Tadge Juechter Talks EVs, SUVs, And His Favorite Corvette In Interview
3
Sponsored Links
Tadge Juechter, chief engineer for the Chevy Corvette, retired about a week after GM unveiled the new C8 ZR1, taking a well-earned break after nearly half a century at General Motors. Juechter’s career with Corvette began in 1993, and he is often credited for playing an instrumental role in the evolution of the sports car over the past four generations – so much so that every 2025-model-year Vette now includes a small silhouette of Juechter’s face in the glass. In a recent interview conducted prior to his retirement, Juechter spoke on a number of interesting issues concerning America’s sports car and other aspects of GM, including EVs and a potential Vette SUV.
In an interview with CNBC, Juechter touched on the upcoming all-electric Corvette, which, for now at least, has yet to get an official launch date. Nevertheless, Juechter said that the new C8 E-Ray is proof that an electrified Corvette will work. For reference, the hybrid E-Ray combines the naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 LT2 gasoline from the C8 Stingray with a front-mounted electric motor.
Juechter said that electrification can be a fantastic “contributor to cars,” stating that GM is “passionate about efficiency in everything that we do. Efficiency makes a good sports car, too.” Juechter also added that the E-Ray is essentially the first step on the path to full electrification, adding that while GM is committed to EVs, it has to bring its customers along for the ride.
Juechter also touched on rumors of a Corvette sub-brand, which the chief engineer said was not necessarily the right way to go.
“I mean, Corvette’s at the heart of Chevrolet,” Juechter told CNBC. “It’s a pure business play. If you’ve got this brand equity, you can just keep it at home or you can choose to try to monetize it and put it outside.” Juechter added that GM typically hasn’t done the latter, and instead “[embraces] our important franchises, and [Corvette] is a really important franchise.”
GM Authority rendering
With regard to a potential Corvette SUV, Juechter said that it was a “question for the future,” adding that it was no secret that he was working on EVs and has sought to inject performance into the EV segment. “How that gets applied in the future and how it gets branded, that’s a story for another day,” he said.
Finally, Juechter said that if he was forced to choose, the 2006 Z06 would be his favorite Vette model, which makes sense, given he purchased one in the past. Juechter said that after he saw a fully loaded C6 Z06 rolling off the line at the GM Bowling Green plant in Kentucky, the decision to buy one for himself was made. Perhaps Juechter’s affinity for the C6 Z06 speaks to the decision to equip the C8 Z06 with the naturally aspirated 5.5L V8 LT6, given the C6 Z06 was equipped with the naturally aspirated LS7 V8.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevy news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Sponsored Links
I am glad to see he is not for the SUV Corvette for the same reasons I am not.
70 plus years of equity in a brand and name for a sports car is not something you mess with. It is foolish to risk the name on products that do not represent the brand just for some short term bucks.
The Mach E Mustang did nothing to help sales of it or the real Mustang.
Like Porsche? Just saying!
Don’t miss Jay Leno’s interview of Juechter as part of a review of the E-Ray. Two guys who know cars to the smallest detail, and communicate extremely well.