What really matters to GM - as demonstrated by unveiling 2015 Corvette C7 Z06 "flagship"

+General Motors just like any other business corporation is profit driven-certainly not breaking news by any stretch.  However, even within a profit driven enterprise, there is always an underlying set of priorities employed in development of a (hopefully) marketable mass produced merchandise such as the 2015 Corvette Z06.

Without being too analytical and perversely prying, the newest Z06 proudly displays the corporate priority pecking order.  Realizing what takes place can certainly help understanding both the current turn of events as well any possible future this so called America's favorite sports car may be facing.

First of all, it is time to bring the moniker Corvette carries closer to reality: the latest Corvette is no longer a sports car, at least not in its intended meaning.  The days of chasing the speed while paying little or no attention to aging buyers physical limitations are officially over.  Instead, what the newest Corvette shows is the permanent trend toward GT category, thus, it is no longer of any consequence if the newest Corvette weighs a lot and if it has any ability to sustain actual track oriented high performance endurance driving.

Even though +Tadge Juechter and his team insist on a very extensive R&D that went into creation of the seventh generation of Corvette, the reality is that what really took place was a market research, combined with mandatory OEM warehouse shelf scavenging. 

The results of this corporate mentality were already well illustrated with the base car but the newest Z06 manages to drive the point and pretty disillusioning reality even more explicitly, literally pounding it into heads of even most hardcore GM kool aid drinkers.  Of course, there is always a group that remains resilient to reason, logic, science and especially, common sense but interestingly enough, the group of discontents continues to grow.  Weight increase always spells the death of a sports car and more and more Corvette enthusiasts begin to realize this part.

How about that pecking order of corporate priorities?

1. Minimizing per unit cost through decrease in car specific R&D.  This part is very well visible, with both base and Z06 Corvettes.  In reality, the actual R&D ended with FIFTH GENERATION OF CORVETTE.  There is absolutely not a single drastic and performance driven change associated with the current Corvette.  As already mentioned in this blog, all so called "new" technologies like AFM and DI are easily found on GM pick up trucks and SUVs-hardly an inspiration for a sports car.

2. Marketability.  Like with number one, a true sports car is never a mass market product, unless it is super cheap and fits a specific niche  (even Mazda MX5 went the way of Corvette, at least until the upcoming new and Fiat based reincarnation).  The concern with appeal to the buyers can be directly blamed for a lot of MANDATORY extra weight (including those super heavy and anti sport new seats).

3. Profit protection - in case anyone may wonder why factory fuel and torque management choke performance so much.  Interestingly enough, GM spent a lot of time assuring that warranty drivetrain repairs will not be available to those who try to extract more performance through aftermarket network.

4. Driver safety and protection.  Now, one would think that this part would be on the top of the list but it really is not.  Federal government required measures are of course there but only because they are mandated.  What is missing is the part where GM volunteers to assure buyers safety and protection.  The case in point is an absolute absence of any protective measures related to traction loss resulting from forcing buyers to buy new Corvettes with summer only tires.  Counting on buyers intelligence and exercising common sense does not work but this is as good as it gets with the newest Corvette.