As GM Authority reported last week, production of the 2023 Corvette was temporarily halted at the GM Bowling Green plant in Kentucky. Now, production of the C8 Corvette has been resumed.
Following a brief, unspecified parts shortage, assembly lines at the Bowling Green plant are underway as of February 27th, 2023. Notably, this parts shortage was not related to semiconductors.
“Our supply chain, manufacturing and engineering teams are working closely with our supply base to mitigate any further impact on production to meet the strong demand for our products,” GM spokesperson Dan Flores said in a statement last week.
The GM Bowling Green plant became the exclusive producer of the Chevy Corvette in 1981, and has maintained that distinction to this day. The GM Bowling Green plant is located at 600 Corvette Drive, and regularly hosts tourists interested in seeing the Chevy Corvette manufacturing process. Additionally, the plant has partnered with the adjacent National Corvette Museum to provide enthusiasts with an opportunity to watch their personal Vette get built, including a specialized tour of the facility, special delivery of the vehicle, and a commemorative photo book to celebrate the “birth” of their new sports car.
There are currently two variants of the C8 Corvette being manufactured at the GM Bowling Green plant, the 2023 Corvette C8 Stingray, and the Corvette C8 Z06. The Vette lineup is set to be expanded to include the 2024 Corvette C8 E-Ray later this year.
Under the hood, the Corvette C8 Stingray is equipped with the naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 LT2 gasoline engine, rated at 490 horsepower, while the Corvette C8 Z06 is equipped with the naturally aspirated 5.5L V8 LT6 gasoline engine, which is rated at 670 horsepower. The upcoming Corvette C8 E-Ray combines the 6.2L V8 LT2 gasoline engine with a single electric motor on the front axle to provide an AWD drivetrain and a maximum of 655 horsepower.
As for structure, all Corvette variants ride on the GM Y2 platform.
Subscribe to GM Authority for the latest mid-engine Corvette news, Corvette C8 news, Chevy news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
GM has been forcing people to buy the Z51 package most of the year due to a shortage of mechanical limited slip differentials. They should offer the electronic limited slip as a stand alone option instead of forcing people to spend an extra $7000 for options they do not want or need due to their inability to obtain enough parts
Hmm, is the second photo reversed, or is that one of the right-hand-drive Vettes?
Also the red one in the last photo as well as the white one. Maybe they are planning to send them to countries that drive on the wrong side of the road.
Nothing new, the RHD Vettes were announced some time ago for export…
I wonder just how far ahead GM plans for their parts suppliers, and how far ahead the parts suppliers plan ahead for their parts suppliers? This whole supplier parts thing is interesting in that, at any point in the parts chain, if one suppler drops the ball, or manages to have a labor strike, or a plant fire or any one of a hundred other concerns, you can see the implications that can arise. Sometimes there are implications that can stop the production lines that only Mother Nature can restore, and all we can do is to watch, especially when it comes to our favorite sports car, What puzzles me though, is that we don’t hear about other manufactures having as much downtime as the Bowling Green Plant, why do you think that is? Is it GM’s fault or is it simply a case of bad planning by the parts suppliers, or once again, Mother Nature causing these production line to stop producing Corvette’s? What ever it is, I don’t hear about Toyota or Honda ect. ect shutting down their production lines as often as the Bowling Green Plant seems to. Oh well, they are up and running again, I suppose that we should all be grateful for that, so until the next problem hits the Bowling Green Plant, keep producing America’s only true and longest production sports car.
The problem is, labor shortages , from the suppliers. Young people do not want to work, where they might have to get their hands dirty or work evening , let alone nights. They want to be influencers or actors or sportspeople . That is what we heard from the younger people, in and around our meetings. A poll revealed , 83% of kids, in this province, think the same way.
Time for Mary to get off her high horse and start doing her job!
Supply AND Demand..do you really think the shortage is hurting GM?? Just creates an even more demand just because they are hard to get and will help support the next price increa$e
I guess I got lucky. I ordered mine in August of 22 and entered 2000 status a few weeks back. I guess it’s the luck of the options and the dealer you work with. A smaller dealer came through quicker than the corvette king in MI.
I ordered a 23 Z06 . It was scheduled to be built week Of Feb 27 Z07 anniversary with all the boxes checked ! hoping the first pic is of my car. Delivery to Hickman Motors St. John’s, Newfoundland Canada. I currently have a 64 coupe, 2006 Z06, and a 2015 Z06 Z07 I had the 2006 museum delivery and brought the 2015 to the museum as well
Looking forward to getting the car
Color me green! And good on you for supporting the NCM. I’m a lifetime member and have thoroughly enjoyed every trip to Bowling Green.