Almost a year after its regional debut at the 2019 Dubai International Motor Show, the new Chevrolet Corvette C8 officially arrives in the Middle East. After overcoming a series of delays in the initial production schedule caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, General Motors has everything ready to begin the introduction of the iconic sports car in the countries that make up the Southwest Asian subregion.
Despite arriving in the last quarter of the year, the eight-generation Chevrolet Corvette will go on sale in the Middle East as a 2020 model-year vehicle, as the global health crisis has also caused delays in the mid-engine sports car’s production at the GM Bowling Green assembly plant. In fact, the start of production for the 2021 Corvette has just been pushed back to early December.
“The mid-engine design not only unlocks enhanced levels of performance, but also demanded a complete redesign of the entire vehicle,” said Head of Brand for Chevrolet Middle East, Farah Amhaz, in a statement. “The powerful all-new LT2 V8 engine takes center stage as an integral part of the design, a tribute to the fastest and most powerful Corvette Stingray ever created. We are sure our regional customers will love the 2020 Corvette Stingray and we can’t wait to get them behind the wheel,” she added.
Specifically, the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette will arrive in Middle East markets in Coupe configuration with three available trim levels: 1LT, 2LT and 3LT. The Convertible variant is expected to be added in the region at a later date. Meanwhile, the Corvette C8’s lean, muscular body is available in four colors, along with Full-Length Dual Racing Stripe and Carbon Flash Racing Stripe packages.
All trim levels are equipped with the naturally aspirated, 6.2L LT2 V8 engine found in North American-spec models, which is good for 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque with the optional performance exhaust system. The powertrain is completed by the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission available in all markets where the new Corvette is sold.
The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette will be available starting in October in Middle East showrooms, while equipment and pricing for each country will be indicated on the Chevrolet Arabia website. The all-new Corvette seeks to win over Middle East consumers with its mid-engine configuration, exotic aerodynamic bodywork and exquisite top-notch interior design.
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Comments
So I guess if I want a 2020 corvette I should of ordered it from overseas since they are receiving them already. You would think that GM would process all the USA orders before shipping overseas and making USA customers push their orders to 2021’s.
I totally agree. I have been waiting since 01/06/2020 for my order to be built. Now I find out it could be May of 2021 before my order is built. This car should stay in the USA.
GM can charge more making it more profitable to ship to the big sandboxes.
There’s huge money in the middle east. The only down side might be if there are a lot of warranty issues there. The comments in this section make so much sense to me. Excellent observations.
Look everybody! Some other country is getting 2020 Corvettes and we’re not! How nice of GM to follow through with the commitment of inclusion.
Zero-to-Sixty in under 3.00 seconds; this makes the 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette essentially one of the fastest accelerating cars in the world and the only cars capable of accelerating to 60 mph faster than the C8 Corvette most likely will cost 3X as much and add the allure of Corvette name is enough to attract record sales just like in the United States.
I’m disappointed that GM is giving the proverbial ‘finger’ to it’s USA customers. To announce that the Middle East will be getting 2020 models is an insult to every one of us who have been waiting months/year for our cars. I realize that money and market share is king, I would have thought that GM would have shown more loyalty to its customers over here.
We are getting less than 25 units fully loaded with 15k price hikes and one dealer in each country.
And I would be very happy for you if they were all 2021 models.
I ordered mine on 10-26-19 and I’m being told by my dealer maybe in the spring I can get mine built. GM should take care of the older orders in the USA before shipping them overseas. They owe us that. I understand at some point they can open it up to overseas orders but they need to get in line behind those who already have an order placed in the USA. And that should go for all country’s.
And, Lee, I see where the Australian C8’s where the deposits were put down on the cars with the promise of a delivery date, just released from GM, the following: Deposits are being returned to the Australian customers. Those do involve the steering wheel on the other side of the car, of course. AF
It wouldn’t matter to me if it’s a right side drive vette I drive a mail truck every day and it a right side drive.