DETROIT (Reuters) -- General Motors is planning to build an entry-level Chevrolet Corvette that would cost less than $50,000 and widen the iconic sports car brand's appeal, people familiar with the plans told Reuters.

The No. 1 U.S. automaker is looking at bringing out the less-expensive model in mid- to late- 2015, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing future product strategy.

"Clearly, there's a lot of opportunity with Corvette," one of the people said. "It's good for General Motors to be thinking out of the box a little bit."

In January, GM showed the 2014 Corvette Stingray, the first new Corvette in nine years, ahead of the Detroit auto show. Called the C7 by fans, it is the seventh generation of the American-made sports car and will go on sale in late summer.

An entry-level Corvette would have a less powerful 5.3-liter V-8 engine, and lack a number of features found in the Stingray such as automatic climate control, the sources said. It would be offered only as a coupe and cost less than the current Corvette, which starts at just over $50,000 and runs up to $112,600.

GM denied there were such plans.

"We haven't even announced pricing for the Stingray yet, so it's a little premature to talk about what's coming next," GM spokesman Monte Doran said. "At this moment, we don't have any plans to offer something below where the Stingray is."

Officials with suppliers for the Corvette, who asked not to be identified, said they had not heard of plans for a less expensive, entry-level model. One added suppliers would need to know at least two years ahead of time in order to ensure they could provide the necessary parts in volume.

Read more:http://www.autonews.com/article/20130314/OEM04/130319947/gm-plans-entry-level-corvette-sports-car-report-says&cciid=email-autonews-daily#ixzz2NeRJEfwj] [url]http://www.autonews.com/article/20130314/OEM04/130319947/gm-plans-entry-level-corvette-sports-car-report-says&cciid=email-autonews-daily#ixzz2NeRJEfwj[/url]

What...GM make an entry level performance car????
Not on your life...they'll just continue to flog really expensive, overblown performance cars....and then whinge they don't sell enough of them.
Holden did that repeatedly with the Monaro and the Adventra wagon.