The mid-engine American sports car continues to be fairly rare…
On June 3, Chevrolet sent a communication out to its dealer network to explain that the June allocation cycle for 2021 C8 Corvettes has been cancelled. That’s disappointing news for many, however the automaker stated that any accepted orders which are event code 3000 and above will still be made.
Learn about the latest unplanned stoppage in Corvette production here.
Chevrolet explains in the letter to dealers that cutting off production for 2021 Corvette Stingrays is necessary so it can begin production of the 2022 model year in the latter part of the third quarter. We already know Bowling Green Assembly Plant stopped production for a week last month because of a shortage of components. The automaker mentions that in the letter, emphasizing the unplanned stoppage wasn’t because of the global semiconductor chip shortage.
Whatever the cause of the shutdown in May, the end result is there will be significantly fewer 2021 Corvette Stingrays than estimated at the beginning of production. The same thing happened for the 2020 model year.
The big question now is will 2022 Corvette production begin on time and will there be any production stoppages or a scaling back of how many of the mid-engine sports cars are made? Chevrolet did say in the letter, “… as we move into the third model year of the mid-engine Corvette, we will evolve to the Available Days’ Supply (ADS) allocation methodology used for all Chevrolet allocation groups, eliminating the need for any special allocation guides.” You can conclude from that whatever you would like.
One thing Chevrolet absolutely refuses to answer is what parts are in short supply for the C8 Corvette. The fact it will only say the components are related to the chip shortage doesn’t tell dealers or anyone else much. That omission of information is cause for concern.
Also omitted is the number of Corvettes removed from the build plan. Chevrolet says it doesn’t provide that kind of information for any of its vehicles, but we’re willing to bet if it did the number would be shocking to investors as well as customers.
Already, GM has really taken one on the nose with the global processing chip shortage. AutoForecast estimates it has cut over 270,000 vehicles from production as of last month. That figure no doubt will grow quite a bit by the end of 2021. And with estimates the chip shortage will last into at least the early part of 2022, the production setbacks aren’t likely to stop until at least then. But so far GM seems to have prioritized the C8 Corvettes for chips, so that hasn’t affected production in Bowling Green.
Production of C8 Corvettes has been full of problems which have kept the supply low, which in turn boosts their collectability. However, for people who want to experience the mid-engine layout of America’s sports car, the production shutdowns from strikes, COVID-19 restrictions, and parts shortages are nothing short of frustrating.
If you weren’t able to get a 2021 Corvette Stingray even though you ordered one, you’ll have to work with the dealership to switch it to a 2022. Here’s to hoping there are no major production problems next year.
Source: Corvette Action Center
