Chevy Corvette production shuts down for a third time – Roadshow

Boy, the latest-generation Chevrolet Corvette has not had an easy go when it comes to production. The car came into the world just as a UAW strike unfolded and delayed an initial production start. Production shut down this spring when the sports car became a victim of coronavirus pandemic shutdowns and the lines went idle again just over one month ago. Now for the third time the folks that proudly assemble America’s sports car will be off for an extended period as a parts supplier issue brings production to a halt.

General Motors confirmed to Roadshow that Corvette production shut down in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in observance of Veterans Day, but workers will not return until next week, likely next Monday. A GM spokesperson said a supplier issue caused what should be a brief shutdown, but didn’t say what parts are affected. The Detroit News first reported the shutdown on Thursday.

“Our supply chain, manufacturing and engineering teams are working closely with our supply base to mitigate any further impact on production,” GM’s statement read.

The October shutdown also related to a supplier issue and took Corvette production offline for a week, and since the Corvette started production, we’ve seen Chevy rearrange options in response to demand and availability. In some cases, demand has simply outstripped supply amid the coronavirus’ effects on various suppliers. The 2020 Corvette model year will certainly be one for the history books and it will be incredibly interesting to see how many GM manages to build amid all of the ruckus.

As for the 2021 Corvette, prices hold steady and we’ll hopefully see some new additions as suppliers and GM iron out the kinks. The automaker expects the model year changeover to occur by the end of the year.

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