Lucas Bell 
It would be an understatement to say that the C8 Corvette has had a bit of a rough go since its July 2019 debut. Not only did the mid-engined sports car face some initial backlash from Corvette purists, but it has also faced a litany of production issues. A UAW strike, the global pandemic, supplier issues and recalls have come into play during the C8 Corvette’s short life. These issues left early customers without build slots, and have continued to cause slowdowns on deliveries well into this year. Thanks to the team over at CorvetteActionCenter, we now have some information about yet another production shutdown slated to take place at GM’s Bowling Green Assembly plant. Here is what you need to know.
According to the report from CorvetteActionCenter, General Motors has run into a temporary parts supply issue related to the car’s Tremec TR-9080 eight-speed dual clutch transmission. This comes just weeks after another report which suggested that the C8 Corvette is also facing supply issues with aluminum structural components, including the transmission housing. Whether or not the two issues are related has yet to be confirmed by the automaker. That said, they did put release the following statement:
“Due to a temporary parts supply issue, we can confirm that Bowling Green Assembly will not run production the week of March 1. Our supply chain, manufacturing and engineering teams are working closely with our supply base to mitigate any further impact on production, and we expect the plant to resume normal operations on Monday, March 8.”
For those who have orders placed for a C8 Corvette, this is about the last thing they want to hear right. GM builds an average of 186 C8 Corvettes per day, this means that over 900 cars are now slated to be delayed. That is a massive problem for GM and buyers alike, considering that the C8 Corvette was the fastest selling car in the USA last month.
So then as we approach the third month of 2021, General Motors is still struggling to get C8 Corvette production stabilized at Bowling Green Assembly. We can understand why customers are frustrated, but the automaker likely isn’t happy either. They’ve built a great sports car, but the current global situation has done everything it can to screw things up. That’s a real shame, but hopefully things change for the better as we move throughout the year. Here’s to hoping the 2022 model year is trouble free.
