The Corvette Assembly Plant will be closing its doors all of next week due to a disruption in the parts supply by COVID-19. The closure of the assembly plant is expected to last until Monday, October 19th when normal plant operations are expected to resume.
The Corvette Team has done a fairly effective job at managing the parts inventories especially after its second shift went online on August 31st. Various teams at GM have been working closely with suppliers to mitigate further impacts to the supply chain. The problem is that some of the parts are so specific to the Corvette that GM can’t just go out and find a different supplier to make up the slack.
We reached out to Chevrolet and spokesman Kevin Kelly responded with the following statement:
Due to a temporary parts supply issue, we can confirm that Bowling Green Assembly will not run production the week of October 12. Our supply chain, manufacturing and engineering teams are working closely with our supply base to mitigate any further impact on production, and we expect the plant to resume normal operations on Monday, October 19.
Sources close to the Corvette Team tell us that the alternative to the temporary shut down would be to strip those affected parts from orders which is something that Chevrolet isn’t currently willing to do. Chevy was forced to do that with the popular 5VM Aero Kits and High Wing earlier this year.
Despite the shutdown, we are told that Chevrolet is committed to building out all of the existing 2020 Corvette orders that are at Status 3000.
This morning our friends at the Corvette Action Center shared the news that 2020 Corvette production was being extended into December so that Chevrolet can meet its goal of building out the 20,181 Corvettes for the 2020 model year.
According to our friends at the C8 Corvette Owners Facebook group, yesterday’s production (Oct 7th) shows that 159 Corvettes were assembled with the number of 2020 Corvettes completed for the model year now totaling 13,039.
We hope to add any additional information to this report as it becomes available.
Related:
Corvette Assembly Plant Surpasses Half-Way Point of Corvette Orders Accepted for the 2020 Model Year
[VIDEO] Pre-Production 2021 Corvettes Starting Down the Assembly Line, Update on Second Shift
The Corvette Assembly Plant Begins Second Shift Today
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Wonder what the part or parts are and who makes them?
I’m surprised the production worker in the last photo is allowed to wear a watch while working on the line. That is forbidden in the auto plants that I have worked in as a production equipment supplier.
Can’t they put good valve springs in later?
I was planning on getting and driving a 2021 since my 2020 order never made 3000 status. Now, l think that l may change my order to a 2022 Z06, which is what l really want. The wait time between the 2021 and 2022 Z06 will be a very short one.
It’s just one thing after another with the C8.
Stephen S. has an excellent point. So does Robert S. While I do like my, “pre-Covid-19 shutdown C8, this makes the third known interruption, not counting the recall slow-down issues. Instead of November, GM is now into December. The company might be better off simply retooling and jumping in ASAP to 2021. While they are add it, solve all the, “glitches,” with the new car. The way things are going, GM will be extending the build of the 2020 model, into 2021! The Z06 appears to be an exciting car, and while the price will go up, it will still be a bargain compared to its European brothers. Sorry, Acura; you just can’t quite yet be included in this comparison. AF
PS: Thos Z06 wheels look awesome to me. Not in black, but some sort of silver or chrome would be stunning.
C7 values just ticked up
My sympathy for GM and its travails with suppliers is waning fast.
Seems that there is one sob story after another.
GM and their suppliers have had 8 months to get their options/parts
right– they’ve know since February what was needed.
And now there’s a problem??
Come on GM!!! WTF!
“PS: Thos Z06 wheels look awesome to me. Not in black, but some sort of silver or chrome would be stunning”
Chrome wheels….oh, brother
Chris, chrome wheels look ridiculous on any modern Corvette. Polished or black only.
@K.G. Amen brother!!
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