Bowling Green Assembly Plant
Encyclopedia
The Bowling Green Assembly Plant is a General Motors automobile
factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky
. It is a specialized plant assembling GM's Y-body
sports car
s, the Chevrolet Corvette
and formerly the Cadillac XLR
.
The factory was originally an air conditioning
plant, but GM purchased it and refurbished it for automobile use. Bowling Green took over Corvette production from GM's St. Louis, Missouri
plant as of June 1, 1981. Most of the 900 Corvette workers from St. Louis transferred to the new plant. Once production of the C4 Corvette stopped in 1996, the plant was again gutted and rebuilt to prepare for the more modern C5 Corvette.
The Bowling Green plant is a popular destination for Corvette owners and enthusiasts. It consistently ranks first among GM plants for product-quality.
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
. It is a specialized plant assembling GM's Y-body
GM Y platform
The Y platform, or Y body, designation has been used twice by the General Motors Corporation to describe a series of vehicles all built on the same basic body and sharing many parts and characteristics...
sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
s, the Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
and formerly the Cadillac XLR
Cadillac XLR
The XLR was a retractable hardtop convertible marketed by the Cadillac division of General Motors, assembled in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Intended to be Cadillac's flagship sports car, the XLR was based on the Chevrolet Corvette's Y platform...
.
The factory was originally an air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
plant, but GM purchased it and refurbished it for automobile use. Bowling Green took over Corvette production from GM's St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
plant as of June 1, 1981. Most of the 900 Corvette workers from St. Louis transferred to the new plant. Once production of the C4 Corvette stopped in 1996, the plant was again gutted and rebuilt to prepare for the more modern C5 Corvette.
The Bowling Green plant is a popular destination for Corvette owners and enthusiasts. It consistently ranks first among GM plants for product-quality.