Article: 5 reasons the new Corvette will stay an old man's car

[Stingray]

By Andrew Stoy for AutoWeek

The new Corvette Stingray has made its debut at the Detroit auto show, and there's little doubt it's going to thrill leagues of current Corvette aficionados. But Chevrolet has hinted it wants to broaden the Vette's appeal beyond its core Baby Boomer buyers, now in their 60s. GM design head Ed Welburn stated the Stingray aims for “a bit of a shift to appeal to younger customers,” according to Automotive News.

According to market research firm Strategic Vision, the average Corvette buyer is 59 years old. That means the “younger customers” Chevrolet is targeting are members of Generation X, born from about 1960-80. Big differences exist between the Vette's current core audience of Baby Boomers and the slacker generation (of which your author is a member), including these five significant hurdles that stand in the way of the Corvette's demographic downward drive.

1- Ghosts of Corvettes past
As good as the new Corvette is, Chevy's got skeletons in the closet that many of us Gen Xers remember all too well. Consider that drivers in their 40s and early 50s came of automotive age from the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s -- exactly the time the Corvette was huffing 200 or so horsepower through a long-in-the-tooth Mako Shark body. It wasn't an object of lust for many of us -- exotics like the Lamborghini Countach, Porsche 911 Turbo and Ferrari 308 were what stirred the soul, not the paunchy next-door neighbor's two-tone '78 C3.

2- We still have kids at home
Getting married and having kids happened a lot later for those in Generation X. Many put off child-raising until their mid-30s, meaning those parents won't be empty-nesters until their mid-50s (at the earliest). What good is a two-seat sports car to someone who has to haul three or four people around regularly…and pay tuition, all while hiding the keys from irresponsible hands? For the same money, an Audi S4 or even a Cadillac CTS-V makes more sense.

3- It'll still be too expensive
Remember that nasty little recession we had a few years ago? Most of us Gen Xers were just hitting our peak earning years when that whole mess hit and wiped out jobs, savings accounts and IRAs. Yes, things have improved, but a lot of us are either gun-shy or still broke, so a $60,000+ plaything isn't on the shopping list at the moment, nor is it likely to be anytime in the next few years.

4- We don't like flash
Not every member of Generation X slouched about in flannel several years longer than they should have. But car sales trends continue to show that the majority of buyers continue to value an understated automotive presence. We're snapping up silver Passats with abandon, luxuriating in lookalike Audis and even revering the gawdawful Prius as an aspirational vehicle. A low, sleek, hyperventilated land missile doesn't fit the image many of us have of success.

5- We've been tipped off
Chevy showed its hand when it announced the Corvette would attempt to appeal to younger customers. Now we know that Chevy is coming for us, and we'll be watching for telltale target marketing around every corner. As marketing trade publication CRM Magazine notes, “Gen Xers are averse to ad hype and overstatement and keep a constant lookout for hypocrisy and self-importance. They're also far less daring when it comes to spending their money.” None of these characteristics bode well for a splashy Corvette campaign.

CRM also notes that experts “warn against ads that appeal to a broader sense of heritage, history, and tradition, because Gen X doesn't go for that.” In other words, two years of “Chevy runs deep” probably hasn't helped matters, and the resurrection of Stingray is likely to fall on indifferent ears.

What the new 2014 Corvette does have going for it are the same things Corvette has long offered: Tremendous performance for the dollar, striking looks and everyday usability. Once the new car goes on sale this fall, we'll find out if it offers something the Corvette hasn't had in decades: Youth appeal.

(Source: http://www.thepassinglane.ca/2013/01...-mans-car.html)

[FenwickHockey65]

It'll stay an old man's car because older people are mostly the only ones who have saved up enough to afford one.

And when you consider the average industry age is pretty high up there anyways...

[AZCamaroFan]

"1." is not well thought out at all. he's talking about the C3...the C4 came out TWENTY NINE YEARS AGO in March. And it was lighter, sleeker, and got much more powerful engine's during it's life cycle.
on top of that if buyers in their 40s and 50s have such bad memories, why would they be the market for Corvette now?
dumb.

[monstertodd]

I'm 35, and the C7 definitely appeals to me. Although I am looking at having a kid or two in the next 5 years, so maybe not.

[Blue Menace]

As a fellow Gen Xer, I have a different take:

1) why in the hell would I let past iterations affect my lust for this new one? Seriously, sexy is as sexy does.

2) Us DINKs don't have to worry about this. (Dual income no kids)

3) well, duh. But as #2 pints out, no kids mean more money for toys.

4) Says who? "Flash" is just as egoic as a disaffected, flannel-wearing, hipster doofus. I prefer to have my ego light up tires and growl!

5) I've dropped my generation's penchant for cynicism. I'm GLAD they're trying to woo me, for I have been wooed.

[DallasMike]

I'm 29. I grew up around cars. I lusted after aggressive looking high powered exotics. I had posters of Lamborghinis and Ferraris on my walls as a kid. I'm not in the minority of people my age. However the ones that are 25 and younger have been conditioned to view autombiles as appliances. My cousin is a prime example of this. He is 23 years old. His major concern for a car is that it's cheap on gas, reliable, and has an ipod hookup. If it looks half way decent it's a plus but not necessary. The young crowd GM thinks they are trying to target are the ones who grew up on fast and furious movies. Thinking honda civics were cool and fast. But that group has started to grow up as well. They've graduated to Infinitis and Audis. Their idea of the cool and fast isn't what this corvette is. They do want smoother more mundane looking cars.


My opinion for what it's worth. Car makers need to stop doing this "targeting demographic marketing". They need to concentrate on building the best car they can and let consumers decide where it falls in the segment. If you build a great car, people will buy it. Period.

[attymf]

I have little twin girls so I need back seats LOL. That's why I have a Camaro for now.

[mackvenom1]

What young people can spend $50,000 + for a car, when there are tons of low-paying jobs, not many quality jobs available, over a trillion dollars of student loan debt, inflation going up, gas prices going up...

[Blue Menace]

The thing to recognize is that they mean someone my age, 37, as "young" since the average owner's age is 20+ years more.

[malave7567]

I'm 24, and as Blue Menace put it, a "DINK" household. In the very near future, a lot of changes are going to happen in my situation, and a C7 could be a conceivable option in a year or two. Then again, I guess I'm one of the "lucky" ones in my generation that decided for a education/job in the engineering/designing field (I'm a drafter/designer with 2 years of engineering under my belt as well) instead of psychology/other-not-in-demand-major.

And I absolutely love this C7... I will probably make it a reality after making a house a reality. That hasn't happened yet because of knowing I have to move soon.

[GaBoy25]

Soooo many guys on c5 have put 10-15-20k on TOP of a 30k car. It's certainly obtainable. I plan to buy base model, trade up to z06 when out and be done. Then just minor bolt ons for me. Car will be plenty fast and I don't have to worry about reliability issues ect.

[AZCamaroFan]

if they want to appeal to young buyers here's the Big thing: Get it in a movie. Every hot car i can think of that comes out gets in a movie. Camaro was in Transformers. Aston Martin is wed at the hip to James Bond. The Audi R8 came out and it was in ....
IRON MAN.
maybe they can get it in Transformers 4. idk

[Stingray]

Originally Posted by GaBoy25

Soooo many guys on c5 have put 10-15-20k on TOP of a 30k car. It's certainly obtainable. I plan to buy base model, trade up to z06 when out and be done. Then just minor bolt ons for me. Car will be plenty fast and I don't have to worry about reliability issues ect.

Good point and agree... just keep in mind, that 10-20K+ dumped into C5's is usually over the course of time... unless they have diamonds like yours!

will be fast enough for the normal person.

[GaBoy25]

Originally Posted by AZCorvetteFan

if they want to appeal to young buyers here's the Big thing: Get it in a movie. Every hot car i can think of that comes out gets in a movie. Camaro was in Transformers. Aston Martin is wed at the hip to James Bond. The Audi R8 came out and it was in ....
IRON MAN.
maybe they can get it in Transformers 4. idk

The concept was in transformers