General Motors will reorganize its product development team to streamline its operations, speed up new vehicle and technology programs, and go to market faster, the company said Wednesday.
Global product development leader Doug Parks will retire on Jan. 2 after nearly 40 years with the automaker. GM, however, did not announce a direct replacement.
Instead, the company will promote Ken Morris, vice president of global vehicle and propulsion teams, to senior vice president of product programs, product safety and motorsports.
In addition, Josh Tavel will serve as senior vice president of energy storage and propulsion, R&D, and manufacturing engineering. Tavel is GM’s global vice president of customer care and aftersales.
Morris and Tavel will report to GM President Mark Reuss.
“We’ve spent years preparing GM to transition to an all-electric future, and Doug's leadership has been pivotal. We are grateful for his many contributions to GM's success,” GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra said in a statement. “The changes we are announcing today will continue to drive technical excellence and deliver groundbreaking vehicles to our customers around the world.”
The news comes as GM struggles to launch new electric vehicles, and its self-driving vehicle unit Cruise faces an uncertain future. In November, Barra told Bloomberg she was “disappointed” by the company’s inability to build battery control modules for its EVs due to manufacturing automation difficulties.
Cruise, meanwhile, is dealing with multiple investigations into the safety of its autonomous ride-hailing vehicles after one of them struck and seriously injured a pedestrian in San Francisco. In recent weeks, the company’s co-founders and CEO resigned, followed by the dismissal of nine executives last week. Cruise laid off 24% of its workforce, or about 900 workers, a day later.
GM said the leadership changes would take place Jan. 2.
