General Motors will refund deposits for the incoming 2021 Chevrolet Corvette, as it continues the process of shutting down Holden and establishing GM Specialty Vehicles in Australia and New Zealand.
Anyone who has paid a deposit at their local Holden dealership is being asked to get in touch with their dealer to organise the refund.
The company will once again start taking orders for the mid-engined American sports car once the GMSV dealer network has been established.
“We welcome people’s enthusiasm for the Corvette. GM Australia and New Zealand is working to appoint its new GM Specialty Vehicle network,” a company spokesperson told CarExpert.
“For customers who have paid a deposit for a Corvette, please contact the dealer directly for a refund. To stay up to date on the latest from GMSV, please visit https://www.gmspecialtyvehicles.com/.”
Pricing and local specifications for the new Corvette haven’t been locked in for Australia.
The highly-specced Corvette with the Z51 package and FE4 magnetic dampers we drove in the USA earlier this year cost the equivalent of AU$90,000 before on-road costs at current exchange rates, but the price is expected to be steeper when the car touches down locally.
The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 offered last year by HSV was also priced at around AU$90,000 in the USA and had a list price of $159,990 before on-road costs in Australia, though it was converted locally to right-hand drive.
General Motors earlier this year confirmed it will sell low-volume enthusiast cars in Australia under the General Motors Specialty Vehicle (GMSV) banner, starting with the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup truck.
The Silverado 1500 will be followed by the larger Silverado 2500 in 2021, along with the hotly-anticipated mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette sports car.
The Corvette will be manufactured in right-hand drive from the factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky, while the Silverado line-up will continue being converted from left-hand drive by Walkinshaw in Clayton, Victoria.
Pricing has already been revealed for the Silverado 1500, which goes head-to-head with the Ram 1500.
General Motors hasn’t yet confirmed which other products will be brought to Australia under the GMSV banner but a statement from its director, Joanne Stogiannis, points to the “niche luxury” segment as one option.
General Motors plans to have GMSV up and running before the end of 2020. Details about the dealer network haven’t been confirmed, but it’s likely to be made up of mostly ex-Holden Special Vehicles showrooms.
A GMSV spokesperson has previously confirmed the network is being finalised, and said “many HSV dealers are likely to become GMSV dealers”.
There were more than 60 active HSV dealers when General Motors announced it would be leaving Australia earlier this year, but whether all of those will become GMSV showrooms isn’t clear.
General Motors currently has a staff of 200 in Australia, and says the establishment of GMSV indirectly supports more than 150 manufacturing jobs.
