General Motors Special Vehicles will import a total of 200 examples of the 2021 Corvette into Australia next year.
According to Whichcar.com.au, the 2021 Corvette will be available in “strictly limited,” numbers in Australia, with GMSV planning to bring over less than 200 units annually. The right-hand-drive version of the 2021 Corvette will be built alongside the left-hand-drive model at the GM Bowling Green Assembly plant in Kentucky.
As we reported earlier this week, the 2021 Corvette will be priced from $149,990 AUD when it arrives in Australia next year. The vehicle was previously going to be priced from around $130,000 AUD when it was going to be sold under the now-defunct Holden banner, but strong local demand for the new mid-engine sports car convinced GMSV to bump the price to just under $150,000.
Whichcar also reports that the future high-performance variants of the mid-engine Corvette will eventually arrive in Australia under the GMSV banner as well. These models, which may include the track-focused Z06, hybridized E-Ray and/or hyper-performance ZR1, will be priced from over $200,000 AUD. This is just a rumor for now, however, as GM itself has not confirmed any future Corvette variants for Australia at this time.
In addition to Australia, the Corvette will also be sold in other RHD markets like the United Kingdom and Japan. Left-hand-drive examples will be sold in global markets like the Middle East and Europe, among others.
GMSV, which was established after GM pulled the plug on the Holden brand earlier this year, will sell the 2021 Corvette through its burgeoning network of dealers, which will eventually consist of more than 50 retail storefronts. Other vehicles in the GMSV portfolio will include the Chevy Silverado 1500, Chevy Silverado 2500HD and perhaps the Chevy Camaro.
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Comments
I hope once there is excess production at the Bowling green Kentucky plant GM incises the number of exported Corvettes. The more Corvettes sold the more GM will invest is the next gen Corvette.
That’s really smart now we’re gonna gouge the Aussies just because we can, people there like vettes, they even have a corvette club in Sydney which I got in touch with while there
Having a RH drive corvette will be great since some states there will not allow LH however if you price it so high you might just price it out of the market, the rich will buy their Ferraris Mclarens and Astons not sweat but the regular enthusiast will be left out
“GOUGE” ?!?!?
No one in Australia, or anywhere else for that matter, is being FORCED to buy a Corvette!!! That’s what gouging is. Inflated pricing on a necessity. No one NEEDS a Corvette.
What book of rules says GM owes well-to-do Australian enthusiasts a cheap Corvette?
If the price offends you, then don’t buy one.
Likewise, when GM’s new foray into Australia and other RHD markets suffers an embarrassing failure, don’t blame those markets/ consumers, blame GM for killing demand with their price GOUGING! People aren’t stupid, they have this thing called the interweb Mr Gore invented, they know what a Corvette costs in the US and they aren’t going to be willing to pay an outlandish premium compared to US customers!
Where is mine?
Oh look demand for this vehicle is really high, it’s going to be popular and will help launch this new dealership brand in a country that hates GM!
GM: Oh damn, you’re right, let’s hike the price, kill demand and up the hate ASAP!
Real geniuses there!
Lol all that fuss about 200 cars!? Even Ferrari sells more than that number.
It’s very disappointing GM is sending 200 Corvette C8 to Australia, it can’t even meet its production goal in the US. Geez. Placed my 2021 Corvette C8 who knows when I get it. Another year?Im beyond that patience already
Qty available taken directly from the Ferrari handbook, always supply less than the market wants.
What is SV. It’s good to spell out abbreviations at least once…Thx
SV = “Special Vehicles”
However, in this case, perhaps “Seriously Vain” 🙂
Special vehicles
Simply great to see the Chevrolet brand back in Australia, even if its limited to a limited just a small two passenger car.
Let’s hope that the Chevrolet Corvette will increase public awareness of the Chevrolet brand generally down under. Many don’t understand but until 1970 the Chevrolet brand in Australia was a symbol of quality and luxury motoring.
As I have said before GM’s worldwide future is and should be centred around just three brands, Those brand of course are Cadillac (premium market), Chevrolet (mass market) and GMC (people movers, SUV’s and other truck based vehicles).
Rubbish decision by GM to screw that lump of $ from a country that has supported them for many, many years and those loyal buyers are now going to be financially prevented from enjoying the access to US GM product. By the way what BS is the “50+ retail store” – did someone forget they shut down the “50+ Holden dealers”. Maybe a closer number would be 10+ !
PS Let’s not forget a basic V8 Camaro SS ended costing me $90k+ delivered and the “too hard” stuff (like moving heads-up to the right side) was – “bad luck, we are building to a price”! Can you trust them after this stupidly high price gouge not to outrageously price service & parts as well ?
Love it. Can’t wait for this genius venture to go down flames. I give it 2 years.
It would be crazy for GM not to be greedy carnts for a change and bring the car in at around 120-130k. No! They say… If the travelling gypsies known as “compliance workshops ” can sell half baked conversion and charge Australian consumers $50k for the privilege – so can we!
Kinda defeats the purpose of a *factory* conversion, no?
Don’t worry. Accountant said it was solid. 1000 units total a year for RHD market, massive profit on each one- will keep GM going for years I reckon…
If I need to spend $150k on a C8, I’d rather spend $450k on a Ferrari.
.The corvette is under priced here in the states thank the lord,there isn’t another car you can compare it with. If GM wants to make more money on it overseas so what everyone who buys it whatever the price will be happy. If “Andrew” wants to spend $450k on a Ferrari and hire Ferrari machanics to tune it ok I will have a couple of friends come over and tune my C7 ZO6 then drink a few beers.
I have owned a C6Z here in Australia for 10 years and would love a C8, but my point is $150k is too much for the same car that is half the price in the US. Freight from US to Australia is under $5k. So why are the loyal Vette owners here in Australia going to get screwed?
Andrew, you need to calm down a bit. Right now, December 28, the AU$ is worth about US$0.75. In other words, a US$75,000 car is worth AU$100,000. The base model Corvette is US$60K, about AU$80K, but who would buy a base model Vette? I would want the level 2 seats, the front end lift and the electric dampers, etc. So, my base C8 would retail at about US$65-75K, close to AU$100K. The cost of manufacturing the small number of RHD cars would have to add a few thousand to each car, then add the cost of trucking the car to a Californian port, shipping the car safely 12,000 km, the Australian Luxury Car Tax, 10% Goods & Services Tax, and you have a price around AU$130-140K. The GMSV dealers would need to make a living by selling and servicing these cars, plus the Silverados and other GM vehicles, so a MRSP of around $150K doesn’t sound outrageous. Of course I would like the sale price to be near AU$100K, but it is what it is. I doubt if I could muster $150K plus for a C8, but if the price was $20-30K lower, things might, no WOULD, be different. Regards from Down Under. aussiejohn
Aussie, you make fair comment, but why do we need to pay LCT? That was a government tax they dreamt up to protect the local car industry which now no longer exists?
It would be cheaper for me to buy a LHD C8 from the states bring it over here and convert it, if that will be still possible.
Or have a RHD built for you in the States and take it home..
Don’t be silly. RHD won’t be an option you an order from a US dealer.
Andrew, I fully agree with you about the LCT. If GM had any balls, they would demand that the Government drop this now stupid tax, and they would get the support of every other global auto manufacturer that sells a car in Australia worth more than AU$65,000, or thereabouts. As for importing and finding a company that has the skills to convert a C8 to RHD, I say Good Luck finding one! Even if you were successful, the car would not have any GM warranty, and the cost would be a shipload more than AU$150K when you factor in the 100% import duty that applies to cars less than 15 years old. John
Sounds nice if you can afford one. Let’s get Impalas and Volts etc et
The GMSV plan to import just 200 RHD Chevrolet Corvettes to Australia, during 2021 and the asking price both seem absolutely right to me.
Consider that the market for these 2 seater sports cars will be very small and GMSV will be continuing the re-establishment of the Chevrolet brand down under which had been commenced with the former HSV importation and RHD conversion of Chevrolet Camaro’s
Brand loyalty does not come easy and certainly not overnight. In the post Second World War decades of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s brand names like Volvo, BMW and or Japanese brands were totally meaningless to Australians.
It look at least 10-15 years for BMW to establish its self as a worthy brand in Australia. In 1967 a BMW was just a funny little car that nobody wanted to own.
From 1949 until early in 1970 the now ‘former’ GMH assembled an average of 400 Pontiacs each year. Certainly some years a few more were assembled but these GMH assembled Pontiacs and Chevrolets were high end luxury cars which sold for three times more than a garden variety Holden.
GMSV should not expect immediate Australian acceptance of the Chevrolet brand and will have to wait just as BMW had to wait, for at least a decade before enjoying brand loyalty.
A big advantage for GMSV is that unlike BMW, the Chevrolet brand has a long history in Australia. GM even considered using the Chevrolet brand name on the car that became the Holden! The first Chevrolets to be imported to Australia, arrived on our shores in 1914. Through the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s Chevrolet became very much the ‘Australian’ car.
From 1949 through to 1970 owning a Chevrolet in Australia was a symbol of your financial success. It was the car that wealthy Australians owned, was known for its super quiet V8 engine and luxury smooth ride.
With this ‘Australian’ background GMSV is in many ways simply returning to what GM did in Australia prior to the introduction of the Holden brand.
I could see in 20 years from now GMSV growing within Australia and selling a range of Chevrolet passenger, truck and Cadillac passenger vehicles. The Chevrolet Corvette is a wonderful way to promote the return of Chevrolet to Australia.
On a closing note the suggestion put forward that you save money by privately import a new LHD Chevrolet Corvette to Australia then having converted to RHD is nothing short of fantasy.
I expect GMSV dealers will have no difficulty finding buyers for the 200 RHD Chevrolet Corvettes coming to Australia.
For 69 years the Holden brand played an important role in Australia, but in an internet driven very global world cottage local brands like ‘Holden’ are no longer viable. Whether its a dish washer, TV or car the branding has to be international.
Its time for Australians to support and get behind the Chevrolet brand. The future will be electric powered Chevrolets and Cadillacs. What a shame Australia never had a RHD CT6 Cadillac. Now that would have been the perfect Holden Caprice replacement.
Carl – I totally missed the point of your comments regarding why the asking price is right when we were questioning the gap from USA to Australian pricing for essentially the same vehicle. Also I think with the internet access we all have, there is a great brand awareness of Chevrolet and its products globally – especially to Chev / GM fans. As such, I am missing the point on that aspect of your comments and fail to see the argument of the massive price hike. I was miffed at the cost of my new Camaro last year, but at least there was some justification due to the RH conversion – with the Corvette coming straight out of Bowling Green as RH drive the price hike is (in my opinion) an outright gouge.
The 200 vehicle allocation across the 50 odd number of dealers in Australia averages 4 sales per year for each. Why would they bother going to the expense of training technicians, buying specialist tools and parts to sell and service just 4 Corvettes per year? Maybe they are hoping for plenty of warranty work.
Are people dumb or what? Seriously, not one, not two, the whole slew of posters? How come they don’t know the difference between Australian Dollar(AUD) and US Dollar and they think all the countries that use a currency named dollar essentially use the same currency with the US, and their currencies have exactly one to one equivalent value to US dollar?
It’s so cringe, I’m embarrassed for your ignorance. NO, GM doesn’t sell 150K US dollar Corvette in Australia to rip off Aussies. Article says selling price is 150K AUD this is shortening for Australian Dollar and it’s completely different currency than US dollar and with the current currency rates 1 AUD is equivalent to 0.77 USD so 150.000 AUD to 115.575 USD, so price of the car actually significantly lower than you think. Remember only 3LT fully loaded trim goes in sale there. You might say but it’s still much higher than US sell price of 90K, then i should you educate more; there’s a unitary taxation in Australia contrary to US that all the states charge different rates, so MSRP doesn’t include taxes ,on the other hand Aussies include all the taxes in sticker prices down there.
So the total 115K includes all charges, taxes, duties, levies or fees. Remember you also have to ship the cars to the other corner of the world and pay tariff. So under these premises 115K is pretty dam bargain price to me.
Thanks Slider. Not so sure we are dumb, let’s agree on ill-informed 🙂
Mostly we know the USD to AUD exchange rate – many of us work through that daily in our jobs.
However, not too sure that anyone I have spoken to was aware the only version which was coming to our country was the 3LT !
As you have clearly pointed out – this is a much more favourable deal.
Many thanks for the clarity – I’ll start put some $ away again for this dream car.
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