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Why the Corvette is Chevrolet's billion-dollar baby

Edmunds has worked up a piece that tries to figure out just how much the global Chevrolet Corvette economy is worth, a spitballed guesstimate putting the number at more than $2.5 billion with the proviso that the number is probably low. It starts by taking Corvette's new car sales of 14,132 units last year, which would equate to $714,725,900 (including destination) assuming ever car sold was a base coupe with no options. In the final tally, a little extra padding gets that number up to $750,000,000.
But that's not all. Consider this: Many of the almost 1.4 million Corvettes produced over the model's history are still on the road. There are new parts being produced and aftermarket companies like Mid-America Motorworks deaing business, that single Illinois company doing more than $40 million a year in sales. There are the Corvette events large and small, restorers who do nothing but Corvettes, salvage yards that deal only in used Corvette parts and the Corvette magazines where owners find all this stuff.
And then there are the Corvette-themed tchotchkes, every single one of which provides a tiny contribution to the huge licensing royalties that General Motors collects every year. The article admits there's no way to come to an accurate number, but it just goes to show how valuable one specific model can be to a company.

GM sweetens military discount for Buick, Chevy and GMC

American servicemen and women interested in a new vehicle from Chevrolet, Buick or GMC now have a bit more incentive to head down to their local dealer, as General Motors has announced plans to improve its military discount program.
The new GM Military Discount Program offers eligible consumers a new Chevy, Buick or GMC at invoice pricing, which in some cases can take very large chunks out of a car's retail price. When factored in with other incentives, most of which are available with the Military Discount, the bargains are thick on the ground for members of the US armed forces.
GM's Retail Sales and Marketing Support general manager, Chuck Thomson, said, "GM has long supported the military and military families, and we hope this simplified and enhanced discount will show our appreciation for their service and help make it easier for them to own one of our great new vehicles." The program is open to all active duty and reserve members in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, National Guard and Coast Guard, as well as veterans that have been out of the service for less than a year. Military retirees and their spouses are also eligible for the discount.

Corvette Stingray Shooting Brake under consideration by Callaway [w/poll]

Callaway has released a few renderings of a design study for a shooting brake version of the C7 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. The company says it wants to create a long-roof version of America's sports car to offer buyers more interior room and a vehicle with "unique style." The company says it will use structural carbon fiber for the new body bits, which suggests the conversion shouldn't add too much more weight to the Corvette. Along with a few mechanical tweaks, the Callaway Corvette Stingray AeroWagon could breeze past the 200 miles per hour barrier.
Provided that they get enough interest, Callaway estimates they will be able to effect the changes on the Chevrolet for around $15,000, and says the conversion work should be available through its network of dealers. You can check out the brief press release below for more information, or head over to the Callaway site to plunk down a deposit - but before you do, we want to know... do you find this C7 wagon interesting? Vote in our poll below, then feel free to leave a few lines in Comments.
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