GM Manages to Produce More 2021 Corvettes in Spite of Supply Constraints
GM Manages to Produce More 2021 Corvettes in Spite of Supply Constraints
GM manages to build 28.7 percent more 2021 Corvettes than 2020 models while facing serious parts shortages.
It’s no secret that automotive production has been severely hampered by supply constraints of all sorts – especially the semiconductor chip shortage – for the bulk of 2021. In spite of this and the long-lasting impact of the pandemic, however, General Motors managed to produce quite a few more 2021 Corvettes than 2020 models, according to Corvette Blogger.
Speaking at the National Corvette Museum‘s 27th Anniversary Celebration recently, Corvette Product Manager Harlan Charles revealed that the automaker produced 26,216 2021 Corvettes in total, which is 28.7 percent more than it was able to churn out in 2020. 2021 Corvette production ended at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant back on September 6.
Recently, the plant has been building around 175 Corvettes per day, on average, which bodes well for the forthcoming 2022 model year. 2022 Corvette production was expected to begin this week following the Labor Day holiday weekend, a short turnaround for employees, but one that eager order holders will undoubtedly appreciate.
Following a number of temporary closures in 2020, the Bowling Green plant experienced six weeks of downtime in 2021, though it was all attributed to parts shortages – not COVID-19 cases. The plant just wrapped up 13 straight weeks of non-stop production and is one of just a small handful of GM facilities that won’t be shut down due to the chip shortage in the coming week.
All of this is good news for those who are still looking to purchase a C8 Corvette, of course. But it’s also great news for GM, which is working hard to fulfill tremendous demand for the latest version of its iconic sports car. With new features on the way for the 2022 model year, as well as the highly anticipated debut of the 2023 Z06, the automaker must keep production on track to continue riding this wave of momentum.
After all, the Z06 won’t be the only C8 Corvette variant introduced in the coming years. It’ll be joined by the first-ever hybrid Corvette – the E-Ray – as well as the wicked powerful ZR1. Nobody wants to see any of these exciting new vehicles face delays because of supply constraints, so we’ll hope that this recent positive trend continues.
Photos: Chevrolet
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