WEBVTT - GM President Mark Reuss, Corvette ZR1 0:00:01.280 --> 0:00:04.160 I'm Matt Miller and I'm Hannah Elliott, and this is 0:00:04.240 --> 0:00:14.000 hot pursuit. I'm going to take the lead today on 0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:19.600 the intro because Matt is near death's door at home 0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:22.160 on the couch. We've listened to him hack for the 0:00:22.200 --> 0:00:26.520 past twenty minutes. He's drunk. He's drunk a bottle of robitussin, 0:00:26.960 --> 0:00:29.760 and you know, it's very touch and go, but he's 0:00:29.920 --> 0:00:32.400 rallied and we're so happy to have you here. 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:34.879 I'm ready. It's been a tough week. I launch a 0:00:34.880 --> 0:00:37.680 new television show on Bloomberg with Katie Greifeld and Channelli Bassic, 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:40.760 so it's been like all hands on deck working twenty 0:00:40.800 --> 0:00:44.519 four to seven, and earning season has been super intense 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:49.760 this week. So somehow my immune system failed. But I 0:00:49.800 --> 0:00:52.640 continue to push on because it's not pandemic days. I 0:00:52.640 --> 0:00:55.360 don't stay home when i'm sick anymore. I'm still going 0:00:55.360 --> 0:00:56.080 to work every day. 0:00:56.480 --> 0:00:59.280 We actually may want you to stay home at this point. 0:00:59.480 --> 0:01:03.400 It's basically the walking wounded over here. I'm glad you're 0:01:03.440 --> 0:01:05.600 home right now. Hopefully you can get some rest and 0:01:05.640 --> 0:01:07.080 like chicken noodle soup or something. 0:01:07.400 --> 0:01:10.760 I can't get any rest We've had the most insane 0:01:10.920 --> 0:01:15.520 business news cycle, especially an automotive, right, I mean, General 0:01:15.560 --> 0:01:18.840 Motors kicked it off and they had such an amazing 0:01:19.160 --> 0:01:21.720 earnings report that I instantly like emailed. 0:01:21.400 --> 0:01:23.800 It to me. I know, you know, which is perfect 0:01:23.880 --> 0:01:27.200 timing for their debut this week because it's just like 0:01:27.360 --> 0:01:30.600 all things are coming up rosy with GM while everyone 0:01:30.600 --> 0:01:31.960 else struggles, right. 0:01:32.040 --> 0:01:34.160 Which is, by the way, a Corvette debut. And I 0:01:34.160 --> 0:01:37.200 want to talk about your story specifically, and of course 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:41.120 our special guest is the president of General Motors. He 0:01:41.280 --> 0:01:46.080 is a massive Corvette fan himself, Mark Royce. I'm super 0:01:46.120 --> 0:01:48.600 excited to get to him, but I do want to 0:01:48.600 --> 0:01:50.840 get the earnings picture for automotive out of the way first, 0:01:50.880 --> 0:01:54.600 because it's been amazing since GM beat and they didn't 0:01:54.640 --> 0:01:58.440 just beat right expectations for earnings. They sold two hundred 0:01:58.440 --> 0:02:02.800 and thirty thousand plus pickup trucks Silver Across, Silverado and Sierra, 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:06.200 and they also raised their full year forecast. So this 0:02:06.360 --> 0:02:08.960 was a couple of days ago and I thought, Man, 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:11.840 what an awesome earning season it's going to be for automotive. 0:02:12.120 --> 0:02:17.000 Then every other automaker that's come out has absolutely the 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:21.640 bed they have Ford has had its biggest drop on 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:25.600 the stock market after posting an amazing twenty cent earnings 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:29.280 miss in fifteen years. I mean, it's like a crisis 0:02:29.400 --> 0:02:34.480 level stock reaction for Ford. And then Stilantis had such 0:02:34.480 --> 0:02:36.760 a big drop in profit, like forty eight percent in 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:39.760 the first six months that Carlos Tavares, the CEO, said, 0:02:39.800 --> 0:02:43.280 you know what, every brand right now could potentially be 0:02:43.440 --> 0:02:45.280 on the chopping block, and. 0:02:45.200 --> 0:02:46.760 To me, crazy to hear. 0:02:47.440 --> 0:02:49.200 Yeah, but you know what, if you look at some 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:51.639 of the brands and near and dear to my heart 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:54.919 as Dodge, they don't have very many products. I did 0:02:54.960 --> 0:02:58.120 love the Hornet, we talked about that, but that's all 0:02:58.160 --> 0:03:02.359 they make, right, There's no challenger, there's no charger. So 0:03:02.680 --> 0:03:07.120 the Durango still exists in some old and tired form, 0:03:07.240 --> 0:03:09.880 but they just don't have a lot to contribute. So 0:03:10.560 --> 0:03:12.160 it's just mayhem. 0:03:12.440 --> 0:03:15.079 It's really tough. And in the luxury world, we should 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:17.639 say that even Porscha cut its outlook for the year 0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:21.359 and took its biggest drubbing in a single day since 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:25.880 September twenty twenty two. When ISIPO exactly? So if this 0:03:26.040 --> 0:03:29.920 isn't even just you know, mass market brands. This is 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:33.080 hitting the luxury sector too. I think Hyundai did pretty well. 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:37.560 That was sort of another another highlight. They seemed to 0:03:37.600 --> 0:03:40.080 have gone up a little bit in operating profit and 0:03:40.320 --> 0:03:44.880 actually beat their estimates basically based on hybrid sales, which 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:47.880 I know how much you love hybrids, so it's really interesting. 0:03:47.920 --> 0:03:51.720 And then here we have, of course, of course, and 0:03:51.760 --> 0:03:55.840 then we have General Motors that is basically doing phenomenal 0:03:56.040 --> 0:04:00.520 off the back of internal combustion engine trucks and SUVs, 0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:03.720 and this Corvette is no different. It's not this isn't 0:04:03.760 --> 0:04:07.080 even This is their most powerful corvette debut ever, and 0:04:07.120 --> 0:04:09.560 it's not a hybrid. It's it's an actual V eight. 0:04:09.760 --> 0:04:13.000 All right, let's talk about Let's talk about this corvette 0:04:13.040 --> 0:04:18.000 that's just debuted. You wrote a phenomenal story about it. 0:04:18.080 --> 0:04:21.360 Everyone's been waiting for it. It is the ZR one, right, 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:23.640 What does that mean for Corvette? What is a ZR one? 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:27.120 The ZR one is right now, it's the top of 0:04:27.160 --> 0:04:32.080 the line. Now we have seen rumors that General Motors 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:35.960 is coming out with a higher performance hybrid in twenty 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:39.120 twenty five. They've actually trademarked a name. 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:41.120 Zora that such a cool name. 0:04:41.360 --> 0:04:43.200 It's a cool name. But right now, the Z one 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:45.640 is the top of the line one thousand and sixty 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:49.680 four horsepower, and the two really new things about this 0:04:49.800 --> 0:04:52.760 car are number one, it's the first Corvette ever to 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:56.719 use turbochargers, which is wild to think about. And then 0:04:56.800 --> 0:04:59.279 number two, it's got a split window in the rear 0:04:59.400 --> 0:05:04.520 like the from the sixties. So these are significant changes. 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:08.640 Yeah, I mean, I love the obviously, I love the Corvette, 0:05:08.640 --> 0:05:10.880 and I've been raving about it for weeks now, ever 0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:15.040 since I drove the E Ray, which is their hybrid currently. 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:16.760 It's kind of the middle of the lineup right because 0:05:16.760 --> 0:05:21.039 they have the base Corvette, the Stingray exactly, which has 0:05:21.320 --> 0:05:25.400 just the six point two leader naturally aspirated V eight 0:05:25.800 --> 0:05:28.239 right behind the driver in the middle of the setup. 0:05:28.440 --> 0:05:30.840 Then they have the E Ray, which has that six 0:05:30.880 --> 0:05:34.920 point two leader, you know, the traditional for now Corvette engine, 0:05:35.240 --> 0:05:38.040 and then an electric motor on the front axle. Then 0:05:38.080 --> 0:05:41.240 they had the Z six, which has the fire breathing 0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:44.440 five and a half leader flat plane crank V eight, 0:05:45.000 --> 0:05:47.679 which is kind of like a Ferrari setup, but even 0:05:47.680 --> 0:05:50.320 better than Ferrari I think could have done, because it's 0:05:50.320 --> 0:05:54.400 such big displacement and manages to keep itself together. And 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:56.720 so this is going to be the z R one 0:05:57.320 --> 0:05:59.080 is going to be the. 0:05:58.920 --> 0:05:59.920 Top of the line. 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:02.400 Yeah, well, it's gonna be basically the twin turbo charged 0:06:02.520 --> 0:06:05.880 version of the Z six, which is typically how it goes. Right, 0:06:05.920 --> 0:06:09.039 Corvette releases the Z six, which is their top of 0:06:09.040 --> 0:06:12.479 the line version, naturally aspirated, and then they come out 0:06:12.480 --> 0:06:16.120 with the usually supercharged version that's the ZR one. In 0:06:16.160 --> 0:06:19.680 this case, it's gonna be using turbos, which is something 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:22.479 we'll ask mister Royce about. Yes, but it's gonna have 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:24.440 over a thousand horse power. 0:06:24.279 --> 0:06:26.680 Over one thousand horse power, and there's going to be 0:06:26.720 --> 0:06:32.240 an optional zt K performance package that adds like a 0:06:32.560 --> 0:06:36.240 huge rear wing and aggressive styling on the front and 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:39.760 like a gurney lip on the hood, all made from 0:06:39.800 --> 0:06:42.520 carbon fiber. It's gonna have stiffer suspension and different wheels 0:06:42.560 --> 0:06:43.320 and all of that too. 0:06:43.600 --> 0:06:46.000 They've gotten so good at I mean, they have all 0:06:46.000 --> 0:06:48.640 this alphabet soup at GM, right. I know, if you 0:06:48.680 --> 0:06:51.320 get the sting Ray, which is probably good enough to 0:06:51.360 --> 0:06:53.440 begin with for most people, you can add the Z 0:06:53.720 --> 0:06:56.320 fifty one package, which makes it a little better. If 0:06:56.360 --> 0:06:58.800 you get the Z six, which is the sort of 0:06:58.800 --> 0:07:01.680 screaming Ferrari flat plane crank, you can add the Z 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:05.000 seven package, which makes it like a little bit racier. 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:07.320 And now if you get the ZR one, what's the 0:07:07.320 --> 0:07:08.640 package that you can add. 0:07:08.640 --> 0:07:12.880 It's called zt K Performance Package. I mean, I'm already 0:07:12.880 --> 0:07:15.240 sort of lost in all all of those numbers and letters. 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:17.920 Well, then the cool thing about the progression is so 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:22.920 the rumored improvement on the ZR one is called Zora, 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:26.520 which is I guess named after the original designer designer 0:07:26.960 --> 0:07:31.560 the Corvette, and that would be the twin turbo charged 0:07:32.000 --> 0:07:35.119 five and a half liter V eight in the back 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:38.560 with an electric motor I'm guessing in the front, so 0:07:38.680 --> 0:07:44.000 like the hybrid version of the turbocharge bad ass. So 0:07:44.080 --> 0:07:46.640 it's like total top of the top of the line. 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:49.840 And I don't know what Royce is gonna tell Yeah, I. 0:07:49.880 --> 0:07:53.400 Mean, well, look, I took the liberty of going ahead 0:07:53.400 --> 0:07:56.960 and asking the pr ahead of this conversation for you know, 0:07:57.040 --> 0:08:00.200 to confirm anything about the Zora, and of course he 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:03.680 did his job and told me absolutely nothing. But I 0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:08.800 did see that General Motors just on June third, trademarked 0:08:08.960 --> 0:08:11.920 that name in Mexico, which you know, they've sort of 0:08:11.960 --> 0:08:14.480 been filing these trademarks for the past few years in 0:08:14.520 --> 0:08:18.400 the US and Mexico. So if we're reading the riding 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:20.880 on the wall, it does seem like they're heading in 0:08:20.880 --> 0:08:22.440 that direction, which would be really cool. 0:08:22.600 --> 0:08:24.880 Now, the only thing that's missing from this whole lineup 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:27.680 for Corvette is an all electric version. 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:29.240 Right, yeah, what do you think about that? 0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:32.079 I mean, I wouldn't probably like it very much. I 0:08:32.120 --> 0:08:37.680 don't tend to like fully electric vehicles unless they're utility 0:08:37.760 --> 0:08:40.840 vehicles like ke Has EV nine. You know, I love that, 0:08:41.080 --> 0:08:44.280 but I'm not using that as a sports car that's 0:08:44.280 --> 0:08:46.839 supposed to give me goosebumps and make little hairs in 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:48.040 the back of my next stand up. 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:53.000 Right yeah, you know, I really think that Corvette is 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:55.840 probably like the nine to eleven at Portal, where they're 0:08:55.880 --> 0:08:58.760 going to do everything they can to hold off from 0:08:58.840 --> 0:09:05.199 electrifying their you know, chevrolets, GM's crown jewel car. And 0:09:05.440 --> 0:09:08.800 I don't think it's an accident that General Motors has 0:09:09.040 --> 0:09:13.000 just announced that yet again, they're delaying their electric pickup 0:09:13.040 --> 0:09:18.480 plant and they've postponed a Buick EV so this sort 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:21.360 of goes hand in hand with what we're seeing, you know, 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:25.960 as automakers including GM, but Ford and others, Mercedes have 0:09:26.200 --> 0:09:29.240 started to sort of slow down and walk back all 0:09:29.280 --> 0:09:33.640 of these electric promises that they've made because they're not selling. 0:09:33.760 --> 0:09:36.800 The evs aren't selling as well, and there are still 0:09:36.920 --> 0:09:41.640 valid concerns about especially the charging network. And I should 0:09:41.679 --> 0:09:43.520 mention I don't know if now it's the time to 0:09:43.559 --> 0:09:45.680 talk about it, but I did have that little electric 0:09:45.760 --> 0:09:49.480 Fiat five hundred E last week that got towed when 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:54.240 I tried to charge it. That is quite quite a story. 0:09:54.280 --> 0:09:57.040 And let me tell you it was not fun. And 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:01.160 you could argue ultimately it was user error on that, 0:10:01.320 --> 0:10:06.000 but it was an error any user could have made unbelievable. 0:10:06.080 --> 0:10:08.400 So they towed the car while you were charging it. 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:09.600 I guess you weren't with. 0:10:09.640 --> 0:10:11.920 It, so I didn't know you had to stay with 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:15.600 your car. Here's the scenario. Basically, I go downtown for 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:17.520 a lunch and to do an errand, and I think, oh, 0:10:17.520 --> 0:10:20.920 it'll be nice just to charge the Fiat for an hour. 0:10:21.440 --> 0:10:23.920 It was at like fifty percent. I thought this will 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:25.920 be I just need to do it just for experience. 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:28.200 So I know what this situation is. I go to 0:10:28.240 --> 0:10:31.280 the first charger that I've used before in a public 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:34.880 garage parking garage. The charger's broken. I use the app 0:10:35.120 --> 0:10:39.240 to find another available charger close by. That charging app 0:10:39.360 --> 0:10:43.520 sends me to a parking lot, an outdoor parking lot. 0:10:43.840 --> 0:10:45.720 I did have to go through a barrier, and I 0:10:45.760 --> 0:10:47.880 took a ticket to you know, to get into the 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:51.440 parking lot. I go. There's a valet guy. He watches. 0:10:51.600 --> 0:10:54.320 This guy watched me go through this whole thing. He 0:10:54.400 --> 0:10:57.679 watches me pull up, plug in. I think, okay, I'll 0:10:57.679 --> 0:10:59.319 be back an hour. I'm just gonna go have lunch. 0:11:00.000 --> 0:11:00.480 Come back. 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:03.559 The car's gone completely gone yep. 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:05.880 From a private from a gated park. 0:11:06.440 --> 0:11:10.000 Apparently it was private, but it let me take it. 0:11:10.200 --> 0:11:11.760 I just thought, oh, you just take a ticket and 0:11:11.800 --> 0:11:14.560 if you don't have, you know, if you're not a member, 0:11:14.600 --> 0:11:16.959 you just pay. I just assumed if you if it 0:11:17.080 --> 0:11:19.640 lets you in, you just pay to get out. 0:11:19.200 --> 0:11:19.360 You know. 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:23.320 So as by the way, thank you, thank you. So, 0:11:23.600 --> 0:11:25.720 you know, I kind of fish around and there is 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:28.719 a sign on the side of the parking lot that 0:11:28.840 --> 0:11:32.240 has a number to call, you know, Brian's towing and 0:11:32.480 --> 0:11:35.720 I call him and it's after five at this point, 0:11:36.520 --> 0:11:39.439 and you know, I'm told that you can come get 0:11:39.480 --> 0:11:41.480 your car and it's going to be four hundred and 0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:43.080 sixty six dollars in cash. 0:11:43.480 --> 0:11:44.439 Oh you know, I. 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:47.120 Can't really hear the guy. It's it's so so shady. 0:11:47.160 --> 0:11:51.199 I mean, it's basically a shakedown. It's so completely completely 0:11:51.640 --> 0:11:55.160 so you know, basically, I draw it's a mile away, 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:58.440 they tow it a mile away to when I tell you, 0:11:58.520 --> 0:12:02.400 it's the sketchiest environment I've ever been in this side 0:12:02.440 --> 0:12:05.439 of Cape Town. I am not kidding. It was. It 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:10.319 was like skid Row times a million. It was so sketchy. 0:12:11.520 --> 0:12:16.920 Charles Bukowski, Yes, yes, surely that in Yeah, exactly. 0:12:17.040 --> 0:12:18.599 So then you know, of course I get there and 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:20.679 I'm banging on the gate. No one's there. I call 0:12:20.760 --> 0:12:22.880 the guy again. He's like, oh, you know, all right, 0:12:22.960 --> 0:12:25.360 I'll come come, And I end up waiting for you 0:12:26.120 --> 0:12:26.840 to get out to ours. 0:12:27.000 --> 0:12:29.600 I mean, you don't just carry five hundred dollars in cash, 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:32.000 do you? On the regular? You probably shouldn't say if 0:12:32.000 --> 0:12:32.120 you do. 0:12:32.280 --> 0:12:34.280 No, for I'm not gonna say if I do or 0:12:34.280 --> 0:12:36.120 if I don't. But at that point I had the 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:38.400 cash in hand because I did not want to mess 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:41.800 around anymore with this. I was so you know what 0:12:42.000 --> 0:12:44.200 was the worst thing. The guy in the parking lot 0:12:44.400 --> 0:12:47.559 watched me do the whole thing. And he's probably the 0:12:47.640 --> 0:12:48.080 one who. 0:12:48.000 --> 0:12:50.240 Called the Probably, yeah, I'm sure, I'm sure. 0:12:50.240 --> 0:12:52.400 And I mean, why did he not just say, hey, 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:54.240 you you realize this is private or whatever? 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:58.240 I mean? Because he gets a cut. Probably Brian at 0:12:58.280 --> 0:13:01.600 Brian's Towing said, dude, if you see anyone come in here, 0:13:01.960 --> 0:13:05.760 don't stop them, let them go call me up. I'll 0:13:05.760 --> 0:13:08.079 give you a C note. And I'm sure you know. 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:10.840 It's a great scam. Actually, if you think about it, good, 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:13.480 yea perfect for the modern era. You just put up 0:13:13.520 --> 0:13:17.240 a charger and then poorly sign that you're not allowed 0:13:17.320 --> 0:13:20.280 to use it. Yes, and you just wait and watch 0:13:20.360 --> 0:13:22.080 for somebody to walk away from the car, and as 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:23.559 soon as they do, you go and jump on it. 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:25.720 Yes. And you know what, I would never have even 0:13:25.800 --> 0:13:29.800 gone into this parking lot except for the app sent 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:32.440 me there. The charging app sent me there and said 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:34.520 it was an available charger. So I thought, oh great, 0:13:34.559 --> 0:13:36.360 this is so close. You know, it's just around the corner. 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:38.800 No big deal. I didn't even I wasn't even aware 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:42.360 there was a charger there, So that kind of annoying. 0:13:42.480 --> 0:13:43.079 I know it was. 0:13:43.240 --> 0:13:46.080 It honestly was the good thing though, is the Fiat 0:13:46.200 --> 0:13:49.000 when I got it back was fully charged, so it 0:13:49.160 --> 0:13:52.240 was it was there long enough to get a full 0:13:52.640 --> 0:13:53.880 full juice going. 0:13:54.040 --> 0:13:57.000 All right, So that that is an unbelievable story and 0:13:57.120 --> 0:13:59.200 yet so believable, right, I know. 0:14:00.000 --> 0:14:02.599 It's alsoing, and it's like I tried to do. I 0:14:02.720 --> 0:14:05.199 tried to charge. I thought, you know, not a big deal. No, 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:07.959 people stay with their cars for hours on it. 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:11.079 No, not at all, not at all. And and I 0:14:11.200 --> 0:14:13.200 feel like if you if it comes up in the app, 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:17.439 you should probably be able to use it. Yes, a B. 0:14:17.720 --> 0:14:19.840 If you go into a gated parking lot and it 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:23.560 lets you in, I think it's safe to assume unless 0:14:23.680 --> 0:14:25.640 you see a sign that says, you know, like private 0:14:25.720 --> 0:14:29.240 parking space that you can park there. No, and then 0:14:29.760 --> 0:14:32.560 when you get to a towing company that's cash only, 0:14:32.760 --> 0:14:34.160 you know that that's a I know. 0:14:34.440 --> 0:14:37.480 I completely completely. I almost was like, good job, guys, 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:38.840 you really got me this time. 0:14:38.760 --> 0:14:41.040 Like, wow, they've earned it, Brian earned it. 0:14:41.320 --> 0:14:42.680 Yeah, good job on that one. 0:14:43.000 --> 0:14:46.880 So okay, but the thing is a Fiat five hundred, right, 0:14:47.160 --> 0:14:51.000 and any electric vehicle, I guess short of a Remac 0:14:51.240 --> 0:14:54.880 isn't something that you would substitute for a Corvette or 0:14:54.960 --> 0:14:57.560 a Porsche. And by the way, we should talk about 0:14:57.600 --> 0:15:00.240 this rivalry with Mark Royce also, So I've grown up 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:03.760 getting Road and Track magazine, or I did when I 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:07.520 was a kid, every month, and inevitably, whenever there was 0:15:07.560 --> 0:15:10.080 a new Corvette, there would be a cover story pitting 0:15:10.120 --> 0:15:13.440 the Corvette against the nine to eleven, right, because they're 0:15:13.480 --> 0:15:18.240 sort of America's ultimate sports car versus the benchmark ultimate 0:15:18.280 --> 0:15:22.360 sports car. Yeah, and I think, especially now with the 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:25.600 C eight, I think you could argue that it's a 0:15:25.640 --> 0:15:29.480 more valid comparison than ever because the engines behind you, 0:15:29.720 --> 0:15:33.960 and it truly is maybe even you know, more ideal 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:35.960 in terms of a sports car, right, a mid engine 0:15:36.000 --> 0:15:38.960 layout than a nine to eleven, which you know, with 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:42.680 the rear engine layout has always been a little bit awkward, 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:44.520 even if they've managed to make it work at Portia. 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:47.040 Yeah, you know, I wonder if we should ask Mark 0:15:47.640 --> 0:15:49.960 whether he believes a Corvette is a supercar or not. 0:15:50.600 --> 0:15:53.640 Maybe we don't get into that, but they've clearly, you know, 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:57.520 they've clearly benchmarked the most successful vehicles in the world 0:15:57.640 --> 0:16:01.040 in the past, and they obviously benchmarked Ferrari four, five, 0:16:01.160 --> 0:16:04.520 eight with for sure with the Z six, So I 0:16:04.640 --> 0:16:08.080 wonder if they even think about the nine to eleven anymore, 0:16:08.240 --> 0:16:10.960 or if now they're aiming at Ferrari and Lamborghini instead, 0:16:10.960 --> 0:16:15.440 because the styling is obviously not subtle. Yeah. Also, they've 0:16:15.920 --> 0:16:19.440 expanded their product offering in such a nine to eleven way, 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:23.400 right They now they have the Stingray, the E Ray, 0:16:24.120 --> 0:16:28.120 the ZO six, the ZR one, they'll have the Zora, 0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:30.800 and you've got to imagine they're gonna have convertible and 0:16:30.880 --> 0:16:33.160 hard top versions of probably all of those, so they'll 0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:35.520 have ten different models. Yeah, and I. 0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:38.360 Should say the zer one is coming in coop and 0:16:38.520 --> 0:16:41.680 convertible version. They're both. They're both starting production at the 0:16:41.720 --> 0:16:44.960 same time in Bowling Green. So yeah, it's a lot 0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:45.480 of options. 0:16:45.960 --> 0:16:48.720 Previously, by the way, because I look at these things 0:16:48.800 --> 0:16:51.600 online and lust after them and configure them. I think 0:16:51.640 --> 0:16:55.880 I've already configured a Corvette at least once today. Constantly 0:16:56.560 --> 0:16:58.440 I go back and forth between what I want, the 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:01.840 hard top or the coop because the hard top obviously 0:17:02.000 --> 0:17:03.960 is a T top in a Corvette, so you can 0:17:04.080 --> 0:17:08.680 take off the top, but the convertible is you know, 0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:12.040 you can do it automatically. And the benefit of the 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:14.320 hard top is you can see the motor right because 0:17:14.359 --> 0:17:17.400 the hard top has a c through panel on the back, 0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:19.359 and then it's totally baller. You know. 0:17:19.880 --> 0:17:23.320 As someone who has a T top C three, I 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:25.240 think it would be nice to be able to push 0:17:25.280 --> 0:17:27.600 a button and have the top to go down, because 0:17:27.840 --> 0:17:30.400 I've made the really bad mistake of trying to take 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:32.600 the T tops off at a stop while you're waiting 0:17:32.600 --> 0:17:35.639 at a stop light. I'd like pull them into the 0:17:35.920 --> 0:17:41.080 cabin when you're waiting at traffic. And that was I'm 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:43.720 sure anyone who saw that thought this woman is insane. 0:17:43.960 --> 0:17:47.560 I think you know the consensus probably, And I've been 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:50.320 lurking on corvette forums for a long time as well. 0:17:51.000 --> 0:17:54.200 People who get the coop the hard top, they say 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:57.960 inevitably that they don't bother anymore taking it on and off. 0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:01.119 They just it's like you have a hard top car, correct, 0:18:01.359 --> 0:18:03.720 But they're all happy that they can see the motor, 0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:06.119 which makes sense. It's so awesome to be able to 0:18:06.160 --> 0:18:09.040 see it. People who get the convertible put the top 0:18:09.160 --> 0:18:12.120 down constantly and up constantly. I know when I spent 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:13.960 a week with the E Ray that was one of 0:18:14.040 --> 0:18:17.840 the best functions. If it's raining, if it's too hot, 0:18:17.880 --> 0:18:20.600 you can put the top up. Otherwise you have it down. 0:18:21.200 --> 0:18:22.920 I feel like I've settled on the convertible. But this 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:26.280 is probably something that we could talk to Mark himself about. 0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:28.600 The Other thing that I'm excited to talk to him 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:31.800 about is the spine that they've added to the z 0:18:32.000 --> 0:18:32.360 R one. 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:36.679 Right, Well, they're calling it a split window. I agree. 0:18:37.000 --> 0:18:40.000 I agree to me, I think that's a little bit 0:18:40.520 --> 0:18:42.639 of a loose term. I agree. It looks more like 0:18:42.720 --> 0:18:44.600 a spine. It's more like a carb It can be 0:18:44.720 --> 0:18:47.680 carbon fiber or the body color. And yeah, it looks 0:18:47.720 --> 0:18:49.840 like a spine running down the back, which looks cool. 0:18:50.240 --> 0:18:50.400 Right. 0:18:50.480 --> 0:18:53.160 I get the term from your story, So yeah, it's 0:18:53.160 --> 0:18:55.960 stuck in my head now. But the thing is Mark 0:18:56.080 --> 0:19:01.359 has very beautiful classic C two corvette with the split window. 0:19:01.920 --> 0:19:02.560 Oh I didn't. 0:19:02.600 --> 0:19:05.159 And I mean, if you get the C two in 0:19:05.280 --> 0:19:07.520 the coupe, you want the split window. 0:19:07.960 --> 0:19:09.119 That's expensive. 0:19:09.560 --> 0:19:11.159 That's indicative of the z R one. 0:19:11.720 --> 0:19:13.000 Yes, exactly. 0:19:21.200 --> 0:19:21.520 All right. 0:19:21.600 --> 0:19:23.840 Now, fresh off the track from test driving the brand 0:19:23.880 --> 0:19:26.360 new SE eight Corvette z R one, or at least 0:19:26.400 --> 0:19:29.640 a pre production version of that car. KNNA, let's get 0:19:29.680 --> 0:19:31.760 over to GM President Mark Royce. 0:19:32.240 --> 0:19:34.760 Thanks for taking the time. We know, I think you 0:19:35.040 --> 0:19:36.960 just got out of the car. Can you just tell 0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:39.520 us what it's like to drive? We're so curious. 0:19:40.440 --> 0:19:43.639 So, yeah, I've driven the car on quite a few occasions, 0:19:43.800 --> 0:19:46.840 but the car today was the first time I've driven. 0:19:46.880 --> 0:19:51.200 It started on camouflage with you know, exposing the split 0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:54.760 window on the coop and so that was pretty special. 0:19:55.160 --> 0:19:58.480 And it's the capability of the car is just insane, 0:19:58.680 --> 0:19:59.840 so you'd know that. 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:02.960 But you've seen the power numbers, the torque numbers, the 0:20:03.240 --> 0:20:05.840 where it happens rpm wise, you know this is a 0:20:06.160 --> 0:20:09.600 it's a very special, you know, power train in the 0:20:09.720 --> 0:20:12.320 Gemini twin Turbo LT seven very special. 0:20:12.760 --> 0:20:16.200 Talk to us about the turbochargers. Uh, why do a 0:20:16.280 --> 0:20:17.119 turbo charger? 0:20:17.320 --> 0:20:17.520 Now? 0:20:18.200 --> 0:20:20.119 Does this mean that the V eight has sort of 0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:24.640 been topped out in terms of its capabilities and now 0:20:24.840 --> 0:20:27.000 we're looking for other ways to get more power? 0:20:27.320 --> 0:20:32.280 Well, nothing's nothing's ever topped out. I think at least 0:20:32.280 --> 0:20:35.440 in my career it hasn't been. But I think you know, 0:20:35.560 --> 0:20:39.040 the turbos that we architect the engine for are you know, 0:20:39.160 --> 0:20:42.200