When Tadge Juechter, the long-time chief engineer for the Corvette program, left nearly a year ago it seemed like just a normal retirement. But a number of other members of the sports car’s team have also left in recent months – and not voluntarily. That has many observers wondering: what’s going on at Corvette?
The late Zora Argus-Duntov, the spiritual godfather of “America’s sports car,” is shown with a 1966 Corvette.
The team that helped develop and market the most significant Corvette since the original version of “America’s sports car” debuted six decades ago is being dismantled.
And while one key member of that team clearly chose to retire, there are plenty of questions being asked about what really happened with two other senior Corvette executives.
At a time when the eighth-generation Corvette has been billed as a huge hit, it’s hard to understand what’s motivating the shake-up, several GM insiders – both current and former – have told Headlight.News. But they also note that a number of other cuts have been made at other GM programs, as well as at the company’s corporate-level staff.
Farewell to the chief
Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter and marketing chief Harlan Charles, (far right).
The shake-up began in April 2024 when Tadge Juechter announced his retirement. Then 67, Juechter had logged 47 years with General Motors, including 31 with the Corvette program.
He was named chief engineer – which he referred to as “the promotion of a lifetime” — on the two most recent iterations of the sports car. These included the seventh-generation, or C7, as well as the C8 which marked the first-ever mid-engine version of the 2-seater, positioning the ‘Vette as a more direct competitor to competitors such as Porsche, Lamborghini and Ferrari.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to work at this company, leading the men and women who have brought to life one of the most iconic and recognizable vehicles in recent American history,” Juechter said in a statement announcing his retirement.
“I know the future of the nameplate is in the right hands,” he concluded. But there have been some big changes to the hands at the wheel in recent weeks.
Retirement in name only
Long-time Corvette Project Manager Harlan Charles.
Perhaps the biggest surprise came last month with word that Harlan Charles, the tousled-haired Corvette Project Manager was not just leaving the program but exiting General Motors. True, he was no newcomer, having logged 37 years at General Motors; as with Juechter, most of that time working on Corvette.
While the departure has also been billed – officially – as a retirement, Charles has made it clear the word, “forced,” should be used as the active modifier.
Like most “retirees,” Charles is being generally circumspect about discussing the circumstances of his departure. But one doesn’t even have to read between the lines to know it’s not something he was planning on.
“My Corvette dream is over — my bubble burst,” wrote Charles, of his work on Corvette which began in 2001. “I am now retired. I can’t think about the future yet. I feel fortunate to have so made many friends over the years and customer relationships that have become family because of Corvette. I was your voice, and you helped us create what Corvette has become. I hope our friendships will continue even if I can’t help you anymore.”
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Bennion exits
Kirk Bennion spent most of his career working on Corvette designs.
The latest team member out the door: Kirk Bennion, Corvette’s Exterior Design Manager. The circumstances surrounding his departure remain even more murky.
His resume at GM stretched back 41 years and while Corvette has been one of his primary assignments, he has worked on a handful of other projects in recent years, including the now-abandoned Chevrolet Camaro, as well as the bowtie brand’s Tahoe and TrailBlazer SUVs.
As with Charles, General Motors spokspersons declined to discuss personnel matters. But some reports, including on by the website CorvetteBlogger, claim Bennion was “recently fired.”
The blog described Bennion “a multi-faceted talent who not only could draw great vehicles, but his work in the wind tunnel and utilizing computational fluid dynamics to address how the air flows up, over, and around the car made him a standout on the Corvette team.”
What’s going on?
Incoming GM Global Design Director Bryan Nesbitt.
“I’m stunned that this happened. I worry that we have lost the people who listened to customers,” Jake Drennan, 69, of Merritt Island, Florida, who’s director of the Corvette C5, C6, C7, C8 Registry – which covers thousands of Corvette owners, told the Detroit News.
How Bennion might have gone sideways with top management is uncertain but his departure comes at a time when the top level at GM is in mid-transition. Last month, Michael Simcoe, himself a 42-year General Motors veteran, announced he was retiring. He’ll officially hand over the title of Senior Vice President – GM Global Design to Bryan Nesbitt on July 1. It’s not entirely out of the question that Nesbitt is already moving the chess pieces around to reflect his vision of what the operation will be moving forward.
As for Charles, there’s simply no clear answer. He was both liked and highly respected, having helped craft a Corvette program that has gained more global respect – and international sales – than ever before. The latest version, the ZR1, is not just the fastest and most powerful Corvette ever but is setting numerous records, such as lap times on the legendary German Nurburgring.
GM wields a sharp knife
GM’s cost-cutting moves include the upcoming move from its Renaissance Center headquarters to a smaller facility in downtown Detroit.
Several sources in and around GM did point to the fact that Charles would have been among a fairly expansive list of company veterans who were summarily terminated in recent months. That includes 38-year veteran Adam Bernard, the Associate Director, Competitor Intelligence, who was one of about 1,000 who learned they didn’t need to report back in when GM sent out an e-mail at 5 AM last November.
What’s behind all this? GM can’t say it’s going broke again. It had a great 2024 with record earnings and its best sales in years. Even so, insiders have noted ongoing efforts to trim costs to help cover the hefty price tag of the automaker’s battery-electric vehicle program.
But, while Corvette may not generate the sort of revenues of, say the Chevrolet Silverado program, “It doesn’t make a lot of sense that this would be an area you would cut back on” by eliminating such significant talent, said Sam Fiorani, principal analyst with AutoForecast Solutions.
Corvette’s future
The Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is currently the only hybrid model offered by General Motors.
There are other possible reasons why the Corvette team has been hit with the GM knife, several sources said. Over the years there have been numerous high-level discussions about the brand’s future. Among other things, there’ve been advocates calling for Corvette to be shifted under the Cadillac umbrella or, even, spun off as a brand of its own.
In recent times, there’ve been those calling for other products to bear the Corvette badge, much as Ford has begun doing with the Mustang by launching the Mach-E, an all-electric SUV.
Corvette now has its first “electrified” model, the E-Ray hybrid. And GM President and product czar Mark Reuss indicated a couple years back that a fully electric version of the sports car would follow. That was highly controversial within the Corvette team, some of the folks who’ve left clearly convinced it wasn’t the right time to bring an EV to market – even though competitors such as Porsche and even Ferrari are moving in that direction.
Whether the debate over battery power or about extending the brand played a role in the shake-up remains a matter of speculation. But Corvette fans will be watching closely to see if more Corvette veterans wind up leaving the program anytime soon.
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