Meet the man now responsible for the Corvette and other GM performance cars

General Motors last week named Tony Roma as the new person responsible for all future development of the Chevrolet Corvette.

Roma succeeds Tadge Juechter who was closely associated with the Corvette development team since the early 1990s and led it since 2006, during which time he oversaw the development of the C7 and C8 generations.

Juechter announced his retirement in April, ending a 47-year career at GM. The last project he signed on was the Corvette C8 ZR1, a car that GM has confirmed will debut this summer.

Roma is currently in charge of engineering for Cadillac’s flagship Celestiq and will join the Corvette team on July 1. The team will be integrated into the new Global Corvette and Performance Cars team, which Roma will lead as executive chief engineer.

Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Roma will also lead the Luxury and Performance Car team at GM. Currently serving in this role is Brandon Vivian, who joins GM’s Advanced Vehicle Development Center as Executive Chief Engineer and Brand Strategy Coordination.

Like Juechter, Roma is a GM veteran and has previously worked on various Corvette projects, including powertrain development. He also owns several Corvettes, including a C4 ZR1, a C6 ZR1 and a C8 Z06.

Roma has also worked extensively on non-Corvette projects, such as the Cadillac V-Series and Blackwing performance lines, as well as the Celestiq and the older ATS and CTS lines. Experience with the Celestiq and other electric vehicles at GM will likely prove crucial as Chevrolet looks to turn the Corvette into an electric vehicle at some point.

Roma’s passion for motorsport is also crucial. He is also an experienced racing driver, notably at the Nürburgring, a circuit where he has accumulated over 1,500 laps.