Corvette C8 owners are some of the most patient customers out there given the multiple production bottlenecks that have hampered the output of the mid-engined supercar. Even though the performance machine only recently entered its third model year, Chevrolet had no other way but to halt assembly several times already because of a parts shortage. Now, it's doing it once again due to a completely different problem.
Six states were greatly impacted by several tornadoes last week, causing more than 90 deaths and creating massive damages. The Bowling Green plant in Kentucky where the Corvette is made was hit on Saturday morning when a tornado caused a fire, which destroyed the building's roof as well as one of the employee entrances. Thankfully, workers managed to get out safe and sound, but the factory was greatly affected.
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To get the facility up and running once again in optimal conditions, General Motors needs a full week to repair the building after the fire wreaked havoc. Some 1,200 hourly workers are employed there, plus approximately 180 salaried workers. In the first nine months of 2021, sales of the Corvette were up by a whopping 95.8 percent compared to January – September 2020, to 24,748 cars.
That's just for the United States alone as an additional 1,887 units were delivered in Canada in this interval, plus 120 vehicles in Mexico. As a refresher, the C8 is the first Corvette ever to come from the factory in a right-hand-drive configuration, thus opening new market opportunities for Chevrolet.
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To maintain demand at a high and steady level, Chevy has made some miscellaneous tweaks to the 2022 model year while revealing the hotly anticipated 2023 Corvette Z06 as the new range topper. There's a long wait for the high-revving sports car, not just because production won't start until next summer, but also because lots of people have already signed up for one without even knowing the asking price. The latest intel indicates it's going to cost just under $90,000, but that remains to be seen.
Source: Automotive News