General Motors will pause production of the 2021 Corvette for seven days starting on May 24th, 2021.
A spokesperson for GM confirmed this week that it would pause production of the mid-engine sports car at Bowling Green Assembly due to a parts shortage. The parts shortage is not related to the global semiconductor shortage, GM said, which has forced the automaker to close a handful of its other plants for up to two months.
“Our supply chain, manufacturing and engineering teams are working closely with our supply base to mitigate any further impact on production, and we expect the plant to resume normal operations on Tuesday, 1 June,” the company said in a prepared statement.
Chevy stopped taking new sold orders for the 2021 Corvette on March 25th, citing overwhelming demand for the mid-engine sports car. Production of the 2022 model year Corvette is expected to begin later this summer after dealers begin accepting orders for the vehicle in July. The 2021 model year Corvette entered production at Bowling Green Assembly on December 11th, 2020.
GM has experienced a number of production setbacks with the C8 Corvette since it first entered production in early 2020. The eighth-generation Vette was originally set to enter production in December of 2019, however the start date was pushed back until February of 2020 due to the 2019 UAW labor strike. The production line was running for a brief period of time before the COVID-19 pandemic once again forced the shutdown of GM Bowling Green Assembly last spring. Subsequent parts shortages have caused other brief shutdowns throughout 2020 and 2021, compounding with high demand and causing extremely limited dealership inventories.
The C8 Corvette comes with a naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 LT2 gasoline engine, which is rated at 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque when equipped with the optional factory performance exhaust system. Output is routed to the rear wheels through eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
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Comments
This is a bummer, I have friends waiting for their Corvettes for over 6 months, I told them now, they might as well hold out for the Z06, its going to be a monster…
Could have seen this one coming,22s will be lucky to begin production by march.
I just realized how long it’s been ever since seeing an attractive woman in a car promotion. I suppose this campaign picture from another country, probably Mexico.
Picture is from U.S. Corvette brochure
Gee whiz maybe the sales of the old model year are dropping because the new model year is so enticing?
With everything that’s going on in the auto industry right now, why are we even worrying about the 21’s ? We’ll be lucky if we even get the 22’s out on time!
I order a corvette in December.Still waiting.All auto makers are to blame for this chip shortage.Also the Biden government.Every thing made today is made in Asia mainly China .We in North America should be making our own products not relying on China crap.Trump was right saying bring back ours business or we will be hostage to China.I’m a Canadian and today it’s auto parts tomorrow it’s going to be your medical drugs and so on.
I hope Bear means Dec. of 2019, not Dec. of 2020. If it’s 2020 that’s nothing at all! I ordered in Feb. 2020 and I’m waiting. There are people that ordered in Sept. and Oct. of 2019 that haven’t gotten their cars yet. These poor folks know what pain and suffering is all about! In a joking way of course.
I ordered my 2020 on October 31, 2019. On October 26, 2020, I ordered a 2021. Still waiting. 19 months and no vehicle. What a piss poor roll out of the most marketed car ever, by GM. Maybe GM should quit worrying about increasing its marketing budget, in black owned media, and worry more about producing vehicles. Not only will the vehicle owners appreciate it, but the stockholders will as well.
Depends on your dealers allocation. I ordered from one of largest dealers in US, ordered September 8 2020. Took delivery two weeks ago.
As someone who is in the automotive logistics business, this is going to be a common thing for the next year. Supply chains in EVERY business sector are being affected. The more exposed to China as a source you are the worse it gets. Things like pipe fittings for example that routinely come from China are now in short supply. Ya, not car parts but if it holds up a repair at a parts plant or machinery build. There are a LOT of unfinished vehicles sitting in storage lots waiting for parts, at some point it gets cheaper to halt production.
Dave – your comments about supply chains in America that are at the mercy of Chinese manufacture and delivery are impacting many industries. There are huge numbers of chip makers, but they don’t all match up with certain industries in what they make to be able to make up for the shortage of those chips. As for hoses and pipe fittings mentioned, the 3D machines for printing both aircraft and auto parts as well as for ships andt boats, has the potential to make parts that will compete in cost with the Chinese produced parts. We have the knowhow and the equipment in 3D printing that will change everything in parts requirements if the manufacturers will just get off their duffs and take advantage of this amazing new technology.
It is curious that Bear is blaming the Biden administration for the alleged chip shortage that began long before they were elected. They are trying to push through cash and incentives to build chips in the USA. Something that didn’t happen under the previous administration’s massive tax cut for corporations who primarily bought back their stock and enriched Wall Street.
The reasons for the chip shortage are due in large part to a shortage of foundries who make the wafers for the chips. Hundreds of billions are being spent by Intel and others, but it will take until Q1 until chips start to flow. Also, companies who canceled PO’s for parts last year are howling today because they can’t get their place in line back.
One reason for China’s dominance is that Chinese government factories owned will work on 2-3% margins.
Most people don’t realize the Trump 15-25% tariff duties ended up costing American consumers – not China. American companies paid the tax which was passed along to consumers. The balance of trade continues to grow.
It is interesting that no one is pointing fingers at CEOs of companies that shifted US jobs to China and enhanced their bonus on the backs of American workers.
Truly, the issue is quite complex, and blaming one or two issues falls short.
The bottom line is that American’s want lower prices and, to date, China provides the solution. We need to invest in our factories as China did for the last 30 years. China’s labor costs are increasing, so there is an opportunity to bring back some business or develop new industries based in America.
With Biden’s push for US-grown new technology with tax incentives to build new US factories, we should see benefits here at home. It all depends on what ends up getting through a lobby-controlled Congress. The government finally pursuing a “Buy American” policy for their needs. The electric auto industry will be energized by this policy, starting with the 500,00 new mail trucks to be made in Wisconsin.
The next 12 months will give clues to the future of the US as an industrial nation. It’s not an easy task. Let’s see what happens.
Alright, let’s pause the pause. Why are people ordering these things, because they’re first time buyers and have no clue. Stop supporting GM, go to your next choice.
The Vette plant manager stated that GM’s intent is to fill all 2021 model orders that have been placed (ref “Road Odyssey” posted on net about 4 days ago). He doesn’t define what an “order” is. I have an order, a “preliminary order” (status 1100) placed in December of ’20. I called the Corvette Concierge line and was told “ordered” in this case refers to cars which already have a dealer allocation. But I thought all 2021 allocations have not been given out yet. Does anybody know what gives? No speculative responses, please.
Up up up, correct