2019 Corvette Prices Climb as Sales Continue to Drop

The Chevrolet Corvette offers performance that can rival the best sports cars from around the world and the Vette does it for less money, although that gap will shrink a bit as GM is raising prices on the entire 2019 model range.

This news comes to us from Corvette Blogger, who got full 2019 pricing information from their friends at Kerbeck Chevrolet in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Every single Corvette for 2019 is getting a price hike, ranging from $405 for the Stingray and Grand Sport coupe while the ZR1 convertible pricing climbs by $2,500 for the new model year.

2019 Corvette Pricing
Among the naturally aspirated 2019 Chevrolet Corvette models – including the Stingray, the Z51 and the Grand Sport – coupe pricing is increasing by $405 while convertible pricing is going up by $905. As a result, the “base” Corvette Stingray coupe starts at $55,900, the Stingray convertible starts at $60,400, the Z51 coupe starts at $60,900, the Z51 convertible starts at $65,400, the Grand Sport coupe starts at $65,900 and the Grand Sport convertible starts at $70,400.

Pricing of the supercharged models goes up by larger amounts, starting with the Z06 coupe which increases by $1,405. The Z06 convertible is up $1,905, the ZR1 coupe is up $2,000 and the ZR1 convertible is up $2,500. This gives the Z06 coupe a starting price of $80,900, the Z06 convertible starts at $85,400, the ZR1 coupe starts at $120,900 and the ZR1 convertible starts at $125,000.

Finally, the 8-speed automatic currently costs $1,725, but effective soon, the self-shifting gearbox will have an MSRP of $1,995 with a jump of $270.

Declining Sales
The C7 Chevrolet Corvette was introduced for the 2014 model year late in the 2013 calendar year and not surprisingly, the return of the Stingray was met with loads of interest. Corvette sales soared with the arrival of the C7 with nearly 4,000 units sold in the first month of full availability and during the 2014 calendar year, Chevrolet sold almost 35,000 Corvettes, with several monthly sales totals in the 3,500 to 3,800 range, but in 2015, Corvette sales were down to around 33,000 units. For 2016, sales dropped to just under 30,000 units and for 2017, Chevrolet sold just over 25,000 units, so in the span of four calendar years, Corvette sales dropped by around 10,000 units or nearly 30%.

That decline has continued through the first few months of 2018, with the Corvette posting its worst January, February and March sales in years. Starting in April, GM went to a company-wide quarterly reporting system, but for the second and third quarter of 2018, Corvette sales remain lower than the past years during the same periods.

The bottom line here is that sales of the C7 Corvette are on a steady decline and with the expectation of a new generation (likely with a mid-engine design) on the way, C7 sales are likely to remain low, but Chevrolet is still raising prices on 2019 models going forward.

Raising prices while sales are on the decline is a curious move, but in the long run, these price hikes aren’t going to run off anyone who has their heart set on a 2019 Corvette.

Update: The C7 Corvette Inventory Is Diminishing Regardless of Upcoming C8 Reveal.

Source: Corvette Blogger