General Motors officials say the Corvette will continue to be made in Bowling Green despite wild speculation among the auto world that production could move.

Officials refute rumors that Corvette production will move to Lansing, Mich., an idea that was sparked by a $190 million project GM recently announced that would bring about 600 jobs to the Lansing plant. About 470 workers are employed at the General Motors Bowling Green Assembly Plant.

“There are no plans to have any significant changes as to how Corvettes are manufactured and where,” said David Caldwell, communications manager for Chevrolet. “There’s really nothing going on here ... this chitter-chatter in Lansing has no direct application to Kentucky.”

A Lansing television news station picked up on the idea and fueled rumors that the Corvette might move, he said.

The station interviewed an economist, who speculated that the project could fund Corvette production, and the president of the local United Auto Workers in Lansing, who said the plant is ready for any type of production, including the Corvette.

“That’s normal talk because you want to let the company know you can build whatever car you can,” said Eldon Renaud, president of the local UAW in Bowling Green. “I don’t think there’s anything to it.”

Now, a few online news articles and several blogs have published speculation that Corvette production might move from Bowling Green.

Some argue that the Corvette is rear-wheel drive and, therefore, is a perfect match for the Michigan plant. Others argue that the Bowling Green plant assembles only one car and is dead weight for GM.

But GM disputes those claims.

“This is a very unique group of people and facility in the sense that they are very valuable to the specialty manufacturing that a great sports car like the Corvette requires,” Caldwell said about the Bowling Green plant. “It’s a specific and unique and highly skilled operation there that obviously has proven to do a very good job for a long time.”

The Corvette has been manufactured in Bowling Green for the past 29 years and has been one of the city’s major employers. It has also become a part of Bowling Green’s identity - many people associate the city with the Corvette.

Gov. Steve Beshear recently signed legislation into law at the Bowling Green plant, making the Corvette the state’s official sports car.

GM also recently launched a commercial for the Corvette, parts of which were filmed in Bowling Green, said Andrea Hales, communications manager for the Bowling Green plant.

And Chevrolet has launched a new program dubbed the Corvette Engine Build Experience, which allows customers who purchase a 2011 Corvette Z06 or ZR1 to travel to Wixom, Mich., and help make their cars’ engines. They then can watch their vehicle be assembled at the Bowling Green plant and have it delivered at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green.

This weekend, hundreds of Corvette enthusiasts from across the country will travel to Bowling Green to take part in the annual National Corvette Homecoming.

Still, several local workers have expressed concerns about the rumors, but “they understand it’s pure speculation,” Hales said.

And, for many workers, such rumors are not uncommon.

“We’ve heard speculation since we got here. There was speculation in St. Louis long before it came to Bowling Green,” Renaud said. “We’ve been here since 1981, and I think we’ve met every benchmark we were asked to and I’m confident we’ll just continue building good cars and keep it here.”