C8 Corvette Sells Out Almost Immediately In Japan - CorvetteForum
Japanese buyers bought all 300 available C8 Corvettes in just 60 hours, with a starting price $30,000 higher than the US base MSRP.
UGH. I've given some thought to picking up a C8 in maybe 2023 or so.....but if Chevy Japan thinks I'm going to pay a $30k premium just for the convenience of having the steering wheel on the correct side of the car they can stick a Small Block where the sun doesn't shine. I really hate the Japanese sports car market sometimes (note: the Lexus RC-F has a similar markup and that car is MADE IN JAPAN).
Many Japanese have the perception that high price = quality. If it's not expensive....it must be a piece of junk. Displacement-based annual taxes. 6-liter engine = $1,000+ every year. The average Japanese wouldn't even contemplate these sort of registration costs. Just a generally small market for ~500hp mid-engine exotics. All of that combines to clearly give Chevy's Japanese dealers a ridiculous profit margin on the small number of cars they sell.
But it feels diametrically opposed to the spirit of the Corvette IMO: a car for the everyman that punches far above its price, pretty affordable to anyone who works hard and saves his money. Guess I'll have to double down on those last two points.
Anyone think it's possible to order a RHD Corvette from a US dealership?