Fubar231 Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 So ive been thinking lately, it seems as though no manufacturer wants to make a car more powerful or faster than there flagship car (I.E. Dodge Viper , Chevrolet Corvette (Be it a Z06 or ZR1), Fords GT40? Or SuperSnake?) (Im not sure what ford considers there flagship car), but does all that really matter? They didnt want to make a Z/28 or Camaro with more power than a Corvette because its there Flagship car, and while I can understand that, just because they WOULD make one with more HP doesnt mean there FlagShip car would lose its status? Why couldnt we see a 600-700hp Camaro from Chevy, it wouldn't change the fact that the Corvette is there Flagship car. With the new rumor of the Hellcat that Dodge is making, why couldnt this crazy beast make more than there viper? So what if they make a near 700hp Challenger with a supercharger (6.2 or 6.4 hemi, dont remember what the newest is). Just because they would make one more powerful doenst mean that it would knock the Viper off there podium. And ford... dont know really too much to say about ford, theyve kind of already done it with the SuperSnake and all, but when i think ford supercar first thing that comes to mind is the GT40. Also these extreme-pony cars would have a substantial amount of horsepower over there pony cars, but the engineering and aerodynamics and whatnot wouldnt allow them to pull track times like there flagship cars do. I guess brochure shoppers only look at statistics and see whats got more and how its better, but i bet they wouldnt be able to pull track times like there flagship cars... Just been curious and its had me thinking lately.. This is just something ive been pondering lately and wanted to hear what CR had to say about it. What are your guy's opinions and takes on this? Would it ruin the companys flagship car just because they have a tire smokin pony car that makes more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Bastard Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Imo I would think they would want to make offerings of higher hp cars (such as sub models) to drive sales, but on the flip side you don't want a bunch of asshats on the road with more power than they know how to (responsibly) use. I think if it weren't for that, I would see no problem with say sub models of pony cars, for instance, having more power than flagships. Though they would probably be just as un-attainable as the flagship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farkas Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 I don't think flagship vehicles mean what you think they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallard Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 This has long been a philosophy that I believe is dead, at least at some companies. You basically said what Ralph Gilles told Hot Rod, in that it's possible there may be a car with higher HP than the Viper, but it comes down to power:weight, so the Viper would still out perform. Although that will always raise questions about the need for a V10 program if you have a V8 with higher HP. I am in agreement, and I think limiting a platform does nothing but open the door for the competition and just makes your product inferior. If a Camaro/Fiero/GN/etc. can outperform a Corvette, then the Corvette's not as special as you think and it needs to be made better, instead of limiting the other models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDHG940 Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 If a Camaro/Fiero/GN/etc. can outperform a Corvette, then the Corvette's not as special as you think and it needs to be made better, instead of limiting the other models. I agree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Karacho1647545492 Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 It's definitely an outdated way of thinking. Your competition sure as hell doesn't care about making one of their cars (whether a direct competitor or lower model) faster than your flagship, so either you rest on your laurels and let your competition catch up to and then surpass you, or you constantly find ways to do things better and cheaper to outpace your competition. That's reason #1 why I hate when car manufacturers don't have their high-end sports car in a race series. Race on Sunday, sell on Monday, and use the lessons you learn to make your regular cars better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg1647545532 Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 GM has no real interest in making a 700hp Camaro because they'd be lucky to sell a couple hundred of them a year. They want to sell you base model Corvettes and V6 Camaros, because they can move those in volume. The only reason cars like the ZL1 and Z28 exist is to keep aging platforms from disappearing from the automotive media. Chrysler has no interest in making a 700hp Challenger for the same reason, with the additional caveat that the only reason the Challenger exists in the first place is because Chrysler's R&D budget has been non-existent for the last 75 years. They were able to slap a retro body on an existing platform and make a few bucks, but beyond that they don't really care. Ford has no flagship car. They stopped making the GT 8 years ago. But still, the same logic applies -- they make their money on moving V6 verts and GT Mustangs in bulk, and the only reason any special edition versions exist is to keep the Mustang brand popping up in the media. If they thought they could make some serious money with a 1000hp Mustang, they could make one, but it would either be priced too high to move in any real volume, or they'd sell it at a loss, or both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 I'd say that Ford's flagship sedan right now is the Taurus SHO, and the Mustang being their flagship sportscar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagner Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 GM has no real interest in making a 700hp Camaro because they'd be lucky to sell a couple hundred of them a year. They want to sell you base model Corvettes and V6 Camaros, because they can move those in volume. The only reason cars like the ZL1 and Z28 exist is to keep aging platforms from disappearing from the automotive media. Chrysler has no interest in making a 700hp Challenger for the same reason, with the additional caveat that the only reason the Challenger exists in the first place is because Chrysler's R&D budget has been non-existent for the last 75 years. They were able to slap a retro body on an existing platform and make a few bucks, but beyond that they don't really care. Ford has no flagship car. They stopped making the GT 8 years ago. But still, the same logic applies -- they make their money on moving V6 verts and GT Mustangs in bulk, and the only reason any special edition versions exist is to keep the Mustang brand popping up in the media. If they thought they could make some serious money with a 1000hp Mustang, they could make one, but it would either be priced too high to move in any real volume, or they'd sell it at a loss, or both. Boom goes the logic bomb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallard Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Chrysler has no interest in making a 700hp Challenger for the same reason, with the additional caveat that the only reason the Challenger exists in the first place is because Chrysler's R&D budget has been non-existent for the last 75 years. They were able to slap a retro body on an existing platform and make a few bucks, but beyond that they don't really care. El oh El Don't forget that these ZL1's, Z/28's, HellCat's, Super Snake's, etc. are also high margin models that also draw interest to the brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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