Three weeks into 2027 Corvette production at Bowling Green Assembly, the new Grand Sport is already crowding the Stingray. Unofficial assembly tracker data shared in a C8 owners’ group on Facebook, first spotted by CorvetteBlogger, shows 590 Grand Sports built between June 9 and June 26 against 719 Stingrays. That is a gap of just 129 cars between the base Corvette and the trim positioned directly above it.
Chevrolet has not confirmed the figures, so they should be treated as preliminary. Still, the person behind the spreadsheet has tracked Corvette output for several years, and the early pattern is hard to ignore.
The Early Production Numbers
Bowling Green built 1,689 Corvettes before pausing for its annual summer shutdown after the July 4th holiday. The Stingray led with 719 units, or 42.6 percent of the mix, followed by the Grand Sport at 590 units and 35 percent. The Z06 accounted for 241 cars, the ZR1 for 91 and the flagship ZR1X for 48.
The contrast with last year is striking. For the 2026 model year, the Stingray held roughly 62 percent of production. Its share has now fallen by nearly 20 points, with the Grand Sport absorbing most of the difference. The Grand Sport X, the hybrid successor to the E-Ray, is the only 2027 trim not yet on the line, with assembly expected to begin later this month.
Why Buyers Are Skipping the Base Car
On paper, the Stingray and Grand Sport are closer than the sales split suggests. Both carry the new 6.7-liter LS6 V8 rated at 535 horsepower and 705 Nm (520 lb-ft) of torque. What the Grand Sport adds is the wide-body look of the Z06, standard Magnetic Ride Control and access to track packages that bring stickier tires, Z06 brakes and aero components from the top of the range.
The price of admission is $86,000, or $88,495 with destination. A Stingray with the Z51 package and Magnetic Ride Control lands at $80,785, about $8,000 less. Early buyers are apparently deciding that the styling and chassis hardware justify the difference.
What This Means for Chevrolet
The shift toward pricier trims is a clear financial win. Premium variants now make up well over half of output, with the Z06, ZR1 and ZR1X together representing nearly a quarter of all cars built. Every Grand Sport that replaces a Stingray on the schedule carries a healthier margin, and GM is prioritizing those orders accordingly.
There is a strategic angle as well. The 2027 model year is the eighth for the C8, and the LS6 engine and revived Grand Sport nameplate are keeping the lineup fresh in the run-up to the C9. If the current mix holds through the model year, the Grand Sport will be the volume story of 2027.
