Production of the 2022 Corvette Stingray has been put on pause for at least a week after major tornadoes ripped through Kentucky and caused damage to the GM Bowling Green Assembly plant.
“We can confirm that the fire that took place as a result of the tornado activity at Bowling Green Assembly plant early Saturday morning (December 11th) has caused damage to the facility, including the roof and an employee entrance. The small number of employees that were onsite are all safe,” said Communications Manager at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant, Rachel Bagshaw, in a statement sent to GM Authority.
“Maintaining a safe work environment for plant employees is our top priority. Therefore, we are cancelling production on first and second shift the week of December 13th as our trained teams work to get tooling, equipment, and the facility space up to standard,” she added.
The GM Bowling Green Assembly plant employs 1,200 hourly workers and 180 salaried workers. Hourly workers there are represented by UAW Local 2164.
In a letter sent to plant employees Sunday, UAW Local 2164 Shop Chairman Jason Watson said the plant was “in the path of the widespread devastation and damage,” and that his team was undertaking “preliminary tasks,” at the facility to assess the damage. He also said there were a small number of employees in the plant when the tornado hit, all of whom were marked safe.
Sales of the C8 Corvette Stingray have been strong this year, with GM delivering 24,748 units through the first nine months of the year. Demand has also outpaced supply, with Chevy’s director of car and crossover marketing, Tony Johnson, admitting earlier this year that the automaker was “not even close” to meeting the overwhelming demand for the vehicle.
The 2022 Corvette Stingray entered production at the GM Bowling Green Assembly plant on September 6th. The 2022 model year introduced minor changes to the mid-engine sports car, including three new exterior colors, alterations to the 6.2L LT2 V8 engine for emissions-related improvements and the addition of a new IMSA GTLM Championship C8.R Edition package, among more.
We’ll provide an update on the production situation at Bowling Green Assembly once more information is available.
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