Everything That Went Wrong with the C8 Corvette Launch

Don’t get us wrong. We love the C8 Corvette and it’s a huge hit. But this mid-engine wonder also suffered more than its fair share of challenges out of the gate. 

The new mid-engine Corvette has been showered with praise by enthusiasts and professional reviewers alike. The C8 ushers in a whole new era for the American sports car, and with more variants on the way, this is just the beginning. New beginnings can be a bit rocky, however. For all the praise and glory, the C8 has not had an easy birth.

Sometimes even the best-laid plans can be challenged.

Some issues have to do with the car or General Motors themselves. Some, however, no one could have prevented. In time, most, if not all these events will be dealt with and seen as only a small pothole on the road to Corvette greatness. As production of the second model year of the C8 is due to begin in just a couple of months, now is a good time to look back. What challenges faced the 2020 C8 Corvette?

UAW Strike

After years of anticipation for a mid-engine Corvette, production was finally set to begin in Q4 of 2019. The only problem was there was no one around to actually build them. In mid-September, the United Auto Workers went on strike at General Motors. Approximately 50,000 workers walked out when the current labor deal expired. The strike dragged on for almost 6 weeks. It was the longest auto industry work stoppage in more than 20 years, and the longest nationwide auto strike in 50 years. As a result, C8 production did not begin until early February 2020. With all the pre-orders piling up for the new Corvette, it was certainly not an ideal way to start.