GM Pushing Back Some TPWs on the Corvette Convertible As Production is Expected to Begin August 3rd

By
Keith Cornett
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6
13944

GM Pushing Back Some TPWs on the Corvette Stingray Convertible As Production is Expected to Begin August 3rd


We know many of you have 8/3 circled on the calendar. That’s when the next phase of 2020 Corvette production will start as the first customer-ordered 2020 Convertibes are added to the production schedule at the Corvette Assembly Plant.

We have recently heard from several 2020 Corvette buyers that their Target Production Week (TPW) for their Convertible orders have been pushed back by a couple weeks, but we don’t currently believe that there is anything to be concerned about the shift in Convertible TPWs at this time.

Sources tell us that the production schedule of the Convertibles is being fine-tuned in advance of August 3rd which is still the planned start of 2020 Convertible production. The Assembly Plant will be doing a “ramp up” with the Convertibles much like they did with the Coupes, and we believe that starting with smaller quantities will offer the opportunity to better review the assembly process and quality of the builds from the start.

While the droptop shares a majority of its parts and panels with the Coupe, the hardtop convertible with its six hydraulic motors and unique rear deck is a major departure from the days of having the folding canvas tops found on previous generations.

There will be a quality control hold on Convertibles once they are assembled as well, but we are not expecting any kind of extended holds at this time.

The truth of the matter is that the Assembly Plant TPWs are in flux as we discussed last week. We’ve heard from owners and dealership reps that the Coupes are running ahead of schedule. And with some of the Convertibles being pushed back a few weeks, that means additional Coupe orders will be moved forward to fill those spots.

The other factor with production is the expected addition of the second shift. While rumored to be starting up this week, we have yet to see it happen. But we do think that the start of the 2nd shift will happen sooner rather than later.

I’m speculating here, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Corvette Team brings on the additional shift to coincide with Convertible production. Doing so would give the production team the opportunity to operate the assembly line at a slower pace than the 1st shift to ensure that convertible assembly for customers is done correctly and that the additional workers are all trained before ramping up the line speed.

With that said, I do offer my standard 2020 disclaimer on production timelines which are subject to change at any time.

Related:
[VIDEO] Corvette Assembly Plant Running Ahead of Target Production Schedule
GM Issues an Order and Production Update For 2020 and 2021 Corvettes
2020 Corvettes are Now Shipping from the Corvette Assembly Plant (Again!)

 



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6 COMMENTS

  1. I’d like to thank Generous Motors (sarcasm) for dropping back HTC production behind some coupes even though the HTCs were ordered before those coupes! And nothing official from GM as to why this Is necessary. Who is in charge? How about an explanation.

  2. Of all the issues GM has faced trying to get this car to market, making changes in C8 production without informing customers has to be the most egregious.

  3. I had a previous TPW of 04.13 on 01.21 for my hard top convertible, expected a mid August build and now wonder what will arrive first, my HTC, or, the Minnesota snow!

  4. Does the phrase “six hydraulic motors” accurately describe the C8 convertible’s hardtop mechanism? I thought I remember hearing that the previous generation’s use of hydraulics had been abandoned for the new C8 HTC.

  5. I put my order in for the HTC in December. The dealer called me in March and told me I could not do the museum delivery at that time. I decided to wait for next allocation. Then I am told I will have to wait for a 2021. I was at the museum for the first 2020 delivery and I really want that experience for my first corvette if I ever get one!!!

  6. Mike F. — Alex Ford here. What I’ve seen with regard to your point (an excellent one) is that communication at local dealers (reasonably near to your residence) has been extremely poor. Unlike some dealers who have Corvette Specialists, many dealers have salesmen assigned to sell Corvettes. My experience at a Southern Chevrolet dealer was jus like this when I put a 5K deposit down for a convertible Corvette after viewing the Jay Leno Garage C8 vert to the public. Almost anything a customer does will result in a new code being applied, which most often is a later completion date or worse, the car is re-coded not to be built at all. Coupes continue to be given priority when put up against convertibles. To the rest, yes it always was six motors and 103 added pounds of car body weight. Perhaps Corvette would improve if it were “spun-off,” to its own corporation and stock sold to the public to support it as its own brand. It clearly is not only the halo car for chevrolet, it is for all of GM. Some in the know claim that Mustang was considered at one point to be spun off into its own motor division by Ford. That would have been more of a stretch. AF

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