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Will the C7 Corvette Stingray gain market share?

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The C6 Corvette has a great chassis and suspension setup along with a stout drivetrain to boot. However, the interior has been holding back the Corvette name from being world class on every level and it was viewed as the bargain competitor. With the upgraded interior and luxury, upscale materials and features, the Corvette is no longer a compromise of luxury in favour of performance and sales are bound to reflect that.




The Corvette already sells well, outselling luxury sports cars like the Porsche 911, Cayman and Boxter, Audi TT, BMW Z4 and Mercedes Benz SLK as well as mainstream sports cars like the Nissan 370Z, Mazda MX-5 (Miata), and Subaru BRZ (although the Scion FR-S outsells the Corvette). However, GM would like to see the Corvette do more than that. According to an Autoweek report, GM plans to extend its marketing efforts to attract customers of high end sports cars, like Porsche and other European luxury brands. GM is not planning on alienating the current and loyal Corvette fans and customers, though, a fact which is reflected in maintaining the drivetrain layout and keeping the starting price low for the class, allowing the Corvette to continue to be the people's supercar.

The starting price of the Corvette Stingray increases by $1,400 compared to the outgoing, C6 Corvette. You do get a lot more features and a much more upscale interior for that bump though (full post: 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Pricing). Chevrolet announced that there will also be another Corvette model with a lower starting price but it won't share the Stingray moniker and will be available as a coupe (full post: Can't afford a Stingray? Get a Corvette Coupe!).

With the upgraded interior and performance plus a starting price which is still very competitive, sales are bound to go up. However, there is the possibility of it gaining market share from upmarket brands. Do you think the upgraded interior is enough to gain market share from these brands? Sound off in the comments below!


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