GM Delays ‘Future Variant’ of the Chevrolet Corvette Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic

In a new report from The Detroit News on Monday comes the news that General Motors has directed suppliers to halt work until next year on several mid-cycle updates that were in the process for its trucks, SUVs and other vehicles which include the new mid-engine Corvette.

Here’s the key portion from the Detroit News:

GM is urging its suppliers to stop work on tooling and parts manufacturing ahead of the planned mid-cycle refresh of the light-duty Chevrolet Silverado, its top-selling vehicle, and GMC Sierra trucks, according to the note to suppliers which was confirmed by GM. The direction also affects the GMC Terrain SUV as well as Chevrolet Equinox and Traverse SUVs, Bolt electric car and Camaro sports car. A future variant of the Chevrolet Corvette that was not slotted for 2020 also will be delayed.

“All our development teams around the globe are looking for opportunities to conserve resources by adjusting program timing and deferring spending,” GM said in a statement to the newspaper.

We believe the car in question is the long-rumored hybrid version of the C8 Stingray, which would fall under being a “variant” of the current model as it’s equipped with the front-mounted electric motor that provides power to the front wheels. Rumors of such a model have persisted despite GM’s denials to the contrary as we’ve all seen the mules with the shut-off switches and other testing equipment for the last year or so. Most Corvette watchers we’ve talked with believe the Z06 model was already scheduled for the 2022 model year and so we hope that model will be unaffected in this order.

General Motors initially closed down its facilities in North America through March 30th, but now a spokesperson for the company says there is no “magic date” for when the plants will reopen. While demand has dropped dramatically for most automotive models, the new Corvette is a hot a seller that is in much demand and we hope that company officials will take that into consideration as to which plants they will restart first.

Source:
Detroit News

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2020 Corvette’s High Wing on Constraint Due to Supplier Closing for COVID-19
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