A $ 290 million investment in General Motors’ Bowling Green, Kentuky Corvette plant could herald the arrival of a lengthy-rumored beast.
The money infusion, announced right now by GM and reported by Automotive News, is meant for assembly upgrades and modifications, even though it also supercharges speculation that a mid-engine Corvette is ultimately on the way.
GM mentioned the funds will go towards “technology upgrades and manufacturing approach improvements,” but didn’t give out any product particulars. Final year’s $ 439 million investment went towards a new paint shop at the plant, which only produces the a single model.
The C7 ‘Vette is nonetheless relatively young — at 3 years of age, the generation must nonetheless have many years of life in it. But that isn’t the timeline GM has in mind, according to a supposedly reputable source who leaked details to Auto & Driver final month.
The source told the publication that the eighth generation will bow in 2018 as a 2019 model, with a production version prepared for display at the 2018 North American International Auto Show. The mid-engined Corvette will allegedly use the C7’s pushrod engine at initial, with a new twin-cam V8 engine boosting the ‘Vette’s output in early 2019.
Base price for a C8 would be about $ 80,000, with the new engine bumping rates into the six figure range, the supply claimed.
GM has long ignored calls to provide a mid-engine Corvette, but marketplaces evolve. In spite of chief engineer Tadge Juechter’s 2015 claim that “no such automobile exists,” evidence is piling up that deep-pocketed enthusiasts will get their way.
[Image: Common Motors]