Aussie buyers wait for news on delivery as US assembly plant damaged by tornado-sparked fire
Delivery times for Australia-bound 2021 Chevrolet Corvette supercars are hovering under a cloud following a tornado-induced fire at its Bowling Green assembly plant in Kentucky.
The facility will be shut down for at least this week and possibly next after a fire ignited on Saturday and caused significant damage, particularly to the roof and employee entrance.
In a statement issued to Automotive News, a General Motors spokesperson confirmed that “the small number of employees that were on-site are all safe” and that “maintaining a safe work environment for plant employees is our top priority”.
Exactly what impact these production delays will have on vehicle delivery times remains to be seen, not only for Stateside cars but Aussie-bound examples as well.
A General Motors Specialty Vehicle (GMSV) spokesperson was unable to shed any more light on the situation, telling carsales the local operation was “waiting to hear about the full impact of the fire at Bowling Green” with “no news as yet with regards to any impact on production”.
According to a Car and Driver report in the US, the fire was started by one of several tornados that swept through the South and Midwest at the weekend, killing more than 90 people and destroying entire towns.
This will be the fourth time this year that Corvette production has ground to a halt, with the previous three instances – as well as heavily reduced capacities – being inflicted by supply chain issues and component shortages.
Keyword: Chevrolet Corvette production halted again