Lucas Bell 
Since 1953, the Chevrolet Corvette has been the quintessential American sports car. Over the course of eight generations now, the Corvette has provided buyers with handsome designs, world-rivaling performance, and V8 power for an attainable amount of money. That combination is why we’ve seen people attracted to the nameplate at home and abroad for decades. In order to better capitalize on the global appeal of the new C8 Corvette, GM will build RHD variants of the car for the first time. A report from Corvette Blogger suggests that a recent production slowdown in Bowling Green hints that RHD Corvette C8 production is already getting underway starting with the 2021 model year.
According to the report, C8 Corvette production totals at GM’s Bowling Green facility began to slow down last week. In fact, the report states that the plant built 164 units on Monday, 151 units on Tuesday and 149 units on Wednesday last week. These numbers are below the 180-200 unit per day average the plant has been cranking out for some time. While some might be quick to assume that this is related to the model year changeover, 2021 Chevrolet Corvettes have been rolling off the line since mid-December. It is more likely that the slowdown is a result of RHD Corvette models starting production.
The C8 Corvette marks the first time that a RHD Corvette has ever been built at Bowling Green, which could help to explain the change of pace. Workers are unfamiliar with installing hardware on the opposite side of the car, and thus the production line has possibly been slowed to compensate. This slower pace is likely in place to both help workers get familiar with RHD applications, but also to ensure there is no dip in build quality for RHD customers.
Japanese customers will be the first to enjoy a RHD Corvette, after the car proved immensely popular with fans following its Tokyo Auto Show debut. GM reportedly received over 300 orders from Japanese customers for the C8 Corvette, which is nearly three times the number usually sold in that country every year. Following the rollout in Japan, customers in Europe should expect to receive cars on their shores by mid-2021. Our friends in Australia will have to wait until the end of 2021 before GMSV gets their lot of RHD Corvettes.
