I will believe it when I hear it from GM.

EBVette - I don't have any itch with you or what you posted in particular - please don't take my comments personally - I had no such intention. I did use your post as the basis for what does bother me, that being folks constantly claiming sources for info, but can't/won't say who they are.

Certainly, imho, the way you start this last posting would be better in that it brings no unnamed sources into the topic. Further it focuses on the substance, exactly as you say.

I don't blame you one bit for wanting to discover build and delivery status. And I concur that some systematic updates by Team Corvette would eliminate 90% of the speculation and rumors. Surely they are fully aware of the pent up anticipation . . . .

:thumbs:

Speaking of which, I wonder why GM doesn't engage the public via this forum or other social media platforms. Come on, PR folks, use this forum to squelch rumors, correct misstatements and put your loyal customers at ease. And if there is truth to what is being said, give it to us straight. We need to hear from you.

I asked that question at the seminar held this past weekend at the Corvette Homecoming held by Wil Cooksey, former plant manager re: the perceived vail of secrecy surrounding ops at the plant. He didn't really address it but did say that they " build a bucket" at a time, then go over it thoroughly to make sure it fits correctly since it doesn't always go as per the computer model. The plant is open and running.... They're still working out bugs. Today I heard they ran into a snag with the hinge to the back trunk cover. I agree, it would be better if GM gave us progressive reports as we go, rather than choosing the tight lip approach. :willy::willy:

Are they working on convertibles already or did you mean hatch hinges?

GM is probably picking the lesser of two evils in this "damned if they do, damned if they don't" update scenario.

Imagine announcing a tentative date, then announcing some item that was pushing it back, then another date, then another discovered item that pushed it back...

The outcry from the masses would be overwhelming. "Look at these jokers! They had all that time to design on computers, and models, and pre-production cars and they still can't get the trunk latch to work?!? They have changed the production start date 14 times already! Does anyone there know what they are doing?"

Better to keep one general frustration item out there about "When will production start?" rather than letting every enthusiast, hater, and automotive publication dissect each detail of the QA process during shakedown finalization.

Quite honestly, when it comes down to it, we are not on the "Need To Know" list.

Hatch hinges, sorry...

Not if the problem is vibration and complications with the torque tube/chassis. You can't expect complex systems on a new application to work perfectly without some learning curve. Simulation is good, but not the same as actual highway testing.

Hey I was just going to start one of those. :D

:iagree:
We have to realize we created most of the date expectations ourselves. Many of us put money down at the beginning of the year. So, instead of the usual money down in July for a delivery by early September, a two month wait, we have been waiting six months or more. GM has said for a long time that retail delivery would be late summer or early fall. To me that means late September or early October.

:iagree: and it makes sense. On the flip side, that mentality is somewhat old school business practice. Today's customer does expect more intimate engagement what with social media and all. There might be a way to walk a line between the two extremes.

IMO one of the byproducts of this "misinformation" or lack of information thing is the creation of buzz, hype, anxiety for the new car. Takes me back to when the CTS V coupe was launched. The whole idea of getting one of the first ones, of buying one completely sight unseen in real life, and these same rumors and false infobits made it kind of a game. My Cad dealer invited me up to meet with a product manager who was touring around dealerships with one of the pre-production cars. He met with some of us who had orders in, and we found out, among other things, that the sunroof did not retract. There wasn't enough room in the steeply raked car to get all the gear in there. They built a few with the roof rolling back on top, but they decided it just wasn't right. So it only pops up. This was a big secret until the cars actually started showing up. GM surely knows this. While they may not intentionally fuel it, they love that intrigue effect.

My second CTS V I just walked up to the car parked in front of the dealer's showroom and bought it. Got the car much faster, but less adrenaline and anticipation.

You want the truth ? You can't handle the truth ! :D

As said here Be dammed either way.I want mine right from the factory.Yes I can,t wait but.I don,t want to take it back to the dealer.
GM cares no doubt about the customer but they have found overall it,s better for the customer if it comes RIGHT to him or her the customer.
After all I want to drive my C7 but not back to the dealer for service.

With the liberal news reporters today, they would take any notice of a potential flaw or delay and blow it into a news story demanding recall of the entire fleet before they are even built. It does no good for GM to advertise problems, late start-up, etc. No new is good news as far as I am concerned. We are not even half-way through the third quarter, no reason for GM to announce delays real or imaginary.

Someone seriously suggested that the factory engage this forum with updates and discussions?

You can't be serious!

That would be like swimming into a river of piranhas with bleeding wounds. That would be a public relations disaster of epic proportions from which Corvette was never recover.

IMHO, they should certainly read but never engage (at least not with an identifiable moniker) this forum.

Or on the flip side conservative media outlets would use it as an example of the trouble with what they like to call "government motors".

Although off topic, this couldn't be further from the truth. Actually the "liberal media" has been accused of adopting GM and blindly supporting them. Fox "news" on the other hand has never shied away from attacking them -- with or without facts.

I passed an entire truckload of C7's Tuesday morning heading north toward Detroit just FYI

Ok, I don't want to thread jack, but I constantly see threads about Ox having some kind of connection to the corvette; whether it be he is tadge or an employee on the line. Can someone shed some light on what is going on. I feel I am missing either a big insiders joke or really missed the ball on the something.