Old Kentucky Home: GM Confirms C8 Corvette Production Site, New Emblem
General Motors has officially announced that the Chevrolet Corvette will continue production in Bowling Green, KY after it transitions into a mid-engined car. The automaker will add 400 new jobs and a second shift to support production of the new model, bringing the factory’s workforce to more than 1,300 individuals.
However, the Corvette news — such as it is — doesn’t end there. The vehicle’s factory-sanctioned Facebook page also revealed the car’s new logo on Friday.
While there’s not too much going on here, a few subtle differences separate it from the current emblem. Chevy gave the new car a deeper V-shaped badge with fewer embellishments, though only Vette fanatics will be able to spot the differences without touching their nose to the paint. The automaker’s media team tossed together a brief video of the logo’s evolution throughout the years to help clarify the changes.
Getting back to assembly, GM said its commitment to the Kentucky plant remains strong, hinting that the company is indebted to the factory that has served as the Corvette’s home since 1981.
“The Corvette’s iconic status owes so much to the men and women of Bowling Green, where it has been built exclusively for almost 40 years,” said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. “This is the workforce that can deliver a next generation Corvette worthy of both its historic past and an equally exciting future, and today’s announcement gets us one step closer to its reveal on July 18.”
While General Motors is undoubtedly trying to shift attention away from the layoffs associated with its multi-billion-dollar restructuring plan, the automaker has put a lot into Bowling Green over the past decade. Since 2011, some $900 million flowed into the facility — resulting in a new body shop, paint shop, Performance Build Center, increased engine capacity, and various other upgrades.
With all that cash flowing into the site, it should surprise no one that C8 production will remain in the model’s old Kentucky home. Vette aficionados just hope that issues reported with the car’s frame and electrical system are nowhere to be found in the production model.
[Images: General Motors]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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I worry that GM will, once again, leave product development and testing to the first people who buy one. If I were going to buy one, I'd wait until (at least) after the second year of production.
Gold chains and a corvette? Also depend on how many chains, and what model? • First generation (C1; 1953–1962) 1953 gold $35.25/oz • Second generation (C2; 1963–1967) 1963 gold $35.25/oz • Third generation (C3; 1968–1982) 1968 gold $43.50/oz • Fourth generation (C4; 1984–1996) 1984 gold $308/oz • Fifth generation (C5; 1997–2004) 1997 gold $287.50/oz • Sixth generation (C6; 2005–2013) 2005 gold $513.00/oz • Seventh generation (C7; 2014–2019) 2014 Gold $1199/oz • Eighth generation (2020)