Chevrolet to Present 1997 Corvette at January Auto Shows

09/23/96

The Lexington Herald-Leader reported that Chevrolet will make Corvette fans wait until the new year to see its 1997 model. The GM division has redesigned the original U.S. sports car for the first time since 1984, and will debut it in January at auto shows in Detroit and Los Angeles.

While most 1997 models are entering the market right now, Chevy is trying to keep the 1997 Corvette, which will be manufactured in Bowling Green, KY, out of the public's eye in order to maximize public excitement and media coverage.

Janine Fruehan, a spokeswoman for Chevy manufacturing, said, "I can't go into any detail about the new model. We want to create some suspense."

Chevrolet is not even letting its dealers know anything about the new car: "we have no pictures, no nothing," said Mark Raugh, general manager of Joe Holland Chevrolet-Geo in Lexington. The attempt to make the launch of the new car mysterious recalls the days when dealers generated excitement for new models by hiding them behind papered showroom windows until introduction day.

Chevy brand spokesman Tom Hoxie lamented the loss of that mystery: "slowly but surely, the excitement of new vehicle announcements is disappearing."

In the meantime, unauthorized spy photos of the new car reveal a more soft, rounded look compared with the aggressive, hard-edged appearance of the current model.

The exact date of the new Vette's unveiling is still being planned, but it will be either Jan. 6 or 7, to coincide with media preview days of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, said Hoxie. The Greater Los Angeles Auto Show is open to the public from Jan. 4-12.

Additionally, approximately 350 Chevy across the country will celebrate the debut by holding coming-out parties for special customers on introduction day. Chevrolet will only ship a 1997 model for display on launch day to dealers who sold at least 12 Corvettes from Aug. 1, 1995, to July 31, 1996. There are more than 4,400 Chevy dealers nationwide. Eligible dealers will get one or two Corvettes in late December, but must keep them in their showrooms under special car covers until launch day. Dealers who did not qualify to participate in the January launch will receive 1997 Corvettes in February or March.

The Bowling Green plant stopped making 1996 Corvettes in June, and is gearing up for a fourth-quarter production start-up. The new model, which will be the fifth major redesign of the sports car since it originally debuted in 1953, will have a new V-8 engine, new transaxle and a new chassis. A hardtop will be the first to roll off the line, followed by a convertible next fall, and finally by a price-leader base car that could sell for less than $30,000. The price of a 1996 base model is $37,225.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel