Long, Cold Winter Ahead for Would-be C8 Corvette Owners

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Chevrolet Corvette aficionados who plunked down deposits to secure a new C8 will have to wait a little longer than expected to take ownership of their latest ride.

According to Motor Authority, General Motors has confirmed that the recently ended strike by UAW-affiliated General Motors workers delayed the start of C8 production in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Initially, it was expected that some buyers would receive their C8s before the end of the year, or at least sometime soon after New Year’s. Now, Chevrolet spokesman Kevin Kelly claims production will kick off in February. Vehicles should start rolling into driveways not too long after that. The automaker’s website shows availability in “early 2020,” though the soft-top variant, expected after the hardtop model, may see a similar pushback.

A few weeks’ worth of old-generation, front-engined C7 Vettes have yet to emerge from Bowling Green before the plant can temporarily shut down. With the last C7 gone, retooling deferred by the six-week strike will commence.

As you’ve read here, the C8 Corvette’s entirely new layout and skin is a polarizing presence in the auto world, but an attention-grabbing one nonetheless. It’ll be interesting to see if early demand for the model continues into later model years.

[Image: General Motors]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Flatlander Flatlander on Nov 06, 2019

    GM closes Lordstown assembly,screws over the workers by forcing them everywhere, then declares the plant officially closed. Denying them MSR. Over 320 angry UAW workers now at Bowling Green from Lordstown to build said C8. I wouldn’t buy one of those vehicles if there was 10G on the hood. Good luck with that GM, it will be a circus there.

  • ToolGuy ToolGuy on Nov 06, 2019

    Part of me really wants to know how many change orders (after engineering freeze) made it through because of this delay. [Given some of the issues we heard about earlier, I would wager that the figure is greater than zero.]

    • Lokki Lokki on Nov 07, 2019

      I think that this delay could be a really good thing for the C8, if GM took advantage of the opportunity the strike gave them. Two extra months of development time are exactly what the car needed (needs?).

  • IBx1 IBx1 on Nov 07, 2019

    Good. Pathetic automatic trash.

  • Voyager Voyager on Nov 10, 2019

    Shoddy design job. Creativity was on strike any way.

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