2023 Chevy Corvette Z06 product manager hints at pricing
A lot of math and a few economic indicators are being thrown at the coming 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 of late. The reason for the Texas Instruments parties is a clue that Corvette's product marketing manager Harlan Charles gave about the super-coupe's price. While doing an interview with Steve Garrett on the "Corvette Today Podcast," Charles said, "The pricing will be announced soon ... but we are telling people, basically, if you're used to the previous-generation Stingray-to-Z06 base-to-base [price], roughly, [the Z06 price] shouldn't be something that you wouldn't expect."
That line cranked up Internet searches for C7 Corvette MSRPs from 2014 to 2019. In 2014, the C7 Stingray started at $51,995, the C7 Z06 followed with an MSRP of $78,995, a difference of $27,000. Come 2019, the Stingray cost $56,590, the Z06 required $80,590, for a $24,000 difference. We know the 2022 C8 Corvette starts at $62,195, leaving us with a Z06 that could fall somewhere from $86,200 to $89,200.
That math assumes today's economic picture remains static until it's time to put money down on the 2023 Z06, which would probably be the most braindead prediction one could make about what will transpire over the coming year. When the Mid-engined Corvette Forum added Core PCE Price Index and Producer Price Index changes from 2015 to 2021 into the equations, the markups rose to $30,900 and $33,800, respectively. That math would get a 2023 Z06 that starts at about $96,000 on the high end.
Of course everyone would love to hear a GM exec quote the Z06 price on stage in front of a packed auditorium like the final segment on "The Price is Right," declaring it to be something like $89,995 so the crowd can go wild with chants of, "USA! USA! USA!" And yeah, $89,995 is a nice round $30,000 premium over the starting price of the 2020 C8 Corvette. But let's give a quick reminder that an entry-level, bog-standard 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera costs $101,200 before you've paid the mandatory destination fee or painted it any color other than white, black, red, or yellow. Sure, we'd love the new Z06 to come in under $90K. But based on specs alone, anything under $100,000 would be a ridiculous bargain.
Eventually, we'll know. Until then, the rest of the 38-minute podcast is worth a listen if you're interested in the new Z06. Garrett and Charles go through all kinds of details, such as the exhaust routing and tuning that took two years, parabolic reflectors for the exhaust tips to get more sound in the cabin, the Z06 not needing the extra transmission fluid for track duty like the Stingray, interiors with unique stitching patterns and even more red, package specifics, why there are rockets embossed into engine castings, and how much faster engineers were able to lap the Milford Proving Grounds with the lighter carbon fiber wheels.
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