Reported: GM will not build all 2020 Corvettes Ordered

[EJChevy]

General Motors Won’t Build All 2020 Corvette Orders, Will Offer Customers A 2021 Car

COVID-19 has hampered production output of the 2020 Corvette.

gmauthority.com

No word on if this will affect Canadian customers with Event 3000, or if it affects any Event 3000 customers at all. Every one of my customers at Event 3000 has a TPW. However, it may indicate that anyone who is not at Event 3000 will not receive a 2020 Corvette.

This all being said, there's been plenty of "he said, she said," when it comes to the 2020 Corvette that ended up not coming true. I'm waiting for a declaration sent directly to the dealerships on how to handle customers with outstanding orders.


Thoughts?

 

[Gilles27]

General Motors Won’t Build All 2020 Corvette Orders, Will Offer Customers A 2021 Car

COVID-19 has hampered production output of the 2020 Corvette.

gmauthority.com

No word on if this will affect Canadian customers with Event 3000, or if it affects any Event 3000 customers at all. Every one of my customers at Event 3000 has a TPW. However, it may indicate that anyone who is not at Event 3000 will not receive a 2020 Corvette.

This all being said, there's been plenty of "he said, she said," when it comes to the 2020 Corvette that ended up not coming true. I'm waiting for a declaration sent directly to the dealerships on how to handle customers with outstanding orders.


Thoughts?

Hi Eric,
If GM offered me a 2021 for the price of my 2020 (We don't know yet price increases for Canada) I would think hard about it, I'm not that keen on having a fall delivery. I know we received a shipment this week of C8's but those were 3400/3800 status cars before Covid, I'm worried they won't be in any rush to build the Canadian cars as the closest TPW any of us have heard is late next month.

 

[Murray20c8]

That was already stated at the virtual bash and most, if not all, took it to mean they intend on building all 3000 status orders, but likely not all 1100 status orders. That guy Kelly doesn't seem to really know anything, but could just be softening a blow that might come. Currently they can build 95 cars per day with one shift. If they add a second shift, sooner rather than later, they should be able to build all 3000 status orders.

 

[Sparro]

I could be wrong, but I don't think they base status 3000 builds on region. I was under the impression they build status 3000 cars on time of order accepted regardless of region.

 

[gone]

We'll see ups/downs with the daily production: after reaching the post-COVID record high 95 two days ago, they made 81 yesterday. I worry that the second shift will run into supply challenges once that shift gets going, since there are lots of "moving parts" when putting together a C8 and many of them outside of Bowling Green.

I'd always thought the consensus was GM will TRY to build all the 3000 and up status orders and it's unlikely anyone at less than 3000 will get a 2020. But again, until "the fat lady sings" (can you use that expression these days???) no one knows. And perhaps even GM won't know for sure until it happens, due to potential COVID-related problems.

And yes Sparro, my understanding is that an order at 3000 status means that Bowling Green has accepted it for production, after reviewing the order and looking at the likely availability of all the options chosen and that has nothing to do with where the order came from. It's in the system at that point and in normal times, the customer can expect to get a car made. So I've been told by my dealer.

 

[Murray20c8]

Parts availability has a lot to do with build sequence as well. My precovid TPW was May 18th. Now it's August 24th. Another with a May 18 TPW is now July 24th. So it has nothing to do with date of order.

 

[EJChevy]

Parts availability has a lot to do with build sequence as well. My precovid TPW was May 18th. Now it's August 24th. Another with a May 18 TPW is now July 24th. So it has nothing to do with date of order.

You're right. It doesn't depend on region or order sequence or anything.

It all comes down to: "How many are pretty much identical that we can build at once in order to make the whole line run as efficiently as possible?" It's a giant juggling act, controlled by a large group of people who have to orchestrate everything, including telling suppliers what to build and when. There is little to no inventory. Everything arrives in the morning the parts are to be installed in the car.

They build cars in batches: same paint, same roof, same interior, same wheels, etc. They try to organize it that way. Of course, a lot depends on what the suppliers can produce at what times and what is actually ordered. If 5 out of 1000 Vettes ordered were going to be yellow, regardless of other options, they would be built together as they will only reconfigure the paint booth once for them. This is why TPW's move around so much and why an order that went in a few weeks before another can be built first. The whole COVID situation certainly isn't helping at all.

It's very rare one dealership will get a number of vehicles with VIN numbers close to each other, but this one time we ordered 10 black trucks, all identical. They were all within 200 of each other. At least one couple was actually in sequence of each other.

 

[gone]

You're right. It doesn't depend on region or order sequence or anything.

It all comes down to: "How many are pretty much identical that we can build at once in order to make the whole line run as efficiently as possible?" It's a giant juggling act, controlled by a large group of people who have to orchestrate everything, including telling suppliers what to build and when. There is little to no inventory. Everything arrives in the morning the parts are to be installed in the car.

They build cars in batches: same paint, same roof, same interior, same wheels, etc. They try to organize it that way. Of course, a lot depends on what the suppliers can produce at what times and what is actually ordered. If 5 out of 1000 Vettes ordered were going to be yellow, regardless of other options, they would be built together as they will only reconfigure the paint booth once for them. This is why TPW's move around so much and why an order that went in a few weeks before another can be built first. The whole COVID situation certainly isn't helping at all.

It's very rare one dealership will get a number of vehicles with VIN numbers close to each other, but this one time we ordered 10 black trucks, all identical. They were all within 200 of each other. At least one couple was actually in sequence of each other.

Now I better understand. Thanks. So by ordering an uncommon (blade silver) exterior colour, I likely moved my build to the "back of the bus" (perhaps explaining my October 26 TPW) if they slot a group together with that colour. And when trying to maximize their production numbers, it's better to risk not making a few "odd coloured" vehicles at the end of the 2020 production run...and keep the line going smoothly to spit out the more plentiful colours. Sigh.

 

[EJChevy]

Now I better understand. Thanks. So by ordering an uncommon (blade silver) exterior colour, I likely moved my build to the "back of the bus" (perhaps explaining my October 26 TPW) if they slot a group together with that colour. And when trying to maximize their production numbers, it's better to risk not making a few "odd coloured" vehicles at the end of the 2020 production run...and keep the line going smoothly to spit out the more plentiful colours. Sigh.

That may have something to do with it. I've got a couple of TPW's for early November. One is a Torch Red Coupe 1LT, the other an Elkhart Lake Blue Convertible 2LT.

 

[gone]

That may have something to do with it. I've got a couple of TPW's for early November. One is a Torch Red Coupe 1LT, the other an Elkhart Lake Blue Convertible 2LT.

I'm surprised to hear there are any 2020 TPW's for November and the torch red one contradicts my theory of uncommon colours being made near the end. But going into November is good news since it increases my chances. Thanks for the info.

 

[EJChevy]

I'm surprised to hear there are any 2020 TPW's for November and the torch red one contradicts my theory of uncommon colours being made near the end. But going into November is good news since it increases my chances. Thanks for the info.

The 2021 is slated to begin production on November 23rd. The 2020's will be built all the way up till then.

I imagine his is being built late because it's a 1LT.

 

[Murray20c8]

BG manager is on record saying they can shift to other colours and back at any time with only a few caveats. Yellow to black kind of thing. It's only a small concern, but they might do a bunch of front lift cars at the same time since the bin is there and it requires a separate station sort of thing.

 

[EJChevy]

BG manager is on record saying they can shift to other colours and back at any time with only a few caveats. Yellow to black kind of thing. It's only a small concern, but they might do a bunch of front lift cars at the same time since the bin is there and it requires a separate station sort of thing.

Yes, they certainly can switch back and forth, but any time spent changing colours is time not spent painting cars. Every minute cars are not being produced, the company is losing tens of thousands of dollars.

As I said, it's a giant juggling act.

 

[Gilles27]

The 2021 is slated to begin production on November 23rd. The 2020's will be built all the way up till then.

I imagine his is being built late because it's a 1LT.

My car is a 1LT with a TPW of July 22 as of today, maybe 1LT will be bumped ahead because of fancy interior upgrades in 2LT/3LT not being available due to supplier issues All in the way you look at it Eric.