Topic: Very interesting GM article!
in Forum: All Vettes Discussion
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"With all the recent press releases discussing what the General has done
right and wrong I felt you might be interested in this work done by by Peter
M. DeLorenzo. He sure hits the nail squarly on the hesd...it's one of the
best articles about Corvettes that I've seen in years.
It never ceases to amaze me that in spite of GM management our beloved
Vettes have survived for over 53 years and during this time they dominated a
market they created. CORVETTE has never been and is not currently is second
to none in price performance! ENJOY, Bill" (one of my local Club members)
__________________
From www.autoextremist.com
by Peter M. DeLorenzo
The Corvette - GM's Perennial Squandered Opportunity.
Did you know that the recent running of the 12 Hours of
Sebring, America's most prestigious sports car race, marked the 50th
anniversary of Corvette Racing? I didn't think so. The Corvette, one of
the world's great sports cars and clearly the most recognized showcase
of GM's overall capabilities as an automobile manufacturer, has
compiled an enviable competition record in races around the world - and
it all started at Sebring, Florida, back in 1956. And yet, GM couldn't
see fit to acknowledge that fact in any way. No ads, no releases, no
nothing. Any other manufacturer would kill to have a car with the
reputation and history of achievement that the Corvette has - and they
would go out of their way to use it proudly as an image enhancer and
halo for their entire company. Not GM, however.
Even after all of the praise heaped on the Corvette from automotive
media around the world, and even after its stunning competition record
over the years (especially its recent performance at the 24 Hours of Le
Mans, the most prestigious sports car race in the world, where it has
won the top GT class four out of the last five years) - GM and
Chevrolet marketers remain mystified as to just what to do with its
most respected vehicle and seem to go out of their way to neglect it at
almost every turn.
And that built-in neglect defies all rational thought and
understanding, too, because even in the midst of the relentlessly grim
news about the company's financial troubles and its continuing efforts
to put distance between the product missteps of the "old" GM and
the
new, forward-thinking GM - the Corvette is the one constant in GM's
product portfolio that demands respect and warrants the kind of special
attention that an outstanding machine of its caliber deserves.
The Corvette has been an iconic American car since its inception in
1953, and over the years it has not only reveled in its legendary
status, it has continued to deliver on its original and elegantly
simple promise of offering scintillating high-performance and unmatched
value to this day. When you really think about it, the Corvette has
more American automotive history wrapped up in its hallowed pedigree
than almost any other car ever built on these shores.
And the fact that the Corvette has survived, let alone thrived in GM's
bean counter-driven culture all of these years is a testament to the
past stewards of the car who staked their reputations on America's most
visibly exuberant machine. People like Harley Earl, Zora Duntov, Bill
Mitchell and Ed Cole to name just a few - and the countless designers,
engineers and others who knew what the Corvette represented and who
understood its place in automotive history and who nurtured the car
through all of the storms that blew up and threatened to destroy its
existence once and for all. They deserve all of the credit - and the
thanks of every enthusiast who ever gripped a steering wheel.
There were plenty who wanted to take potshots at the Corvette along the
way. If it wasn't GM's cost vultures, it was people like John Z.
DeLorean, who wanted to eradicate the car's authenticity by building it
off a shortened-wheelbase version of the Camaro - so he could solidify
his burgeoning reputation as GM's "Golden Boy" when he took over
the
Chevrolet Division (fortunately, the True Believers within the
corporation rose up and quashed that brainstorm before it got any
further than DeLorean's daydreams).
Today, thanks to the True Believers who remain actively engaged in the
corporation, the Corvette is a glittering example of what GM can do
when it unleashes its best and brightest on a machine that embodies
everything that a modern, high-performance sports car should be. And
when you factor in the active and passive safety features, the
real-world fuel efficiency numbers and the unmatched value that become
a seamless part of its final equation, there is no question that the
Corvette is one of the finest cars in the world - at any price.
Which is why it remains a shock to me that GM and Chevrolet marketers
have squandered every opportunity presented to them to use the Corvette
as a demonstrative showcase vehicle for the company's capabilities.
It's as if they're almost ashamed of the car, or maybe it's just that
they can't bring themselves to admit that they have one of the world's
great cars sitting right under their noses - and they don't have the
faintest of clues as to what to do with it.
The underwhelming support that the Corvette receives within GM exposes
the classic "Detroit-think" marketing attitude for everyone to see
in
all of its tedious glory - the one that suggests that cars like the
Corvette, "sell themselves" and "why should we spend dime-one
on
something that's a sell-out anyway?" It's this quintessential
Detroit-myopic mentality that has continually prevented GM and
Chevrolet from touting the technical, engineering and high-performance
value achievement that the Corvette represents today.
The simple fact is that the Corvette should be the ultimate
image-enhancing machine for GM and Chevrolet marketers. Instead, the
only semi-visible promotional presence for Corvette (other than the
occasional fleeting glimpses in television commercials) are the various
"pace car" programs that Chevrolet employs the car for - in
NASCAR, of
course.
And the championship-winning Corvette Racing program scrapes by on the
scraps left over from the spillage of funds that somehow didn't make it
into the sponge-like coffers of GM's NASCAR program, when in fact the
Corvette Racing program is probably GM's most visible sign of success
to the rest of the world - especially when it delivers another Le Mans
victory - and it should be the priority, rather than an afterthought.
It would be refreshing to see GM and Chevy marketers finally give one
of the all-time great cars in automotive history the level of respect
that it deserves.
But as much as I would love to see that happen, I won't be holding my
breath.
right and wrong I felt you might be interested in this work done by by Peter
M. DeLorenzo. He sure hits the nail squarly on the hesd...it's one of the
best articles about Corvettes that I've seen in years.
It never ceases to amaze me that in spite of GM management our beloved
Vettes have survived for over 53 years and during this time they dominated a
market they created. CORVETTE has never been and is not currently is second
to none in price performance! ENJOY, Bill" (one of my local Club members)
__________________
From www.autoextremist.com
by Peter M. DeLorenzo
The Corvette - GM's Perennial Squandered Opportunity.
Did you know that the recent running of the 12 Hours of
Sebring, America's most prestigious sports car race, marked the 50th
anniversary of Corvette Racing? I didn't think so. The Corvette, one of
the world's great sports cars and clearly the most recognized showcase
of GM's overall capabilities as an automobile manufacturer, has
compiled an enviable competition record in races around the world - and
it all started at Sebring, Florida, back in 1956. And yet, GM couldn't
see fit to acknowledge that fact in any way. No ads, no releases, no
nothing. Any other manufacturer would kill to have a car with the
reputation and history of achievement that the Corvette has - and they
would go out of their way to use it proudly as an image enhancer and
halo for their entire company. Not GM, however.
Even after all of the praise heaped on the Corvette from automotive
media around the world, and even after its stunning competition record
over the years (especially its recent performance at the 24 Hours of Le
Mans, the most prestigious sports car race in the world, where it has
won the top GT class four out of the last five years) - GM and
Chevrolet marketers remain mystified as to just what to do with its
most respected vehicle and seem to go out of their way to neglect it at
almost every turn.
And that built-in neglect defies all rational thought and
understanding, too, because even in the midst of the relentlessly grim
news about the company's financial troubles and its continuing efforts
to put distance between the product missteps of the "old" GM and
the
new, forward-thinking GM - the Corvette is the one constant in GM's
product portfolio that demands respect and warrants the kind of special
attention that an outstanding machine of its caliber deserves.
The Corvette has been an iconic American car since its inception in
1953, and over the years it has not only reveled in its legendary
status, it has continued to deliver on its original and elegantly
simple promise of offering scintillating high-performance and unmatched
value to this day. When you really think about it, the Corvette has
more American automotive history wrapped up in its hallowed pedigree
than almost any other car ever built on these shores.
And the fact that the Corvette has survived, let alone thrived in GM's
bean counter-driven culture all of these years is a testament to the
past stewards of the car who staked their reputations on America's most
visibly exuberant machine. People like Harley Earl, Zora Duntov, Bill
Mitchell and Ed Cole to name just a few - and the countless designers,
engineers and others who knew what the Corvette represented and who
understood its place in automotive history and who nurtured the car
through all of the storms that blew up and threatened to destroy its
existence once and for all. They deserve all of the credit - and the
thanks of every enthusiast who ever gripped a steering wheel.
There were plenty who wanted to take potshots at the Corvette along the
way. If it wasn't GM's cost vultures, it was people like John Z.
DeLorean, who wanted to eradicate the car's authenticity by building it
off a shortened-wheelbase version of the Camaro - so he could solidify
his burgeoning reputation as GM's "Golden Boy" when he took over
the
Chevrolet Division (fortunately, the True Believers within the
corporation rose up and quashed that brainstorm before it got any
further than DeLorean's daydreams).
Today, thanks to the True Believers who remain actively engaged in the
corporation, the Corvette is a glittering example of what GM can do
when it unleashes its best and brightest on a machine that embodies
everything that a modern, high-performance sports car should be. And
when you factor in the active and passive safety features, the
real-world fuel efficiency numbers and the unmatched value that become
a seamless part of its final equation, there is no question that the
Corvette is one of the finest cars in the world - at any price.
Which is why it remains a shock to me that GM and Chevrolet marketers
have squandered every opportunity presented to them to use the Corvette
as a demonstrative showcase vehicle for the company's capabilities.
It's as if they're almost ashamed of the car, or maybe it's just that
they can't bring themselves to admit that they have one of the world's
great cars sitting right under their noses - and they don't have the
faintest of clues as to what to do with it.
The underwhelming support that the Corvette receives within GM exposes
the classic "Detroit-think" marketing attitude for everyone to see
in
all of its tedious glory - the one that suggests that cars like the
Corvette, "sell themselves" and "why should we spend dime-one
on
something that's a sell-out anyway?" It's this quintessential
Detroit-myopic mentality that has continually prevented GM and
Chevrolet from touting the technical, engineering and high-performance
value achievement that the Corvette represents today.
The simple fact is that the Corvette should be the ultimate
image-enhancing machine for GM and Chevrolet marketers. Instead, the
only semi-visible promotional presence for Corvette (other than the
occasional fleeting glimpses in television commercials) are the various
"pace car" programs that Chevrolet employs the car for - in
NASCAR, of
course.
And the championship-winning Corvette Racing program scrapes by on the
scraps left over from the spillage of funds that somehow didn't make it
into the sponge-like coffers of GM's NASCAR program, when in fact the
Corvette Racing program is probably GM's most visible sign of success
to the rest of the world - especially when it delivers another Le Mans
victory - and it should be the priority, rather than an afterthought.
It would be refreshing to see GM and Chevy marketers finally give one
of the all-time great cars in automotive history the level of respect
that it deserves.
But as much as I would love to see that happen, I won't be holding my
breath.
Jon,-Majestic Glass Corvette Club-....Red #72,blk.interior,1979 C3 Corvette-TH350,Weiand,Holley,glass tops,Pioneer,3.55's,K&N,Dynomax,Flowmaster 40's,Energy Suspension,Spicer,VB&P(pics soon); 1978 Olds Cutlass Supreme 350/350,Dk. Blue 2-door Coupe-Hotchkis,PST,K&N,XM...'99 Mitsubishi Galant GTZ V6,black/grey leather,intake,strut bars,tint... |IMG|http://www.msnusers.com/cutlasscorvetteworkinprogress/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=63|/IMG|
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It's amazing to me that an entity as large as GM does not have the common sense on how to use one of their greatest asset as a marketing tool. I sometimes wonder what goes through the minds of management. Time and time again They sit on their collective ass and squander valuable opportunities to promote product which they so desperately need. Maybe they should change the name to General Mismanagement.
Former Member
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Belgium
Joined: 1/5/2006
Posts: 774
Vette(s): 350/350 T-top
1970
Cortez silver -blue interior
playing the underdog ? 
Lifetime MemberWhat a bunch of "mental midgets" those GM marketers and public relations weenies are!! They have a "magic elixir" right in their hands in the form of the corvette - and yet they don't use it like they could. Just don't understnd it .....
in Forum: All Vettes Discussion
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