Corvette Stingray Coupe

Make
Chevrolet
Segment
Coupe

While the United Auto Workers strike against GM has been resolved for several weeks now, the repercussions are still being felt and dealt with. The strike not only cost GM a lot of money but also resulted in production delays, such as for the all-new 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. The 40-day strike pushed back US Corvette deliveries from December to February. Not surprisingly, C8 Corvettes destined for another V8-loving country are delayed as well, only for an even longer period.

According to Australian publication Motoring, the C8 Corvette won't begin to arrive on Australian shores until early 2021. The Aussie-spec Corvette will only be sold in the range-topping 3LT model with the Z51 Performance Package.

That trim will simply be called Z51 – not Stingray. It won't be marketed as a Holden or Chevrolet, but rather just 'Corvette'. Eventually, the new Corvette convertible could be made available. In addition, it will be right-hand-drive, like all cars in Australia. Given that these right-hand-drive Corvettes are delayed, what does this mean for other right-hand-drive markets, such as the UK and Japan? Interestingly, GM has yet to confirm whether or not the new Corvette will even be sold in any other right-hand-drive market other than Australia. We do know the Corvette will be available in Saudi Arabia and perhaps China, but those countries are left-hand-drive. Regardless of their final destination, all Corvettes will be built in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Whenever in 2021 the new Corvette arrives in the land Down Under, it's projected to carry a base price of around $150,000 AUD, about $102,605 USD at current exchange rates. That's roughly about the same price as a US market fully-loaded 2020 Corvette with the same trim and equipment package, which came to $105,640 when we played around with the official online configurator.

Making it slightly more of a challenge, aside from the price tag, for Australian Corvette lovers to buy one is that not all Holden and HSV (Holden Special Vehicles) dealerships will be allowed to sell them. Only those whose sales team has undergone special training will be given the privilege.