This isn't good news...(Z51 Constraint issues)
 

Any truth here from the know...?

Ordered mine (Z51) end of September...

http://gmauthority.com/blog/2013/10/...-year-sources/

:(

I hope not. I am going to order 1 in the next few days.

THAT is a lot of demand for a limited supply....

I was told by my dealer "absolute worst case...June"...Da fuq?!

GM needs to find additional parts suppliers for the constrained items, or they risk losing sales.
And, said demand could really tempt GM to raise the price on the Z51 package...

Many are freaking out about a 3 week hold in Nashville. If the wait is really 1 year it will shrink quickly as many grow impatient and buy something else.

This article also quotes "dealer sources" which to me sounds like a sales person at one dealership who may not know what is going on big picture, but only his dealership. Imagine a dealership with an allocation for 30 cars, and that same dealer has 30 orders for Z51 cars = 1 year wait.

I'm not buying it. If the demand is truly this sustainable for 1 year, the vendors will be ramped up and clear the backlog.

one can also infer from that article that there will not be significant changes to the car's running gear for the 2015 model...

:iagree: on both points. No matter how difficult the first part, they simply HAVE TO DO IT :smash:

If this article is accurate, I'll be canceling my order.

i think its a lot worse than they are letting on...just my opin...

Makes sense considering you are getting the car as a tweener. Would make sense for a LOT OF PEOPLE for a whole host of reasons particular to their situation.

I have a simple solution GM can implement to cut Z51 demand:

Don't offer Z51 on the convertible. Most HPDE and track events won't allow soft tops without a roll bar anyway.

:hide:

IF true I to will cancel and wait for 2015 or do something else with the $

This is all GM's fault. They only demonstrate z51...all the writers talk about how well dampened it's ride is, and they make it very inexpensive. And so everybody gets it as the must have option, duh. They should at least offer MR shocks on the non-z51 and that would ease at least some of the constraint.

absolutely true.....

Screw it - I don't really need Z51, so I cancelled it. My delivery date moved from March of next year to this November. Not to mention the price difference.

Thanks Steve,
That gets me one order closer!:thumbs:

A man is standing in the middle of a little dock that protrudes out into a pond and HE IS ON FIRE! Should he jump into the pond and put the fire out or should he first figure out why he is on fire?

Who did you order your car from? When did you order it?

good lord gonna need to hire more vendors then or bring some american jobs if that busy!

wonder where supplier for missing z51 parts is located anyways?

I am not a conspiracy theorist but it seems weird that over the last few days we haven't heard from GM'er or any of the large dealers on this issue. We were getting frequent updates or, at a minimum, comments but now nothing. I wonder if it is because the news is really bad. GM'er recently said that the constraint would ease and GM would be able to meet 50% of the Z51 demand by around the end of the month. Then it went to November 24th and then relative silence.

Or, it is just coincidence :D I'd love to hear Rick, Ken or GM'ers take on this.

It's more than a bit depressing.....

Fichtner, a couple of months ago.

In all honesty, I was thinking about cancelling the Z51 option anyway - I really don't need the track stuff.

Thanks! I wasn't sure if you ordered one locally. I ordered a Z51 car, but if it takes that long I will just wait a little longer for the z06.

:iagree:

I did the same thing... will be driving around in November instead of maybe March. :woohoo:

Where's our CF vendors on the subject and their wealth of inside knowledge....am I hearing crickets? I think so.

All good when they are selling, but not so hot on keeping a finger on the pulse and their constituency informed. Thanks guys. Chime in anytime.

I'd like to hear directly from the BG Plant Mgr. Dave Tatman, and other key middle-upper management folks on all the pertinent issues in regards to supplier delays, etc... at least some transparency so we can stop wondering and then the dealers & media stories can be more accurate and factual.

Have they ever come on here to report on previous version??? Seems like they are too proud to admit delays or major supplier issues. Being more transparent is a good thing nowadays with social media and word spreading alot faster then back in the stone age of the way gm's communication channels still seem to be stuck in.

Indeed. This is a brave new world and transparency is not only what it asks for, it is what it demands.

I can wait.

Same here. Had already considered dropping the Z51, since the car is for my wife. After hearing Ken's take on probable waits for a Z51 vert, I did the order change. should be a Museum Delivery in Dec or early Jan, at worst.

They had YEARS to prepare for this car and the parts.. Why didn't they put someone in control of making sure suppliers could provide what they are required?

Its always worse. Companies try to put the best spin on things just like politicians.

Your correct, They kept promoting the Z51 at the car shows and everywhere. And now after people buy it there are issues? :(

My dealer called me last night told it's my last
Chance to make l

I love the way you guys have somehow gotten yourselves all whipped into a frenzy and started canceling/changing orders based on an UNSUBSTANTIATED theory posted by someone who has no inside knowledge and is presenting assumptions as if they are fact. Get a grip, folks. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate you abandoning your preferred Z51 package because it will reduce my wait time. I just think it is silly how rumor gets embellished with assumptions that turn into "fact" on this forum within a single thread. It is just like watching a :trainwreck: every time. :willy: :willy: :willy: :willy: :willy:

:lurk:

There should be a poll on who cancelled their Z51... :D

I only wanted the Z51 in order to get the magnetic ride. Now it appears I will enjoy my car months earlier without those options.

I agree.

It's really quite simple, if they cap the entire year's Z51 production to what's either already delivered or in the pipeline then the 2014 launch is a massive failure IMHO. Chevy builds cars people want and with JIT manufacturing they just need about 45 days to re-jigger supplier deliveries to meet the pipeline which is what I suspect they are doing.

For Christ sake, it's October 2013, the car has been in production all of 8 weeks and they have only built 1/4 of the cars they plan and someone prints you may have to wait till the 2015 model year for a Z51!

Do the math, if they were figuring a 35% take rate over the course of the year that's still 12,250 Z51's. At the time this article was written then had barely produced 3000 cars and had booked orders for maybe another 3000. That means 6000 cars with a 75% take rate = 4500 cars. Had their initial prediction been accurate they only expected to build 2100 so it's not surprising that by the time they hit VIN 3000 all the parts were used up.

Another thing, look around at published constrained posted by dealers. Each one has the constraint and the estimated duration. Z51 was listed as <4 weeks, that was on last week's report.

Expect Z51's to start popping back up on allocation by Nov 1st but there will probably only be a limited number, perhaps 25% of the total week's allocation. 2015 model year, yeah right......... That's right up there with my dealer telling me GM had 35000 C7's in the order books already.......

this is the email I have spoke about in other posts from GM on my Z51 vert. I will contact my dealership as well to see what type story I get from them.

Thank you for contacting Chevrolet regarding your 2014 Corvette Stingray order. We apologize for the delay in our response. We have received a large number of inquiries since last week’s shipment announcement. We are working as hard as we can to provide the latest updates.

As of October 09, 2013, the status of Order Number RHHRNM is the following:

Order has been placed by your dealership and accepted by Chevrolet and is now in line for production. This process can take time, is subject to change, and does not mean that the vehicle is physically being built at this time. The next step in the process will be the assignment of a Target Production Week (TPW). However, at this time a TPW is not available for this order.

At this time, the Corvette Stingray convertible are scheduled to arrive in dealerships late 4th quarter of 2013 to early 1st quarter of 2014. We recommend keeping in contact with your selling dealership for updates as to when your vehicle will be delivered. We apologize for any inconvenience.

We appreciate your patience and recognize the high amount of anticipation for the 2014 Corvette Stingray.

Thank you for contacting Chevrolet!

Sincerely,

The Chevrolet Marketing Team
http://www.chevrolet.com

You have received this email advertising GM products and services in response to your recent request for vehicle information. To opt out of receiving future email messages from General Motors please visit http://www.gmcontactpreferences.com/.

General Motors Corporation, 100 Renaissance Center, 482-MAR-100, Detroit, MI 48265

I don't know how that fixes the problem. What's the difference if you tell a Convertible or a Coupe buyer he can't get what he wants? You lose a sale either way.

I didn't "need" a Z51 but I ordered it for two principal reasons--the wheels are much better looking than the standard wheels IMO and the Magnetic Ride Control is not offered on the standard model. I had MSRC on my C6 and didn't want to go backwards technologically.

Assuming that these two items are not the reasons for the Z51 constraints, GM could make the standard model more attractive if they offered one or both of these as separate options on the non-Z51 coupe.

My exact feelings also; I want the MR shocks and wheels.

:iagree:

if that thing really said up to one year or into the '15 model year, that's really severe! in which case, what Gary wrote above could become reality. I read where one fellow walked in and was told Z51 wouldn't be available until May/June next year; at first, he thought the guy just didn't know and tossed out a timeframe. hmmm, maybe not so. I find it hard to believe it would take this long to remedy lack of supplier/parts issues tho.

I received the same basic message on 09.26 and assumed that my Z51 vert had moved from status 1100 to 2000 ["accepted by Chevrolet and is now in line for production"], then a week later was told it was still at status 1100!
Seems like GM marketing did their job getting us interested enough to buy the Z51 package, but production is having start up issues for this very popular package. I will not change my order to the non-Z51 base Vette vert, and truthfully, getting the car delivered in December-March Minnesota winter is not what I need.

It is possible that this rumor was started to increase the order rate of non-Z51 cars. It appears to be working.

I don't believe "one year" either! This is a big deal and if it's a vendor issue the problem will be fixed....sooner than later! IMO.

Just got off the phone with the dealership that I ordered my Z51 vert with. According to the sales manager from the update he received from GM yesterday, Z51 constraint was only for 3-4 weeks and the vert is on track to be in production late November/early December.

I'll bet you don't "need" a Corvette at all. Nobody buys Corvettes for practical reasons. We buy them for emotional reasons. What would folks be saying if they put the LT1 engine on constraint but not to worry, they have a bunch of LS2 and LS3's sitting around that they'll put in them until production of the LT1 picks up again?

:iagree:

The constraint should moderate to around 30-35% in November or December. That said, it may stay at that level for the rest of the 2014 model year (MY).

Think about the other side of the equation. If Chevrolet forecasted 35% take rate on the Z51, that means they also forecasted 65% take rate on the base car. They must have a lot of parts for the base car backed up at BG and/or the supplier's warehouses. GM may have "must take" contracts with the base car parts suppliers as well. Even if they were able to ramp-up the Z51 parts supply they would need to deal with the over-stock of base parts. Depending on the terms of the procurement contracts this problem could exist through the end of the 2014 MY.

This all leads to the current situation: The plant needs to build more base cars and fewer Z51 cars. GM's short term solution is to constrain the Z51 and force dealers to order base cars. Longer term they may have to offer incentives on the base model or increase the price on the Z51.

Enthusiasts will wait for the Z51 to be available. Forcing more base cars into the market will put cars in showrooms and sell more to the general public.

This is a mess and the GM marketing and Supply Chain departments were clearly out of sync. Only time will tell if they can adjust and meet the demand for Z51; or if they continue to try to control the market by limiting Z51 supply and flooding the market with base models.

Oh to be a fly on the wall at the Corvette Management Team meetings…

I definitely want the car, but losing Z51 would be enough to push me towards a ZR1 instead. Hopefully we get more info soon. I'm impatient as they come when it comes to my cars!:D

It wouldn't be the first time . . .
 

Remember 1977, when the purchasers of Oldsmobiles thought they were buying an Olds Rocket V-8, only to discover it was a Chevy 350 V-8 when they went to change the oil filter and air filter? That put a stake through the heart of the Oldsmobile reputation, from which it never recovered. Thanks, GM. :flaghalfmast:

Yes, I remember it well. Funny thing is that the Chevy engine was probably the better engine anyway, but it would be like telling folks their Bentley has a VW (or maybe Audi) engine in it.

Your assumption is wrong in my case. I made my decision based on the information provided to me by my dealership. The z51 package offers a lot for the money but honestly I only ordered it for the wheels and spoiler. Crazy right! :crazy2: Instead of the z51 package I used that money to order a spoiler and wheels… problem solved. :thumbs:

Could be that the constraint is orchestrated by GM to get the percentage of base cars higher, to help with overall fuel mileage goals.

exactly my situation (except I got spoiler and returned it) - and I wanted the softest ride possible - new 19/20 wheels waiting for car to arrive

Fuel mileage won't be affected.:D

Orded my 3LT with Z51 from Rick on 9/23. Just went from 1100 with Z51 "hold" to 2000 yesterday. I think I saw where one other buyer with Rick did as well. Not sure when they will come off constraint but at least it looks like there is a weekly allocation that the big dealers are getting, although small,,,,,,,,,

At the end of the day it looks like the Z51 option delayed my order for 3 weeks, more then a fair trade off to get what I want! :cheers:

Eric

I assumed it would be since the Z51 has performance gear ratios. I just learned not to make assumptions:thumbs:

Good luck getting an official response from anyone at GM right now. If there is an truth to the Z51 constraints, expect plausible denial from GM until the issue either goes away or it blows up in their face through negative news coverage. Then give them time to develop talking points and put together a communications plan that produces the spin to ease the minds of customers and investors.

They have done that before. In the summer of 1997, they put the sport seats(weight) and the 3.15 performance axle on constraint for MPG reasons.

GM has this down pat.

It doesn't change the MPG numbers on the window sticker, but it sure as heck changes the CAFE numbers that GM reports to the EPA.

:iagree:

That is me!:cheers:

Ditto

Why not offer a "Z51 Appearance Package." Most want the look (wheels, tires and spoiler) and would probably pass on the performance parts since most don't track their cars anyway. Offer it at a lower price and watch orders pick up. Possibly add non-Z51 Mag Ride if possible. GM, are you listening???

Look those vents are there for a reason and the same for the wheels and aero package. The Z 51 package is not for looks . GM needs to get this worked out just be patience.

You must be Bill G. in VA!!!!!!

Looks like our cars will be working their way down the production line together!

:cheers:

Which vents are you talking about?

The hood vent is on all models and is functional whether the car is a base or Z51.

The front fender vents are on all models and are functional whether the car is a base or Z51.

The rear fender vents are on all coupes and are functional on both the base and Z51 if the car has an automatic transmission. On the Z51 both vents are functional.

BUT...

on the convertible there are no vents located on top of the rear fenders and if the convertible is a Z51 the coolers get air from under the car as does the base car if it has an A6.

The rear fascia vents are on all models and are functional both on the base and the Z51.

The only time the vents for the rear mounted coolers are not functional is when you have a base C7 with a manual transmission.

The manual transmission on the base C7 will not self destruct because it has not have the transmission cooler, just as all the C6's without the manual transmission cooler didn't self destruct. If you don't plan to really run your car hard on the track, the cooler on the manual transmissions or the differential is not needed. Same goes with the dry sump oiling system on the Z51.

As Joe said, that is not without precedent. In this case I think it's too early in the year, and the car is going to get very well rated either way. I have had Z51 and non-Z51 versions of both C5's and C6's and didn't see any appreciable difference in gas mileage (only the C6 had different gear ratios in the transmission).

I would think they are more interested in selling cars than worrying about that given the fact that Corvette sales have been so bad the past five years.

The vents on top of the rear panels are not functional on the base car. You can't get the aero package on the base car , the tires are not the same . The rear end diff and ratio's are not the same. No dry sump on base.

You were talking about the vents on the post I responded to. And, one of the vents on top of the rear fenders in functional on a base C7, if it is equipped with the automatic transmission. As I pointed out, on the convertible, it doesn't have those vents ...period, therefore they cannot be functional on a Z51, as they are non-existing.

Before you made your post about the vents, it had been pointed out that the items the Z51 has(dry sump, brakes, e-LSD, rear sway bar, stiffer springs and shocks, coolers etc) are not needed if you are not going to track your car. That leaves the items that the Z51 has that are visual, which are the wheels and the rear spoiler. The rear spoiler is an option for the base C7, so that's a moot point, which leaves the wheels. The Z51 wheels will be available over the parts counter and repo's from the aftermarket.

The only item that the Z51 has(and it's not standard equipment on the Z51, but an extra cost option) that would be beneficial to the base C7 buyer is the Mag ride. But most people don't need it with the soft base C7's suspension as only 25% of the C6's owners elected to have it on their base C6's. Most people don't buy a high performance sports car if they have roads so bad locally that it shakes the fillings out of their teeth at 35 MPH.

I also agree with this statement....I know I'd order a "Base" model IF I could get the MR shocks on it.

I was trying to point out that GM made the Z51 option not for looks but function. That's all .

Watch orders pick up?? In case you haven't been paying attention, GM is not in a position of having too few orders. I don't think they should follow your advice and produce a car that "looks tough" but doesn't drive like it. Z51 is a performance option, not a "looks" option.

If you want the look, then do what everyone else does: order the base car, and then get your own wheels, tires, spoiler, etc. All this stuff can be OEM parts or third party.

If you're in it for just the looks, I'm sure some vendor can sell you one of those giant "flying wing" spoilers to attach to the back.

Just say you made a mistake Joe...it is less wordy than the lengthy obfuscations you go into when someone points out a factual error on your part.

That we agree on. It's a great option, but it's not for everyone. But some of those that don't want a track ready car, would like their base car to look like the Z51(wheels and spoiler).

[QUOTE=JoesC5;1585182188]That we agree on. It's a great option, but it's not for everyone. But some of those that don't want a track ready car, would like their base car to look like the Z51(wheels and spoiler).[.
Well maybe Chevy is committed to the Corvette racing heritage and wants that to spill over to real Z 51 option until the Z07 comes out. That's my take could be wrong .

Wow, is my dealer going to pay me interest on my deposit? :mad:

This is my situation exactly..!!! :thumbs:

:iagree:

I know that this situation was the cause for my Father to never buy another GM product for the rest of his life.!!! He surely enjoyed the number of Lincolns that he owned after that.

if true - i will cancel as well

Placed my order with the Z51 option in early September, update from dealer a few days ago said that the estimated delivery is late December for the car.

I am waiting for the Z51 package because I am buying a Corvette for the actual performance, not just the appearance of performance.

Sure, a lot of the performance is overkill when not on the track, but every little performance refinement makes my daily drive that much quicker and more fun. I routinely drive my current daily driver to some of its limits. Maybe not top speed, but I certainly routinely use bursts of maximum power, turn with max lateral G's, and occasionally use its max braking capability (often wishing it had more).

Just this morning, in the rain, going about 70 around a freeway turn that most cars slow down to about 50 for even when its not raining, I was thinking the Corvette's new electronic rear diff in weather mode sure would be a nice thing to have in the rain I was in (as I blew past a newer BMW 335 coupe being driven like it was afraid to get wet).

I anticipate that the 2014 Corvette Z51 will be quite the upgrade to my old 93 Nissan 300zx, and I look forward to progressing to the point where I can routinely and comfortably drive it to its limits.

(I am the other order with Mr. Conti that got one of his Z51 allocations today).

I ordered the same time with z51 and carbon roof. if it goes until march - im out ! Ill wait for the z06 at that point

I know of a forum member that placed a Z51 order in September and his car was lucky enough to make it through the production line.

I waited until October 3rd and now have a deposit down for a Z51 order when they come out of constraint.

Overall waiting through a constraint is still worlds better than being an owner with a car stuck in Nashville. :hide:

I don't get it I placed an order on 9/4 with the Z51 option and picked it up @ the local dealer 10/4. When I ordered it I asked if they had an allocation slot available for that order and they said yes. There must be some dealers taking many more orders than allocation slots.
So far this thing is just so just right I can't really say any more.

:rolleyes:Yah think? :rolleyes:

I went to 4 dealerships before I found one with a no wait allocation slot.

Yes it will, because of the gear ratios. There is precedent for constraining based on fuel mileage: for example, back in the day, my 2000 coupe was constrained for several weeks because I ordered the 3.42 (iirc) rear gear, and GM needed to produce more cars with the taller ratio to meet CAFE standards.

This current constraint is not a "rumor" - my dealer (Ken F.) is among the most informed Chevy dealers on the planet, and I got an email from him the day the constraint was announced, and acted accordingly.

If true......since I put down a $2500 dip to get the process started and I ordered competition seats my car hasn't been made yet so I and others who ordered comp seats are pretty much at the bottom of the list, that being the case and if it is indeed a year's wait will we be entitled to 2015 cars at the price we signed up for?

My guess is no. Putting a deposit down doesn't really mean much IMO... the only thing you can hopefully rely on is the relationship with the dealer. GM has the ability to pull a dealers allocation if the options you choose can't be built when the allocation comes up... there is zero entitlement to anything in this system :(

Ordered mine October 9th expecting to get it in the Spring maybe the end of May, thats O.K. as I live in Canada and snow will be on the ground soon......

So many conspiracy theories by armchair manufacturing experts! Remember that the media is going for the most salacious headline they can get to beat the competition in clicks. So yes, I can imagine that if they can build only X Z51's a week and there are 50X orders in the system, a very basic analysis based on that single data point gets you to a one year wait time. That meets some editor's standard of journalistic integrity and we all get upset. We're also in the first couple months of production, so I think it's safe to say that suppliers are ramping up production to final levels.

GM gets nothing by responding to this article- they can say it is shorter than a year but they can't and shouldn't give a more precise estimate if their goal is to ship a quality product. Lots of new tech on the Z51- we are free to wait or not wait, but I guarantee that this is not simply a matter of turning a knob on a supplier. Additional capacity is expensive and building for a short peak leaves excess capacity later on, which is expensive in both upkeep and opportunity cost.

I just finished reading this whole trail, and am wondering if anyone has given thought to the possibility that the Z51 constraint may be linked to the move of the GM Performance Build Center from Wixom MI, to the BG factory.......Are the dry sump LT1 engines hand built by the build center? If yes, then I recall we were told that this move from Wixom to BG, would be completed by 1/1/14.......wonder if the Build Center is having difficulty building engines quick enough in large enough numbers, while still building 427s for the Z28 Camaro, and dealing with the move of equipment, employees, and new employee training????

It's interesting that people don't buy what dealers tell them and this 'article' (read rumor) is based on a dealer or two supposedly telling the author this. I don't buy it. They could be having supplier issues but I wouldn't believe it just based on this article. Nobody quoted either.

Can people order the larger tires and rims, and get the aero effect on
a regular model. The rest of the stuff seems worthless for everyday
driving ?????. The price difference is nothing, but if one has
to have it now, would a causal driver even notice

C7 constraints and allocations
 

Ordered my 2015 on May 30th. Coupe, painted roof, 3LT Z51, chrome wheels. Still waiting!!

These earlier posts are a year old!!

:rolleyes: You really had to dig up a year old thread?