2020 Corvette Dealer Allocations Reportedly Cut

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

The extended UAW GM strike of 2019 was the longest the automotive industry endured in a couple of generations. At the time, General Motors said the situation would delay production across its entire model lineup, including the 2020 Corvette. The mid-engined C8 is all-new, encouraging plenty of interest. It was assumed the model was destined to be sold out months before the strike occurred.

While GM later confirmed models were still available, it warned that the strike might delay its launch and could impact dealer allocations. In November, the manufacturer said the C8 wouldn’t arrive until February of 2020, though the latest word from retailers indicates GM will cut back on allocations of the C8.

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, considering GM lost roughly three months of production due to the strike, that the company probably won’t have enough time left in the year to meet demand before 2021 models start showing up in the fall. According to Bachman Chevrolet’s Mike Davenport, better known as YouTube’s Chevy Dude, the manufacturer informed him that his dealership could expect a 15-percent cut to its 2020 ‘Vette allocations.

Unsatisfied with the reasons given, Davenport said he engaged in some light detective work. “With the plant being shut down for 90 days, there have been some internal issues,” he explained. “That’s going to scale back production I think close to 20 percent.”

While that makes one wonder what excuse GM initially gave Davenport, nobody is going to doubt the strike as the main factor. However, that also means some people probably won’t be eligible to receive a 2020 C8, even if they have already expressed an interest in buying one. Mike said GM will likely prioritize orders that are the most complete and recommends contacting your dealer to make sure your form doesn’t require any touch-ups. It also probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to be extra friendly with sales staff if you absolutely cannot wait until the 2021 model year — which is supposed to arrive in September.

Dealers can also earn additional allocations; Mike noted that most orders from the largest Chevy outlets should be secure. Plenty of people, however, may be forced into waiting after failing to secure a preferred place in line. If you don’t already have a Corvette order on the books, you probably missed your window for this year.

[Images: General Motors]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

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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  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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