Later today, General Motors is expected to confirm production of the mid-engine C8 Corvette for the Bowling Green assembly plant.
Local news station WKBO first reported GM had a “major announcement” scheduled for Thursday. The local report said CEO Mary Barra, Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing Gerald Johnson, and UAW Vice President Terry Dittes will be on-hand for some sort of production announcement. The plant could add staff to the facility as the automaker prepares to put the mid-engine sports car into mass production. It’s also rumored Bowling Green could assemble the C8 Corvette’s base engine.
The base engine is expected to be some sort of upgraded 6.2-liter LT1 V8 engine, which the Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant current builds for the C7 Corvette Stingray.
Recall, GM closed the shut the plant down for several months in 2017 to complete the installation of a new assembly line. The original line dated back to 1997. With the new line, it’s been rumored the plant will have the flexibility to build different Corvettes. The plant also finished construction of a massive new paint shop. To ensure secrecy, the Corvette plant also ceased public tours during the retooling.
The new line also gives workers more time to ensure quality during the assembly process with the capability to build six fewer cars per hour. The slower timings are on purpose to bolster build quality, we reported in July 2017.
The plant reopened in November 2017 after going idle through the summer.
GM and Chevrolet publicly showed the mid-engine C8 Corvette for the first time earlier this month. The automaker also announced it would debut the car on July 18, though further details on where the debut will take place aren’t known yet. Stay tuned as we bring you the latest from the announcement later today.
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Source: WKBO
Comments
I believe Bowling Green Is in Kentucky not Tennessee as stated in the first paragraph. Or maybe the announcement will take place in Tennessee?
Bowling Green is in KY, not TN…
Come on July already HAHA
I think they are referencing the engine plant in Spring Hill will provide an engine for the Vette which is built in Bowling Green.
I agree that it could have worded a little better.
Agree. The current LT 1 for the Corvette Stingray is built in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The LT 4 engine for the Z06 is built in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Have no firm information regarding where or when any form of DOHC engines will be built.
From what I’ve read at the Corvette forum, speculation is that the official unveiling could be taking place at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit. That event is July 18, 2019 and while none of the 2019 inductees are related specifically to Corvette, two did have GM ties in some form. Perhaps coincidentally Louis Chevrolet is listed on the site as one of this year’s alumni being celebrated.
The latest is it will shown somewhere in ORANGE COUNTY in California.