About 900 hourly workers at the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green are on hiatus until next month while the plant prepares to make the next generation sports car.
Last week marked the end of an era for the C7 Corvette when the final car rolled off the assembly line. Now those lines are shut down until Dec. 6 while the plant prepares to produce the C8, the first-ever mid-engine Corvette.
Plant Manager Kai Spande says the retooling is necessary due to the complexities of the new model.
“We have many color combinations. We have over 100 seat combinations that you can select. Different colors, different materials, different stitching," Spande told WKU Public Radio. "It could statistically be the case that we never make the same car twice.”Manufacturing of the C8 will begin in February at the GM plant in Bowling Green. The plant is adding a second shift to accommodate production. While General Motors has already hired many transfers from other plants in Ohio, Michigan, and elsewhere, the automaker is looking for job candidates in Bowling Green and surrounding areas.
No degree is required and starting pay will be $16.67 an hour. Those hired will be brought on as temporary workers with a pathway for permanent employment, according to the job posting.
The C8 Corvette can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in under three seconds and the sticker price will be just under $60,000. The 2020 Corvette Stingray is being billed as the fastest and most powerful entry-level Corvette in the vehicle’s 66-year history. It was recently named the 2020 MotorTrend Car of the Year.
