January 2012 - Page 14 of 15 - C6Performance Journal

January 5, 2012

Chevy Announces New Incentives to Get More Corvettes on the Road!

If you have been waiting for Chevrolet to make it easier for you to purchase or lease a new 2011 or 2012 Corvette, your time has come! In December, $3000 in Customer Cash was offered on 2011 models, and $1500 in Dealer Cash on 2012 models. 0% Financing for up to 60 months (and 2.9% for 72 months) was offered as an alternative, in place of the Cash on the 2011’s. In addition, all who qualified for the GM Employee Discount were favored with an additional $2500 off. And in addition to that, there were a few programs to save you money if you got something in the mail.

For January and February (through Leap Year Day), all of the above is still true, but there’s more! Consider which of these programs can help you get the most off the price of your new Corvette:

GM Owner Loyalty Program – through 2/29/12

If you own or lease a 1999 Model Year or Newer Chevy, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Pontiac, Hummer, or Oldsmobile, you qualify for an additional $1000 off on both 2011 and 2012 Corvettes! This offer is not compatible with other Private Offers, but is compatible with Customer Cash, Bonus Cash, APR, and Lease Programs. And you do not have to sell or trade that car.

GM Card Top-Off Programs – through 2/29/12

There are numerous programs available, depending on which GM Card you have, and how much in rewards you have already earned. Savings can range from $750-5000. Check on your card earnings when purchasing a Corvette directly with GM.

GM Competitive Lessee Conquest Program – through 2/29/12

$2000 is available to non-GM lessees toward the purchase/lease of a 2011 or 2012 Corvette. Although this program is not compatible with other Private Offer programs, it is compatible with Cash, APR, and Lease programs.

United Services Automobile Association Private Offer – through 1/2/13

$750 is offered to members of USAA on 2011 and 2012 Corvettes.

Exclusive George Matick Chevrolet Offers

Whichever programs and incentives help you with your Corvette purchase, please keep in mind that we at George Matick Chevrolet are always looking to find ways to make your purchase/lease experience here “Better in Every Way!” We want you completely satisfied!

We are determined to find every incentive and discount to which you are entitled, so that you will receive the very best service and price! Call me to price out a car for you, to check out our inventory, to locate a vehicle, or to ask any other questions you may have at 313-532-2571, or email me at bconnell@matickchevy.com.

January 5, 2012

December 2011 Corvette Sales

General Motor’s December sales report was issued yesterday and shows that Corvette sales rebounded slightly in the final month of 2011. In December, Chevrolet sold 1,038 Corvettes for a 6.0% increase over December 2010′s 979 deliveries. For the calendar year of 2011, Corvette sales closed 4.3% higher than 2010 with a total of 13,164 Corvettes sold compared to 12,624.

Although several popular incentives ended at the beginning of the year, Chevrolet does have a round of new offers now available for Corvette buyers. The new rebates and incentives include $1,500 dealer cash rebate or you can finance for 60 months at 3.9% APR or 4.9% APR for 72 months. Chevrolet carried over the $2,000 non-GM lease conquest rebate and new this month is a $1,000 Owner Loyalty Rebate if the household already owns or leases a 1999 or newer GM product. The loyalty rebate cannot be combined with the lease conquest.

Corvette Delivery Statistics for December 2011
Month				Calendar Year-to-Date
Month	2011	2010	% Change	Months	2011	2010	% Change
Dec	1,038	979	6.0%	Jan-Dec	13,164	12,624	4.3%

Archived Monthly Corvette Delivery Statistics
Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
2011	721	955	1,163	1,454	1,304	1,299	1,291	936	1,147	946	910	1,038	13,164
2010	854	624	955	1,089	1,428	1,405	1,199	1,135	1,109	1,011	836	979	12,624
2009	842	1,027	1,183	1,407	1,643	1,396	966	746	1,585	1,154	952	1,033	13,934
2008	2,015	2,071	2,692	3,190	2,904	2,082	1,870	4,242	2,318	1,170	1,093	1,324	26,971
2007	2,234	2,784	3,158	3,227	3,300	2,377	2,377	2,877	2,837	2,484	2,438	2,914	33,685
2006	2,579	3,058	3,655	3,516	3,317	2,938	2,794	2,990	3,056	2,761	2,773	3,081	36,518

Corvette Stock Report:

With the untimely passing of Jeff Hardy whose website provided and extremly useful interface to dealers inventories through GMBuyPower.com, we are no longer able to share with you the specific counts of each Corvette model.

Bowling Green Production:

2012 Model Year Production in December 2011: 1,011
2012 Model Year To Date Through December 2011: 6,998
2011 Calendar Year to Date through December 2011: 13,222

Our monthly GM sales reports are sponsored by Kerbeck Corvette in Atlantic City, NJ. If youâ€™re interested in a new 2012 Corvette, talk to one of Kerbeckâ€™s Corvette Specialists about a custom order to meet your specifications. Visit Kerbeck Corvette on the web at www.kerbeck.com or call Dave Salvatore at 877-537-2325.

Source:
GM.com

January 5, 2012

Chevrolet showcases concept vehicles at Auto Expo

New Delhi, Jan 5 : Automobile major General Motors India is showcasing 15 production and concept vehicles at the 11th Auto Expo, which opened on Thursday in New Delhi.

January 5, 2012

Chevy Volt sparks shoppers’ interest

Wes Beals, sales manger at C&O Motors in St. Albans, shows off the Volt‘s interior.

January 5, 2012

[VIDEO] GoPro Captures Trooper Pulling Over a Speeding C6 Corvette

It’s safe to say that the GoPro HD cameras that you can attach to your cars via a suction cup has revolutionized the way drivers immortalize their exploits behind the wheel. While the handy little plastic-encased cameras are mostly used for capturing burnouts, club cruises and the occasional accident, we’re surprised we don’t see more of this – GoPro equipped Corvettes getting pulled over by the Man!

Our friends at Corvette Online brought this video to our attention and we couldn’t help but to get a good chuckle out of it.

Although we don’t see the video of the driver’s actions preceding the stop, we do see the Corvette cross over several lanes as he pulls off to the side of the road. When the highway patrolman walks up to the black convertible C6, he is cheerfully greeted by the driver with a “Good Afternoon, Sir!”. Good move by the driver as we think politeness is always a great strategy when dealing with LEOs in these situations!

The driver of the little black Corvette must have been really hauling as the trooper asks the standard “Where ya going in such a hurry” and then proceeds to tell the him that he nearly “peeled one of the stripes off the side of my car back there”. After a stern look from the trooper at the GoPro mounted on the back of the left fender, the video ends and then we see a redacted photo of the official warning from the State of South Carolina.

One has to wonder if the situation would have ended differently if there wouldn’t have been the GoPro in the equation. Was the driver really speeding so fast as to remove the stripes from the side of the car? Did the trooper only give the driver a warning because there might have been visual proof on the GoPro that the driver wasn’t? Why didn’t the driver show the minute or two leading up to the stop? It’s an interesting proposition worth considering.

This is a fun story that ends well for the driver and at the end of the day, he got exactly what he set out for – a memorable moment captured on video all thanks to that GoPro camera mounted on the back of his black Corvette.

Source:
Corvette Online

January 4, 2012

Olivier Beretta and Corvette Racing Part Company

After nearly a month of speculation, we have learned that Olivier Beretta and Corvette Racing have parted ways after a successful eight-year run. Risi Competizione announced this morning that the 42 year old ex-Formula 1 driver will join the team as one of six drivers in the two Ferrari 458 Italias entered in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Beretta will be driving the No. 63 Ferrari 458 Italia at the 50th anniversary Rolex 24 at Dayona with Brazilian Raphael Matos and Ferrari test driver Andrea Bertolini. In the No. 62 Ferrari will be defending European Le Mans Series GT champions Gianmaria Bruni, Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander.

“I left Corvette Racing in November, and when I was offered the chance to drive a Ferrari at Daytona with Risi, I didn’t have to think about it for one second,” Beretta said. “When I was a kid my uncle had a Ferrari Daytona [365 GTB/4]. It was riding in this car that gave me my first feeling of speed, and don’t forget I am half Italian.”

There is still some speculation as to who and where Beretta will drive for after the Rolex 24 and if his deal is with Ferrari or Risi. Risi has yet to confirm its 2012 plans after the Rolex 24 but its widely believed the team will be racing in either GRAND-AM or the ALMS. One name missing from the Ferrari Rolex 24 roster that most ALMS fans will recognize is Jaime Melo, whose fate with the team was probably sealed by wrecking his Ferrari 458 on the warm-up lap at the 2011 Petit Le Mans.

Olivier joined Corvette Racing in 2004 and over the eight year stint had four class wins with the team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, most recently in 2011 in GTE-PRO. He is the most successful driver in ALMS history with 41 career victories and 23 career poles through 2010 and with team mate Oliver Gavin, the two “ollies” won three straight ALMS GT1 championships from 2005-07.

The speculation is that Corvette Racing’s endurance driver Antonio Garcia will move to the full time seat despite previous reports that he’ll be driving full time for the Spirit of Daytona GRAND-AM team. At this time, there has been no official confirmation from Corvette Racing on the driver lineups for 2012.

Sources:
SPEED and AutoSport
Photo Credit: Endurance-Info.com

January 4, 2012

Third Oldest Corvette at Auction

As reported by Hemmings recently: "Six years ago, the oldest production Corvette in existence, Corvette #003, sold for $1,080,000 at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale sale. RM Auctions is not expecting a repeat of that sale when the third-oldest Corvette, Corvette #005, crosses the block (in January) at its Arizona auction, but is still predicting a sale price of about half a million dollars.

This car, VIN E53F001005, is one of the first three 1953 Corvettes sold to the public, and its history is well accounted for. Details are available at both the Hemmings website and, of course, the lot posting at RM Auctions.

Just 300 Corvettes were built in 1953, of which about 200 remain, and "the early cars have some unusual features. This one is the last example built without an outside rearview mirror; it, Corvette #004, and Corvette #006 were the only ones sold with chrome Bel Air hubcaps. It features a VIN tag made of stainless steel, rather than aluminum, and a chromed speaker grille."

This particular "roadster achieved Top Flight certification with a score of 99.6 percent at the National Corvette Restorers Society convention in 2003. The National Corvette Certification Board awarded it Gold Certification in 2004, meaning that it had been restored to at least 95 percent of the way it appeared when it left the factory.

"RM’s pre-auction estimate of $450,000 to $650,000 is about twice the book value of a typical 1953 Corvette in #1 condition." We’ll find out what bidders think it’s worth on January 20, when it crosses the block as Lot 266 in the ballroom of the Arizona Biltmore.

January 4, 2012

GM to Offer Another Mystery Corvette at Barrett-Jackson?

While looking through the lists of cars going through the Barrett-Jackson auction next week, I saw a big Chevrolet Bowtie where there should be a picture of a car for Lot# 3040 .

January 4, 2012

GRAND-AM: Oliver Gavin to Drive Corvette DP for Spirit of Daytona

It was announced today that Corvette Racing ace Oliver Gavin will be joining the Spirit Of Daytona’s GRAND-AM racing team where he’ll be driving in three endurance races during the 2012 Rolex Sports Car Series. Gavin will drive the new Corvette Daytona Prototype with current Corvette Racing endurance team mates Antonio Garcia and Richard Westbrook in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Sahlenâ€™s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen and the Indianapolis 3 Hour race.

While his main focus in 2012 will be the American Le Mans Series with Corvette Racing, Gavin brings a considerable amount of talent to the Spirit of Daytona team with a decade’s worth of experience in both the DP and GT classes.

“I am really delighted to be part of Spirit of Daytona Racing, driving with Antonio and Richard in the new Corvette Daytona Prototype,” he commented. “I think this is an extremely exciting time to be in Grand Am and driving a Corvette in that series.

“The car looks fantastic and a real race car; I am itching to get on the track with it and see what it can do. A huge amount of work has gone into putting this all together at Pratt & Miller and, having worked with them for the last 11 years, I know just what they are capable of. This will undoubtedly be another fine machine from them and it should allow us to really challenge for victories.”

Oliver raced in the Rolex series last year in the GT class with Banner Racing’s No. 07 The Cool TV Chevrolet Camaro where he was paired with Gunter Schaldach. He and Gunter earned two 2nd place GT class podiums and finished 9th in team points for the season.

Gavin will be joining his Spirit of Daytona team mates in the official three-day “Roar Before the Rolex 24″ test session at Daytona International Speedway this week and will then test his 2012 Corvette C6.R GT machine before returning to Daytona for the 24-hour race on Jan. 28-29.

In addition to his commitments with Corvette Racing and Spirit of Daytona, the UK native plans to return to the Aussie V8 Supercar Series later in the year as well.

Source:
SPEED

January 3, 2012

GM to Offer Another Mystery Corvette at Barrett-Jackson?

Article contributed by Dave Salvatore / Kerbeck Corvette

Lot# 3040… It doesn’t sound like much but you never can tell.

While looking through the lists of cars going through the Barrett-Jackson auction next week, I saw a big Chevrolet Bowtie where there should be a picture of a car for Lot# 3040. This, of course, got my attention right away so I had to read further…

The auction description says:

“A special Chevrolet model will be revealed during the auction where bidders have the opportunity to take home this one-of-a-kind vehicle. Proceeds to benefit AARP Drive for Hunger. Will be sold at approximately 2pm Saturday January 20, 2012.

Have you ever wanted to own a piece of history? This may be your chance. A special Chevrolet model will be revealed during the auction where bidders have the opportunity to take home this one-of-a-kind vehicle. **PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT AARP DIRVE FOR HUNGER** **WILL BE SOLD AT APPROXIMATELY 2PM SATURDAY JANUARY 21, 2012** “

Chevrolet has had a history of auctioning off special cars at this auction for charity dating back to when, in 2008, they auctioned off the first 2009 Corvette ZR1 for $1,000,000 with the proceeds going to the United Way.

After that, they have auctioned off other cars including the first 2012 Centennial Edition Corvette Z06 and a 2012 Camaro ZL1.

So, that leads us to wonder what Chevy his hiding behind the curtain on Lot# 3040? While GM has remained mum on the topic, most people believe that the C7 Corvette will be introduced in 2014 and that 2013 will be the last year of the C6 generation.

While it’s much too early for Chevy to show anything on a new model that’s at least 2 years away we could be looking at a special edition Corvette. 2013 will mark the 60th Anniversary of the Corvette and many people are hoping to see a 60th Anniversary Edition, but again GM has been very tight lipped.

Of course, the rumor mills have been going strong about a Camaro ZL1 Convertible as well. Or, the mystery car may not be a Corvette or a Camaro. The much anticipated 2013 Malibu is getting ready to hit the dealer’s lot and could make a preview here. Or maybe they’ve got something brand new up their sleeves.

Whatever they are planning the one thing we can be sure of is that we won’t be disappointing. These charity auctions have raised a lot of money for some great causes and have featured some very special cars and we expect nothing less this time around!

This article was contributed by Dave Salvatore of Kerbeck Corvette, the world’s largest Corvette dealer since 1994. Looking for a new 2012 Corvette? Call Dave at 877-537-2325 or visit them on the web at Kerbeck.com.

Source:
Kerbeck Corvette