 package quickly grew to the point where buyers might have been waiting almost a year to take delivery. In October 2013 – the first full month of C7 availability – GM recorded almost 4,000 units sold, followed by 2,500 units in November and another 3,000 in December. For comparison, GM sold 1,167 Corvettes in
October 2012, 1,104 in November 2012 and 1,291 in December 2012 so when you consider the fact that GM sold more Corvettes in October 2013 than they did in the final three months of 2012, it becomes clear just how popular the new Stingray is throughout the US market.

Those early sales weren’t just a fluke, as the sales numbers for the new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray have remained very strong through the first four months of 2014. Even in a particularly harsh winter, GM sold 2,261 Corvettes in January (compared to just 908 the year before) and the numbers have increased in each of the first four months. In February, GM delivered 2,438 Corvettes compared to 980 a year earlier followed by 3,480 in March and 3,514 in April after the company sold “only” 1,053 in March 2013 and 974 in April 2013. Overall, GM has sold 11,693 Corvettes in the first four months of 2014 while they sold just 3,915 Corvettes during that same time period in 2013. That translates to an increase of 198.7% in the C7’s first full year of sales.

Now, it should be noted that the introduction of the C7 Corvette Stingray last January did have a negative impact on sales of the then-current C6 Corvette. While the Corvette had been averaging roughly 1,400 units through 2012 (before the C7 was introduced), those numbers fell into the range of 900-1,000 units once the new model made its big debut. This is due to people deciding to hold off on buying a C6 in the early portion of 2013 as they waited for their chance to purchase a new C7.

However, the numbers didn’t drop all that significantly so those folks who were waiting for a 2014 model didn’t skew the numbers all that much. Even compared to the Corvette sales numbers a year or more before the debut of the C7, the numbers for the newest Corvette are very, very strong and we can only expect those numbers to continue to improve as the heat of summer spreads across the entire United States.

While the old guys who still remember when you could buy a brand new Corvette for $5,500 might hate the look of the new Stingray – the consumer market has made it very clear that the design of the C7 was the big hit that GM was hoping for when designing the oldest sports car in the American auto industry.

[Jabs]

It would be interesting to do this comparison to the C6 in 2005 when it was first introduced not the cars last year before a new model where people like myself we're waiting on the C7!

[Hulkamaniac]

That would be an interesting comparison. Let's hope someone has the numbers and can post it.

[RidgebackKing]

Originally Posted by Jabs

It would be interesting to do this comparison to the C6 in 2005 when it was first introduced not the cars last year before a new model where people like myself we're waiting on the C7!

Total 2005 Corvettes Built - 37,372
Total 2005 Coupes - 26,728
Total 2005 Convertibles - 10,644

We'll know for sure in a couple months

[Hulkamaniac]

Originally Posted by RidgebackKing

Total 2005 Corvettes Built - 37,372
Total 2005 Coupes - 26,728
Total 2005 Convertibles - 10,644

We'll know for sure in a couple months

What about just January-April of 2005?

C6 sales for the period of January-April/(year total)...

2005... ??,???/(37,372) units
2006... 12,808/(36,518) units
2007... 11,403/(33,685) units
2008... 9,968/(26,971) units
2009... 4,459/(13,934) units
2010... 3,522/(12,624) units
2011... 4,293/(13,164) units
2012... 4,328/(14,132) units
2013... 3,915/(17,291) units

By those numbers, the public quickly grew tired of the "phone it in" design of the C6.

Clearly the Corvette needed a complete redesign to ignite the public's interest again.

Thank you Tadge Juechter and GM!!!

C7 sales for the period of January-April...

2014... 11,693 units.

[purpleRac3r]

Don't forget 2008 is when the economy tanked. Since the Corvette has traditionally been a "play toy", often a 2nd or 3rd car in a household, it would have been hit hard in the crash. I'm sure that played a big role in the 2007 to 2010 sales drop. Other sports car brands suffered even worse sales tumbles. By the 2011 model year, the C6 was fairly old as far as technology goes, so once the economy started its gradual recovery, people were tired of the same old thing, and looked for something new. That I'm sure is why the ZR1 and so many special editions were introduced: keep something different coming while the C7 was developed.


That said, the C7 is a HUGE leap forward for Corvette, and I imagine many people are buying it as a primary car, such as myself. It will be interesting to see if sales stay this high for several years running.

[Hulkamaniac]

I'm sure sales will stay higher as long as they keep expanding the Corvette market.

They just can't afford to market these cars to guys my age(mid 40's) and older anymore.

The lower price and redesign helped a lot.

Corvettes are a lot like boy bands, if your fans/buyers are only in one age group, you're doomed to fail, especially in the tight economy.

Adapt or die. Plain and simple.

[monicatomokc]

Originally Posted by Z51Stingray

They just can't afford to market these cars to guys my age(mid 40's) and older anymore.

The lower price and redesign helped a lot.

And don't forget a lot of us "Baby Boomers" crawling out from under those rocks where we've been for years with our kids now finally off the payroll!! I couldn't even think of a car like this when I was in my 30's, 40's or even early 50's!! Then Chevy comes along with a design like this and reeeeealy hits it out of the park!! These numbers are bound to grow a lot!! I wasn't even thinking about a Corvette until I saw that Blue one GM brought to CamaroFest last year!! That did it for me and I haven't stopped drooling yet... I just hope that drooling isn't old age...

[Hulkamaniac]

Drooling? That's what towels are made for my friend.

I don't think it's old age either. It comes from not being able to shut your lips cuz of the smile on your face when you drive a C7.