Chevy Halts Corvette Production Again, COVID-19 Restrictions
COVID-19 restrictions in Mexico force GM to pause production of the C8 Chevrolet Corvette; will resume Nov. 16th.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has certainly delivered its fair share of challenges to the automotive industry. That includes occasional disruptions to production of certain vehicles, and their respective components. That latter item has once again grinded production of the Chevrolet Corvette to a screeching halt, with a parts shortage being blamed on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
While it’s unfortunate to see the Corvette being impacted by the ongoing pandemic, it’s even more discouraging to see that this is the second time the factory has been forced to remain idle, with Bowling Green being idled last month due to a parts shortage. This time around, the plant is being impacted by new Coronavirus restrictions in Mexico which affected the broader supply chain for some of the Vette’s parts.
It’s unknown what parts are being affected by these latest restrictions, but it appears to be a much shorter pause, with GM confirming that it will resume Corvette production on November 16th. “Due to a temporary parts supply issue, we can confirm that Bowling Green Assembly will not run production on Thursday, Nov. 12 or Friday, Nov. 13,” revealed GM spokesman David Barnas when pressed on the subject by the Detroit News. “We expect to resume normal operations on Monday, Nov. 16. Our supply chain, manufacturing and engineering teams are working closely with our supply base to mitigate any further impact on production.”
Barnas did reveal that this latest part issue appears to be isolated to the Bowling Green facility only, and confirmed that none of the company’s other facilities are being impacted by the situation in Mexico.
Corvette Sales Are Still Rolling Strong
Despite the ripples that are impacting production, the 2020 C8 Corvette is still generating strong sales for Chevrolet since it finally began rolling onto showrooms back in March. The sleek two seat mid-engined sports car has a base price of just under $60,000, and some of the dealers that we spoke to in Metro Detroit are reporting strong demand for the newest iteration of Corvette.
These strong figures have also helped the Corvette enter the sales lead in its segment for 2020, and we suspect that upcoming variants will undoubtedly help enhance that number even further. With COVID-19 still having the U.S. firmly in its grasp, it will be interesting to see if we see any more potential plant stoppages at Bowling Green and in other facilities. In the meantime, look for the C8 Corvette to continue to be a welcome retreat away from the challenges of the world, especially if you take it down your favorite driving road.
Photos: Chevrolet