Four-year wait for fresh Chevrolet Corvette orders

The string of production woes and considerably higher than expected Australian demand has resulted in wait times for the 2022 Chevrolet Corvette blowing out to four years for new orders.

According to some GMSV dealers, new Corvette customers will have to wait until 2025 to take delivery of their new vehicles as the first Australian deliveries commence next week.

Just 250 examples of the new-generation Corvette are slated to make it Down Under and details of the next local allocation yet to be announced after production was interrupted on four separate occasions last year, the most recent of which was caused by a tornado-sparked fire.

The dealers carsales spoke with admitted the long waiting times they are currently advising customers could reduce as production ramps back up, but say they also remain dependant on how many units GMSV secures for local distribution.

A spokesperson for GM’s Australian division was unable to shed any light on the situation but reiterated GMSV’s intention to confirm details of a second allocation at some stage.

Shrouded with even more mystery are GMSV’s plans for the hi-po 2023 Corvette Z06, which has been confirmed for Australia although local delivery and spec details are yet to materialise – officially at least.

However, carsales understands the rabid 500kW supercar is earmarked to arrive here in mid to late 2023 in the form of a super-limited batch of less than 50 examples.

That means less than one per GMSV outlet and, while dealers are happy to take enquiries, some say they are directing buyers towards the standard Corvette Stingray to give them a better chance of securing a vehicle.

For reference, the 2022 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is powered by a 6.2-litre V8 developing 369kW/637Nm, while the 2023 Corvette Z06’s 5.5-litre flatplane-crank V8 pumps out 500kW/623Nm.

A hybrid-powered Corvette E-Ray is also expected to join the line-up eventually, ahead of the range-topping ZR1.