2019 has been the year of the Chevrolet Corvette. The hotly-anticipated sports car has dominated headlines, as General Motors’ halo car has moved the benchmark for American sports cars. Understandably, consumers are itching to get their hands on the new C8 Corvette Stingray, but it looks like they’ll be waiting a little longer, as the ongoing UAW strike is delaying the market release of the sports car.
Citing unnamed sources that are familiar with GM’s production plans, the Detroit Free Press claims that the American brand will have to delay the launch of the eighth-gen Corvette as it’s still working on getting back on schedule with the current-gen, C7 Corvette. GM is still trying to retool its plants to manufacture the new Corvette, too. Both of these things, though, can’t happen with the ongoing strike.
For the record, the C8 Corvette was supposed to hit the assembly line before the end of the year. So while GM is behind schedule, it could still get some models to the market before 2019 comes to an end. The issue, as the outlet points out, is that the Bowling Green Assembly plant in Kentucky is now in the precarious position of playing catchup. Heck, GM is still trying to fulfill orders for the current C7 Corvette.
A spokesman for GM told the outlet, “As we’ve previously stated, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray production begins in late 2019 and convertible production follows in late first-quarter 2020. It’s too early to speculate on production timing impacts on any of our vehicles due to the UAW work stoppage.”
The spokesman’s statement makes it seem like GM has control over the issue, but another unnamed source doesn’t believe that’s the case. “I know for a fact that this strike is directly going to affect the start of regular production for the mid-engine Corvette,” said an unnamed person that’s familiar with operations at the brand’s Bowling Green Assembly plant.
The UAW strike has been going on for approximately four weeks now and includes roughly 46,000 workers. The strike, which began on September 16, centers around fair wages, profit-sharing bonuses, and health-care benefits.
With GM’s announcement that it would be closing five plants in North America by the end of 2019 and cutting nearly 14,000 positions, the union is also calling for job security, as well as assurances for temporary employees. The five plants that are shutting down include the Lordstown Assembly plant in Ohio, Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant in Michigan, Oshawa Assembly plant in Ontario, Baltimore Operations plant in Maryland, and the Warren Transmission plant in Michigan.
Beyond having an effect on the production of the all-new C8 Corvette, the UAW strike has caused Chevrolet to partially idle its engine plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, claims the outlet. The Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox are manufactured at the plant. Another GM plant in Silao, Mexico was idled, as well. That plant is responsible for the production of the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra. After a week of being closed, the automaker’s CAMI plant in Ontario, which is another plant for the Equinox, recently reopened.