No, it won't be a Holden Corvette

Thursday, 29 August 2019

General Motors has revealed the all-new mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette - and it is coming here!

The Chevrolet Corvette will be sold exactly as that, with no Holden badging regardless that General Motors' Aussie affiliate is representing it here.

This assurance comes from Holden NZ as it explains how it has been fending incredible inquiry since conformation on July 19 about the C8 generation of the mid-engined American icon is to be factory-built in right-hand-drive and sold new through the Holden sales network.

'It will be a Corvette,' spokesman Ed Finn says. 'It is such a world-renowned nameplate in its own right… none of the badges are changing on it whatsoever.'

This won't turn into a lion playing with a ball when the Corvette comes here.

As for when it's coming, what it will cost and how broad the model line and specification choice will be?

**READ MORE:

Holden has been fielding calls from eager customers ever since GM president Mark Reuss unveiled the Corvette at an event recently.

* Holden to bring mid-engined Corvette to New Zealand

* Five things you might have missed about the new Corvette

An exclusive image of a RHD Corvette interior cleverly obtained flipping a LHD image. Ignore the backwards writing.

* Five legendary Corvette concepts**

Well, rest assured, those questions are being repeatedly asked by the hundreds of Kiwis will have been either hitting the dealer network or going to the top and calling up Holden NZ head office in Auckland.

US buyers can configure their Corvette online now - we will probably have to wait another year.

And the response is?

'Well, we just don't know yet. It's way too soon to say,' says Finn, adding that he doubts people will stop asking anyway.

The Corvette will be powered by a 369kW 6.2-litre V8, but even more powerful version are planned. Will we get them? Who knows?

Indeed, the brand accepts what it is calling incredible interest will keep climbing because more and more conjecture from the United States and Australia keeps fuelling local fan ardour.

The latest rumour hot from Stateside about the programme will include a flagship ZR1 (or Z06) with 596kW – that's 800 horses in the stable – from a twin turbo V8, either in a 4.2 or 5.5 litre capacity is certainly going to be the catalyst for a fresh round of calls.

It's fine to ask, Finn says. Holden is just pleased to be the bearer of such positive news.

'We simply aren't in the position of being able to take any orders because there's so much we still don't know – it's not just specification and potential price, but even when it's coming.

'It's the most significant model news we've had in recent months and the response has been incredibly heartening. It's really lifted our brand and our dealers.

'A lot of the dealers have reported strong interest in the car – that's fantastic, we're just saying it's a little bit premature for us to act on that.'

Despite the brands refusal to provide any specifics, there's also no outright deniability in response to continuing media speculation that right-hook flow to Australasia might begin from around November next year – roughly 12 months after deliveries start in North America.

As for price? Well, everyone's guessing and most agree that simply applying a direct conversion of the base Stingray model price in America and converting it to NZ dollars is a laughable exercise.

Wheels magazine has faith in it being between $160,000 and $180,000. The monthly also believes Corvette will follow the strategy applied to the Mustang GT and only offer a high-grade specification: so, quite potentially, fitted with, or with parts of, the optional Z51 performance package as standard.

The core engine is a 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 (called the LT2) producing a claimed 369kW at 6450rpm and 637Nm at 5150rpm and mated to an eight-speed automatic.

Those outputs are obviously bettered by those for the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which is converted to right-hand drive by Holden Special Vehicles and costs $175,990 in 10-speed automatic form.

On the matter of HSV, Finn says there has been negligible feedback from customer chat about why the Corvette is selling through Holden rather than the separate specialist arm.

Holden's not losing sleep, either. Its focus is more on the crowd of Kiwi Corvette fans who have, until now, had to private import the car and run it in left-hand-drive.

Holden says those folk certainly aren't going to be ignored. Their involvement in the right-hook line's introduction would be fantastic.

'It's a car of such rich heritage – it would be remiss of us not to do something with current Corvette owners in celebration of the new model and all that it means for the brand.