The reasons behind the 2014 Stingray Premiere Edition
 

First, let's talk about the name.

Definition of PREMIERE

transitive verb
: to give a first public performance of
intransitive verb
1: to have a first public performance
2: to appear for the first time as a star performer

This is a show car!

Chevrolet realizes the demand for the new Corvettes and realizes that for the first few months virtually every Corvette built is already sold. For people who want to go to a showroom and actually see a Stingray in person there's no telling when that would happen.

Enter the PREMIERE Edition!

GM is giving these out to dealer who sold at least 7 Corvettes last year in the hopes that the dealers will leave them on display in their showrooms until there is adequate availability of stock units for people to see. This car will NOT come out of the dealer's initial allocation of Corvettes.

Since this edition will be the first Stingray that most people will ever see in person, Chevrolet wanted to make in in a new color with a new interior and wanted to put just about every option they could on it so that people would be able to see most of what was available on the new 2014 Corvette. For that same reason they added a handful of accessories to show off on the new car.

This is a marketing tool for Chevrolet so that the public can get a good look at the car and all of it's options. This is not meant to be a special edition to sell for way over the other cars. They will eventually be sold and some day will probably be a collector piece (assuming you still have all 5 pieces of luggage) but that's not the reason for this car.

Chevy actually did a good thing here by putting out some extra cars so that people can actually go and see one in person. In my opinion, the marketing department should be applauded for this move, not dumped on, but you know what they say about opinions.

Dave

:iagree::iagree: Looking forward to seeing it on the showroom floor.

I must not be looking in the right places. I still can't find pictures of the car. :willy: Update, found some: http://www.corvetteblogger.com/2013/...miere-edition/ Meh ! ....................

So, what you are saying, is that a person who is paying a "premier' price for the $60,000-$70,000 C7 he has on order, expecting to be the first on his block to drive a C7, is going to have to wait for his car so cars can be built to sit on dealers showrooms.

From what you say, the dealers can sell their special allotment("Premier edition") C7 as soon as it arrives at his dealership. Thus someone that walks in from the street will buy a C7 ahead of those who have deposits down and are paying a premium price will have to wait for their C7 to be built.

You did say "......in the hopes that the dealers will leave them on display in their showrooms.....".

What Marketing thinks and does is often different from what actually happens in the field. The impression given by John Fitzgerald was that these vehicles are not just "display vehicles". This special edition will be available for purchase right off the showroom floor.

Case in point, Rick Conti is already offering "$1500 OFF for those that commit to THIS car now.....". http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c7-g...post1584279312.

How much will you offer? :D

I am sure the other participating dealers will not let these Stingrays sit in the showroom either, and will try to sell them as soon as they hit the lot. :thumbs:

http://www.corvetteconti.com/blog/?p=19028 . Scroll down. I actually like the 5YU Torque wheels. :thumbs:

:yesnod: BINGO ! :woohoo: And you know it will happen too. :rofl:

That could happen of course and there are some dealers out there who I'm sure ordered cars for stock to have available to sell rather then take nothing but orders.

We ordered 25 show cars so that we could take cars to Carlisle to show to the public and we'll use those for a few other promotional shows but they will eventually get sold to someone who will settle for taking a car how we ordered rather than wait for car that they specifically ordered themselves to their exact specs.

Dave

Found 'em on another web site just as you posted and I was revising my original post.

I'm sure some will but the real dealers will but most real dealers will use the car for what it was meant to be used for. I know we will.

Dave

So exactly how long do you think it will take them to build 500 of exactly the same thing? For all we know, they are already built.

I can't see it being more than 3 or 4 days.

Dave

Heh ........... They just may be. :rofl: Are the elves in the Black Forest part of the UAW ? The work may have been out sourced out in secret. :woohoo:

It makes sense, now that you explain it.

The upside is that the assembly workers get to practice building another 500 3LT Brownstone interiors. They should be pretty good at it by the time they get to mine.

I mean, it isn't like there is a huge difference between these cars and the other LB 3LT cars. Just a stripe, a different console nameplate emblem, a different sill plate, and different wheels. None of this takes any extra time to produce on the production line.

If the car is supposed to be sitting on the show floor so people can look and feel, why are some dealers getting more than one car?

I see that another dealer is getting two of the cars. Why, when both cars are identical? A walk-in looks at one "premier" C7 on display, then what's the purpose of the dealer having a second identical car on display? There is nothing on the second car to see/feel that isn't on the first car.

I bet I know. It's for him to sell the pair of them as soon as he has a customer(or presold for $1500 off MSRP). I bet there will be plenty of unsold C7's sitting on show room floors for customers to see/feel and buy, very shortly. What is the purpose of having a car on display if the walk-in can't buy a car and get in until 6 to 8 months from now(as some people seem to think is happening with the C7's sales)?

I would think the hang over ratio would have the greatest effect ......... :rofl:

Heh ........... You and I both know the first person that whips out his/her check book is gonna drive it off the lot. No way would Wes turn down a sale. :thumbs:

And if the purpose of the car is to let people see what a new C7 looks like, why does it have to have special features, especially a special VIN?

You don't need a special VIN to show people what a car looks like.

The limited number of cars being built(500), along with a special VIN, is purely aimed at the person who wants something that others don't have, not the person who wanders into a Chevrolet dealership to see what a C7 looks like.

IMO, Chevrolet got burned on this stupid idea and is changing their pitch from a "limited" production car to spur sluggish sales, to a "display" car to spur sluggish sales.

Wonder how many of these will still be on dealer lots come mid year ? It would take one heck of a discount to get me to buy one.