Chevy, I Don’t Care About Corvette Design Packages

You already know that I don’t feel too hot about the new C7.R package for the 2016 Z06, but that is not the only special looks package Chevy is offering for the new Stingray. 2016 Corvettes can be ordered with one of three new “design packages” that Car and Driver eloquently says will help “design-challenged” owners. That line nicked a bit of a nerve with me initially, but then it made me wonder if that is how Chevy really feels about things.

Why offer new color packages instead of just a few new options? I think that all of us are perfectly capable of designing our own beautiful cars. We don’t need GM to tell us that a red interior and a blue top on a yellow convertible is a bad idea. When I see things like this, all I see is someone at GM’s accounting department talking about how they could use these design packages to just charge us more money.

I am not going to be as harsh about these packages as I was about the limited edition C7.R package for the Z06, mostly because I do really like the stripe on the Twilight Blue package (top image), but it would be nice to see the Corvette team working to improve performance rather than subtly telling owners they have no style and need pre-built designs.

For those of us that like substance over visual appeal, 2016 does bring some new goodies, like a front bumper camera to keep you from bashing that pointy nose into a curb, and the magnetic shocks are now being offered separately from the Z51 package.

What do you guys think? Are these packages something cool that you want, and I’m just being a whiny auto writer? Or am I right that we are all smart enough to make good design choices, and that GM needs to focus on more practical improvements to the cars?

Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>

via [Car and Driver]