GM Slaps The C8 Corvette ZR1 With A One Year Retention Policy
Flipping, or buying a new car only to turn around an immediately sell it to someone else with a big markup, is a problem GM is trying to combat with a new retention policy for the C8 Corvette ZR1. Just like when the C8 Z06 first came out, buyers will be required to keep the vehicle for at least a year before selling it or face the consequences. Not everyone is a fan of this policy.Popular Corvette YouTuber Rick Conti, who works for a Chevrolet dealership, posted a copy of the now-infamous C8 ZR1 Corvette retention letter in a recent video. Right off the bat, he notes the letter slaps a retention period not only on ZR1 owners but also E-Ray and Z06 buyers.
For the ZR1, the retention policy is one year, while it's just six months for the E-Ray and Z06. Violators might not be able to place future reservations for certain high-demand models from GM, including Corvettes.
If that's not enough to scare people from flipping their new Corvette, GM says it will void the bumper-to-bumper, powertrain, sheet metal, tire, accessory, and electric vehicle propulsion warranties for the sports car. Yikes!
That second one is incentive for someone to not buy a ZR1, Z06, or E-Ray C8 Corvette too soon after the first owner takes delivery or they could be facing big repairs not covered under warranty.
Conti says owners sign this retention letter when they take delivery of the car. Some might be caught unaware this is even a thing, so we wonder if they'll refuse to sign and take the 'Vette.
Not everyone believes this will stop flippers from doing what they do best, pumping up prices for the high-demand ZR1. They also point out it won't keep dealers from marking up way beyond MSRP for these certain Corvette models.
Interestingly, Conti points out a problem we didn't even think about but know it happens. Some buyers will purchase a vehicle under their name, then later for tax or legal purposes transfer title to their company. That move would count as violating the retention policy, voiding the warranty on a ZR1, Z06, or E-Ray even though the car in practice didn't actually change hands.
What do you think of GM's retention policy for the C8 Corvette ZR1? Does it go too far? Does it not do enough?
Image via Chevrolet
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The big car making big money for Škoda
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I've lost count of the number of people who've had their minds blown when shown the amount of space inside a Superb of any generation or body style. Now, with the current shape, the interior is more premium than you'll find in most VWs or Audis. Reason being, technology overload is not present. Instead, sensibility, tactility and silence. Everything you could possibly want is there but of things which grate there are none. Want just one example of how intelligently designed the Superb is? To deactivate steering interference there is an actual button which you touch with one finger whilst keeping your right hand on the steering wheel. Overall, nothing beep-nags, everything feels nice and looks great. This, in other words, is a luxury car. OK, the sunroof controls are awful but no worse than what I recently found in an XC90. Nice knobbly knobs A neighbour asked me about the Superb and sighed when I mentioned the touch-sensitive glass roof sliders and inadequate shading from the blind. Lamenting that his ID.3 is as bad, still he loves the car. The VW's swipe-for-volume also frustrates so he was happy to see that it does not exist in the Škoda. An actual knob does that job, the same applying to mirror adjustment. Things which are more neutral rather than rubbish would include what is an overloaded left-hand stalk. I did get used to it, and the right hand one, which selects R, N, D and P, also works well enough. The idea behind each is to liberate space on the central console. Here, you may hide valuables or just be a minimalist by rolling rubbery covers into place. Overall, the interior is way nicer than that of the new Audi A5 and Q5. Some will say ah yes this is a mere niche model. Sure. So then why is it such a strong seller in the two big European countries which have expanding populations, namely Poland and Britain? 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Build is no longer in the Czech Republic, the 3Y series hatchback and Combi being produced on the same line as the Passat estate at the Volkswagen Group's Bratislava factory. Škoda Auto in fact led the development of both cars, tweaking the FWD/AWD MQB Evo platform in the process. Multiple engines, two dual clutch gearboxes The shift to Slovakia took place not only to save cash by creating a shared manufacturing footprint for the VW and its Škoda twin, but also freed up capacity at Mladá Boleslav for more Octavia production. A move which is presently proving to have been a visionary one. You've a choice of multiple engines and two DSGs with the latest generation Superb. The one I lived with for a week was the iV, which is Škoda-speak for petrol plug-in hybrid. Its transmission has six gears whilst the one in all others has seven. Many more miles on electrons Engine alternatives to the 1.5-litre PHEV are a base mild hybrid of the same capacity, or else a 2.0-litre petrol and a 2.0-litre diesel. With the TSI and TDI there are two power alternatives in each case. The petrol-electric system has had a major makeover, the battery's capacity near-doubling to 25.7 kilowatt hours. That means a realistic range of up to 75 miles, which is…superb. It should be surprising to no-one that this car keeps on keeping on. Not the top seller in its global size class - that title will continue to go to a German premium marque - yet Škoda doesn't mind. Nor is the Superb likely to evolve into an EV for many years yet. Loyal buyers want it to stay much the same as it is: long but not too wide, priced fairly, dynamically comfortable rather than too firmly sprung and not seen on every street. Sum-up This continues to be one of the world's best large cars. How lucky we are to live in the main region where it's available. Pricing ranges from GBP35,925 to GBP49,115 (hatchback) or from GBP37,225 to GBP50,415 (estate). *June data were not available as the time of publication "The big car making big money for Škoda" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
