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2021 Corvette Production To Begin On December 8th

Production of the 2021 Corvette will begin on December 8th, sources familiar with the situation have revealed to GM Authority.

The GM Bowling Green Assembly plant was previously set to begin production of the 2021 Corvette in mid-November, however the start date was pushed back as General Motors worked to fulfill the remaining 2020 Corvette and Corvette Convertible orders that it still had on the books. The automaker also experienced a minor setback in production in October after it was forced to temporarily shutter the Bowling Green Assembly plant due to supplier constraints.

Under normal circumstances, GM would have shifted production from the 2020 model year vehicle to the 2021 much earlier than December, but the company experienced consistent setbacks with 2020 Corvette production. The sports car was originally set to enter production in late 2019, however the lengthy UAW strike forced GM to push the start date back to February of this year. The automaker built less than 3,000 examples of the car before it was then forced to once again shut down Bowling Green Assembly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plant came back online with the rest of GM’s facilities in late May and has been working hard to catch up on the significant backlog of 2020 Corvette orders ever since. GM added a second shift at Bowling Green Assembly on Monday, August 31st, helping it to ramp-up production as the backlog continued. According to official GM production numbers, roughly 1,975 2020 Corvette and Corvette Convertible units were built each month from July through to September. It’s unclear how many more vehicles have been built monthly after GM added the second shift.

This backlog means not all customers who placed an order for a 2020 Corvette will receive their vehicle. It is understood that customers affected by the various production setbacks at Bowling Green Assembly will be offered a 2021 built slot instead.

GM applied some minor changes to the C8 Corvette for 2021, including the addition of two new exterior colors to its palette, Red Mist Tintcoat and Silver Flare Metallic. The sports car also receives new exterior racing stripe options, a new Strike Yellow/Sky Cool Gray color combo and will now come standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

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Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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Comments

  1. I really enjoy all the programs on line. Most are very informative and use correct English. However, at least 90% of the hosts dress like slobs – why? If you are going to be in public, dress appropriately.

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  2. I’m really glad to hear that GM has caught up with production and hopefully there won’t be any production issues for the 2021 models and they can stay on track. With 2 shifts hopefully they will get ahead of schedule. I’m looking forward to getting the one I ordered. And thank you to all the hard working men and women making it happen.

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  3. Good to see the Bowling Green Plant running again and also glad to see the 2021’s being set up to begin production in December too. But here is my concern, and being a retired GM employee with almost 40 years of service (working on the F Cars, Camaro & Firebird at the Van Nuys/Los Angeles Plant) I have seen the same concern crop up on GM vehicles in the last 30 plus years (and longer!) and especially with the Corvette, of which I’m a proud “Vette” owner myself over the years, and that concerns making the same exact product, year after year without the obligatory physical changes that would denote the new model year product from the previous year model…let me explain.
    In years past, (and I’ll use the Corvette as a reference) going back to the 1950’s, GM (and other makes) would make “model changes” that allowed the new model coming up for sales to be different enough, physically, to denote your newer model Corvette purchase.
    For instance Chevy was able to make each year visibly a little bit different, even if it was just a grill change, hood scoop change, interior changes with seating and door panels, instrument panel changes, and especially “wheel changes” ect that made each year a standout to those who “knew the product”, and most Corvette aficionado’s were keenly aware of the differences between say a 1958 and a 1959 Corvette, or a 1961 and a 1962…how about a 1964 or a 1965 ect. ect.
    Then GM found out that they could make less changes lowering the cost per model and that folks would still buy the product…but not in the numbers they were hoping for…but they were still “making money”!
    Same went for our Camaros and Firebirds that we built back in the day, a 1967 Camaro had it’s differences from a 1968 Camaro and especially when the 1969’s came out…all of them were successes because there were enough differences that a new perspective buyer could see the differences, and of course that led to increased sales.
    So, moving back to Corvettes and ahead to the C5 era, GM found that they could make smaller (but in some cases) changes that improved the product but kept the same exact physical look to the product, which confused some new Corvette buyers…try to tell a 1998 Corvette from a 2000 Corvette, same went for the C6 and especially the C7’s.
    My contention was there were not enough physical changes in these models to be able to tell one year from another, except in some cases where there was a wheel design change…or an Anniversary Model but that was it! I’m not talking a major change every year of course that’s unnecessary, but in many instances you can’t tell a 2014 C7 from a 2017 C7, say if they were both a neutral color like white or black. This keeping the same exact physical looks might have worked for the VW Beetle over the years of its popularity, but for many of the various model year Corvette (and Camaros & Firebirds) there were not enough changes physically to draw new folks into the GM showrooms, they all looked alike every year!
    Many of the folks I’ve talked to over the years who enjoy their Corvette’s have agreed that it would be nice to have some small but incremental physical changes denoting the various year models of Corvettes with each new model year just different enough to make it “special to that model year”.
    Case in point again…how will you be able to tell a 2020 Corvette from a 2021 Corvette, if it isn’t painted one of the two new colors that are supposed to be available? At least, change the stock (in my opinion) ugly stock wheels design each year, or maybe the front grill (left & right) design, same with the rear end…change it just enough so that when you walk past each model year, you can identify each model year by some subtle changes, could even be as subtle as the badging or spoiler design, how about changing those rectangle exhaust tips to round tips…something, anything that’ll tell you that you’re driving the very latest model Corvette!
    This may seem trivial to some folks…personally speaking I’ve enjoyed over my many years of Corvette ownership being able to tell the various yearly model changes, and so did many others who’ve enjoyed their Corvettes. When I go to our local Cars & Coffee events (about all were allowed to do now days with that crazy COVID still running amuck!) and we Corvette folks try to park reasonably close together, I get a chuckle out of some folks who pass by checking all of these various model Corvettes parked together and not being able to tell one year from the other!
    Funny but many who pass by know a 1966 ‘Vette from a 1967 ‘Vette, or a 1964 from a 1963…the differences were then designed into these products that made each and every year of Corvette production “special & unique”.
    Sadly the Corvette design team seems limited by factors that are out of their control, because I’m sure any Corvette engineer would love to be challenged to make small incremental physical changes that would make each and every year Corvette just different enough where even a “kid” could point to any year Corvette and name the model year.
    I’m afraid those days are gone….been gone for many years too. Oh well, just an opinion of an “older in years but younger in heart” Corvette enthusiast. I know there’ll be differences of opinions here, but thats healthy too. What’s your opinion?

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  4. Nonsense. Do the math. There simply aren’t enough working days between now and Dec 7 to build all the remaining 2020s GM has PROMISED to build.

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  5. Sam, can you shed any light on the production of the right hand drive Corvettes? It looks certain that no 2020 model RHD cars were built, apart from test cars, so can you tell me when 2021 model RHD production is slated to start?

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  6. GM, thank you. It is quite an honor that you chose my birthday to begin 2021 production of the C8. I shall never forget it. This is also the day that John Lennon was shot to death by that Chapman fellow. Maybe another day might be better? I just don’t know. AF

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