Corvette To Be Built Elsewhere?

[William Maley]

Corvette To Be Built Elsewhere?

William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

April 4, 2011

Could the Corvette be moving from it's home in Bowling Green, Kentucky? That's the question Corvette fans and workers at the Corvette plant are asking. A report from NBC affiliate WLEX in Lexington says the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority authorized a $7.5 million tax break for a possible expansion at the plant costing $131 million. Mandy Lambert, spokewoman for the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority said the approval "outlines the state's support for the project, should it happen."

However, Bowling Green Plant spokeswoman Andrea Hales said to WLEX the company is looking at other sites and there's no pending announcement.

This isn't the first time the Corvette possibly moving rumor has come up. Last year, a news station in Lansing, MI reported the Corvette could be moving to the Lansing Assembly plant. However, David Caldwell, Corvette Rep at the time said,

"Corvettes are born in Bowling Green," and "nothing going on in the foreseeable future changes that long-time fact."

Source: WLEX 18

[Blake Noble]

I don't get how plant expansion equals moving.

Leave it to WLEX to spin a story in an offbeat way too.

At least this didn't come from WTVQ. I'd really have a hard time caring then.

[Camino LS6]

I'd call this one highly umlikely.

Edited April 5, 2011 by Camino LS6

[hyperv6]

Could be that they made the offer to expand the plant to make more than one kind of car. A higher volume car made at that plant would offest the expenses of this plant. That was why there was a Cadillac for a while.

I heard sales are up this year but they had fallen to just over 12,000 units last year. Selling 2 seater cars at lower prices year after year is a tough thing to do. Not everyone can live with two seats and when they ones that can buy one how do you get them back.

The Vette does well most years but with an aging C6 model and economy it made for a tough year for one of the best Vettes ever made.

I could see this plant someday moving to a plant where other lower volume cars are made and KY getting revamped to make other models. Or they could move something else along with the Vette in KY that will sell in larger numbers.

The sad part is if they ever did move the plant it would really hurt the Corvette Museum.

Another thing too is GM could just be thinking out loud to see what KY may offer them to keep it there. Companies need to look for any advantages they can anymore. Goodyear did the same here. They got some breaks and are now building a new world headquarters here when the only tires they still build here in town are the race tires, operate a test track/tech center and keep a blimp here. The jobs we would have lost here would have killed Akron.

Firestone Bridgestone also did the same and are now building a new tech center here even though all they make here are the Indy race tires.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Hmmmm, with my GM prediction rating of a 100%, I'll go out on a limb and say the Corvette will be in KY for years to come ...

[William Maley]

I'll go out on a limb and say the Corvette will be in KY for years to come ...

Yeah, its here to stay.. There's been a lot of stories surrounding the possible move. But it doesn't make sense for GM at all

[Potluck]

Why move it away from the place where they are already well trained on building it.