Rumors can sometimes be fun and fascinating but not necessarily fleeting. As if to put a definitive death on the longheld belief that Corvette might spin off from Chevrolet into a standalone brand, General Motors President Mark Reuss says, “Never.”
As a guest on Jay Leno’s Garage, Reuss unveils the new Corvette ZR1, and talks shop with Leno about the history of the iconic sports car. At the 18:40 mark of the nearly half-hour conversation, Leno asks, “Corvette has really become its own separate brand now, isn’t it?” Reuss doesn’t disagree.
Corvette is more than a car; it’s a lifestyle. Although the vehicle wears a bowtie, its crossed-flags badge is a symbol, a *gasp* brand, on its own. However, Reuss says that the automaker would never take the Corvette name, image, and likeness out of Chevrolet.
“The core of Chevrolet is offering people more than they thought for the money, and doing it with fantastic design and performance,” explained Reuss. “That’s what Corvette is.”
And therein lies the problem. Corvette has exceeded expectations as a Chevy that, well, since its inception, the automaker has used its NIL for other products. As Hagerty points out, the Corvette Corvair comes to mind, as does the Nomad wagon. Lest we forget our recent horror of a possible Corvette SUV. But, phew, it’s just a Buick.
At this point, is a badge even necessary? Bowtie or flags or even “Corvette?” Enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike know what a Vette is, would recognize one, and definitely not mistake it for a Buick, Cadillac, or GMC.
“I like that you don’t change the name because you make a more high-end product,” said Leno. ‘If your name is good enough, it’s good enough.” Reuss agreed, “We don’t need to go out and do other things.”
Great! Except for the other things like switching from a front-engine icon to a mid-engine one after almost 70 years and the electrified Corvette E-Ray hybrid and…at least the C9 will still have an ICE. We think. Or it could just be another rumor.
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