General Motors announced today that the Bowling Green Assembly Plant will be adding 400 new hourly jobs and a second shift to support the production of the C8 mid-engine Corvette. GM’s CEO Mary Barra made her first visit to the Bowling Green Assembly Plant on Thursday afternoon to personally deliver the news to workers at the plant and local media.
The addition of second shift boosts the plant’s total workforce to around 1,300 hourly workers.
“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,” GM CEO Mary Barra said in prepared remarks. “This is the workforce that can deliver a next generation Corvette worthy of both its historic past and an equally exciting future.”
Joining Barra in making the announcement was Gerald Johnson, GM’s executive vice president of global manufacturing, and UAW Vice President Terry Dittes.
“Members from UAW Local 2164 are proud to build the iconic Chevrolet Corvette,” said Dittes. “We hope to see more of this in the future from GM, which is good for our members, their families, the community, and all of America.”
GM has invested over $900 million into the Corvette Assembly Plant since 2011. Those investments include the addition of the Performance Build Center where the Corvette’s high-performance engines are assembled by hand, as well as a state-of-the-art paint shop, and reconfiguring the entire assembly line.
Bowling Green @GM assembly plant adding 400+ jobs preparing for next-generation #Corvette…
— Governor Matt Bevin (@GovMattBevin) April 25, 2019
What a great day for Kentucky! I often speak about how we are the engineering and manufacturing hub of America.
Today, we’re wearing that title more boldly than ever before…#WeAreKY pic.twitter.com/ZYBXiUzFWd
GM says in its press release today that the plant has assembled more than one million Corvettes since Corvette production moved from St. Louis to Bowling Green in 1981. The plant has the largest solar array of any automaker in Kentucky, and its annual economic impact includes more than $76 million in state wages and $15 million in income tax.
The next-generation Corvette is expected to be a 2020 model. It will officially be revealed on July 18th and more news is expected this weekend at the NCM’s Annual Bash event
Source:
Chevrolet.com
Related:
GM To Make a Major Announcement Regarding the Bowling Green Assembly Plant on Thursday
NCM Offering Exclusive Tours of the Corvette Assembly Plant During the NCM Bash
[VIDEO] Corvette Assembly Plant Makes Donations to Local Service Groups
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Has there been anything reliable from GM as to continuing C7 after C8 hits or are we done with front engined Corvettes in the 2020 model year?
What on earth are they thinking? I have loved Corvettes since the beginning and have owned several including my current Grand Sport, but this is ridiculous. How many people do they think are going to spend $65000+ for a 2 seater specialty car? This seems especially weird from a company that is betting the farm on electric and self driving cars.
Front engine configured Corvettes are done, Howard. Old news.
Second, are you trying to be sarcastic, luckyt? C8 pricing is expected to be on line with the C7. If you own Corvettes, you should already be tracking this.
@luckyt I’m not entirely sure what your objection is. People are already spending $65,000 plus for 2-seat front-engine Corvettes. The mid-engine corvette will have 2 seats just like current Corvettes. It’s likely the frunk won’t be as roomy as the current Corvette’s hatch, but it’s rumored to be quite large for a mid-engine car. What, specifically then is the issue, an increase in price? No one knows the price yet. It may not go up any more than a normal generation price bump. We’ll have to see.
The current front engine design is limiting the Corvettes’ performance in particularly notable statistics like 0 to 60 times. There are two reasons that most sports cars competing with Corvettes have significantly quicker 0 to 60 times — they’re all mid- or rear-engine designs. Track times are another case, though I think the advantages there are probably less clear. The DCT will also address some of these issues.
Besides, this is not a new idea. There have been numerous mid-engine Corvette prototypes over the years and it’s an established fact that Zora wanted to create a rear-engine Corvette
BIG thumb up !
Mary Barra’s FIRST visit to Bowling Green?? Shows her lack of interest.
@nelno my point is that with a rumored base price of 65000 many current owners will not be able to afford it. Many will. My car was way over that price, but does the number of potential buyers in that price range justify expanding the factory. adding 400 additional workers and an extra shift? I would love to see the C8 be successful, but I worry what would happen if it is not. GM is showing no reluctance to kill off models and close factories. There will be a rush to get the new model when first released, but what will buyers actually need to pay to get one? What will the price be for models above the base car? Nobody knows, right? But expanding the factory and work force seems risky for the future of the Corvette to me.
I predict 400 layoffs in 3 years.
@luckyt , you seem to be missing all our points. First, be glad that GM is adding jobs to the plant. Second, perhaps the personnel expansion is needed due to the anticipated demand, due quite possibly to a price under what many of us are expecting for this supercar.
Do not burden yourself regarding Corvette success. Those who want one find a way to get one. Then again, my first car was a 77 Corvette project. The 77 will likely go down in history as the model that nearly killed the Corvette, but I enjoyed fixing and modifying it before being struck by a drunk driver…
The C8 will not have that problem, so relax, enjoy the moment and embrace history!!
With due respect, If you wish to be a part of the “snatch defeat from the jaws of victory” mentality crowd, the IndyCar article reply forums at racer.com are calling!
Nelno, I’m not sure how much faster you think the C8, particularly the performance models will go than the current C7 time of 2.85 sec. 0-60 mph, 215 mph top speed (ECU limited) with a perfect 50/50 front to rear weight balance. These are the stats on my current C7 ZR1 and 2.95 sec. 0-60 mph for my C7 Z06. The C7 is a front (mid-engine) performance car with the engine CG behind the front axles. That’s Bugatti Veyron territory. GM is simply changing the Corvette’s market base to the younger buyers who are enamoured with the European performance market. The introduction prices will be low, availability and options limited during initial marketing campaign hype. When the performance options and vehicles become available watch the prices skyrocket. Guys like me won’t be buying Corvettes much longer as we go the way of chrome wheels and manual transmissions. Corvettes have always been a value/ performance leader not Porsches, Ferraris and McLarens. They never will be; mid-engined or not. The C8 should’ve been introduced as a Cadillac and perhaps later as a Chevrolet model. That said, I hope for the unqualified success for the upcoming C8 Corvette models.
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