David Hill to Retire - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

zr1mom · 10-27-2005

FOR RELEASE: 2005-10-27

GM Announces Corvette Chief Engineer David Hill to Retire Tom Wallace to lead performance car team

DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. announced today that David Hill, currently GM vehicle chief engineer (VCE) for Corvette and vehicle line executive (VLE) for performance cars, will retire effective Jan. 1, 2006 after more than 41 years of dedicated service.

Tom Wallace willreplace Hill as vehicle line executive - performance cars and vehicle chief engineer for the Corvette. Additionally, he will assume responsibilities for compact rear-wheel-drive performance cars including Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. Wallace currently is VLE for small/midsize trucks.

Lori Queen, currently VLE compact cars and the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky , is appointed VLE for small/midsize trucks, replacing
Tom Wallace.

"David Hill has taken the Corvette to heights that few of us can
imagine. In terms of performance, refinement and value, he has truly
helped to make Corvette second to none. Dave is a true car guy who
will take his rightful place among the legends of Corvette lore," said
Bob Lutz, General Motors vice chairman, global product development.

"What do you do to replace a guy like Dave? You do your best to get
another one. Tom Wallace also is a car guy and racer who will make a
perfect choice to lead the Corvette and Performance team. Besides,
Tom was Dave's choice too. That should tell you all you need to know,"
Lutz concluded.

Hill has a rich history with GM since joining Cadillac Motor Car
Division in 1964. He moved through various engineering positions and
was named an executive in 1979.

In 1982, he was named chief engineer of the Cadillac Allante.
Following the introduction of the Northstar engine in 1992 in the two seat
luxury roadster, Hill assumed chief engineer responsibilities for the
Cadillac Deville and Concours.

Hill was named in 1993 as chief engineer for the Chevrolet Corvette,
only the third chief engineer for the sports car in the vehicle's 53-year history. In 1995, Hill was named vehicle line executive for performance cars and led the development of the fifth generation

Corvette and the introduction of the Cadillac XLR.

Last year, Hill launched the latest sixth generation Corvette
followed by the introduction of the new 505 bhp Corvette Z06 for 2006.

Hill holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from
Michigan Technological University and a master's degree in mechanical
engineering from the University of Michigan .

Wallace has been with GM since 1966 when he joined Buick Motor
Division in Flint , Mich. He was named to an executive engineering position in 1980 while still with Buick and was later named to the GM Truck Group in 1995. Wallace holds a bachelor's in mechanical engineering from Kettering University (formerly GMI), and is a Sloan Fellow, earning a master's in business administration from Stanford University .

Wallace and his team were responsible for the development and launch
of Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Chevrolet SSR. Additionally, he led the highly successful launch of the Saab 9-7X and the HUMMER H3.

An avid performance car enthusiast, Wallace has enjoyed competing in
both amateur and professional road racing, rally car and drag racing.
He started racing with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) more
than 30 years ago and has raced in a variety of Sedan and GT classes with race-prepped Oldsmobile, Buick and Chevrolet models.

Queen received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from
Kettering University (formerly GMI). She recently led the launches
of some of GM's most successful products currently in the market:

Chevrolet Cobalt and HHR, Saturn ION, the Pontiac Solstice and the
soon to be released Saturn Sky.

Queen has been with GM since 1974 and has held numerous Engineering positions, including vehicle chief and VLE assignments for both cars and trucks.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader since 1931. Founded in 1908,
GM today employs about 325,000 people around the world. It has
manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in
200 countries. In 2004, GM sold nearly 9 million cars and trucks
globally, up 4 percent and the second-highest total in the company's
history. GM's global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center
in Detroit . More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

tomtom72 · 10-28-2005

Bravo Mr. Hill. I hope Dave has a fun & rewarding retirement! Thanks for keeping the faith!

to Dave

Good luck to the new team. Thay have a tough act to follow.

WB9MCW · 10-28-2005

IT SURE WILL BE AN UPHILL BATTLE TO REPLACE HIM...PUN INTENDED..LOLOL

Kevin · 10-28-2005

can't say I'm sorry to hear it

RICHARD TILL · 10-29-2005

IF TOM WALLACE HAS BEEN WITH GM SINCE 1966, ADD IT UP. HOW LONG MIGHT HE BE GOOD FOR? GOOD OR BAD?

Patton · 10-29-2005

Whatâ€™s up with the CAPS LOCK people? I mean I can understand wadsworth,.... Thatâ€™s just part of the awesome wadsworth package for christ sake, wouldnâ€™t have it any other way. But lets draw the line somewhere,... For everybody else, save wadsworth, AS PER VERY VERY COMMON TYPING EDIQUETTE CAPS LOCK MEANS YOU ARE YELLING... Read closely, hopefully you will detect a difference...

Hey buddy, howâ€™s it going?

HEY BUDDY HOWS IT GOING?

One was calm and one LOUD... see? Give it a shot.

WB9MCW · 10-29-2005

PATTON FIGURED ME OUT,,, DAMN IT,,, I ALWAYS YELL A LOT....i think he is sensitive to all this yelling stuff cause he is in the mans army...jimo

Patton · 10-29-2005

Hey good thinkin wadsie,.. Cause most of us Jarheads are really sensitive creatures when it comes to yellin... or not. But hey quick, everybody take a screenshot!! Wadsworth has typed using freakin lower case letters!!!
that is a miilestone my friend, you and your family must be proud.

Dont worry wads, I got your back on the whole caps thing. I just dont want to see droves of just any ole jack biting off your styles.

RICHARD TILL · 10-29-2005

hey PATTON. i`m just an ole country boy who types with 2 fingers and may even spell words wrong. didnt mean to step on and "YOUR" toes.

tomtom72 · 10-29-2005

Just curious since for the past 20 yrs I didn't pay much attention to Hi performance cars. Is the vette in trouble from an engineering to reality point of view? In light of GM's financial difficulty there has to be an impact somewhere. I was thinking the other day that Chevrolet as a company probably could stand up by itself? Maybe Caddy also? I doubt any of the other divisions would have enough market share to carry on alone?

Did Dave have to do too much politicing & that took away from leading the engineering of corvette? The C5 & 6 platforms were his projects, weren't they? I remember when the C5 was announced & it even woke me up out of my slumber when I saw the chassis details. Ofcourse I thought to myself...it's so old it's new...the backbone type frame was used by Lotus on the Europa twin cam, 4 valve DOHC cars of the seventies. I know there isn't but so much you can do on a production line but at least it looked like GM was at least listening to the engineers at corvette.

Just curious. I'm not throwing rocks at anyone.

Tom

10-27-2005	#1
zr1mom Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 421	David Hill to Retire FOR RELEASE: 2005-10-27 GM Announces Corvette Chief Engineer David Hill to Retire Tom Wallace to lead performance car team DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. announced today that David Hill, currently GM vehicle chief engineer (VCE) for Corvette and vehicle line executive (VLE) for performance cars, will retire effective Jan. 1, 2006 after more than 41 years of dedicated service. Tom Wallace willreplace Hill as vehicle line executive - performance cars and vehicle chief engineer for the Corvette. Additionally, he will assume responsibilities for compact rear-wheel-drive performance cars including Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. Wallace currently is VLE for small/midsize trucks. Lori Queen, currently VLE compact cars and the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky , is appointed VLE for small/midsize trucks, replacing Tom Wallace. "David Hill has taken the Corvette to heights that few of us can imagine. In terms of performance, refinement and value, he has truly helped to make Corvette second to none. Dave is a true car guy who will take his rightful place among the legends of Corvette lore," said Bob Lutz, General Motors vice chairman, global product development. "What do you do to replace a guy like Dave? You do your best to get another one. Tom Wallace also is a car guy and racer who will make a perfect choice to lead the Corvette and Performance team. Besides, Tom was Dave's choice too. That should tell you all you need to know," Lutz concluded. Hill has a rich history with GM since joining Cadillac Motor Car Division in 1964. He moved through various engineering positions and was named an executive in 1979. In 1982, he was named chief engineer of the Cadillac Allante. Following the introduction of the Northstar engine in 1992 in the two seat luxury roadster, Hill assumed chief engineer responsibilities for the Cadillac Deville and Concours. Hill was named in 1993 as chief engineer for the Chevrolet Corvette, only the third chief engineer for the sports car in the vehicle's 53-year history. In 1995, Hill was named vehicle line executive for performance cars and led the development of the fifth generation Corvette and the introduction of the Cadillac XLR. Last year, Hill launched the latest sixth generation Corvette followed by the introduction of the new 505 bhp Corvette Z06 for 2006. Hill holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan . Wallace has been with GM since 1966 when he joined Buick Motor Division in Flint , Mich. He was named to an executive engineering position in 1980 while still with Buick and was later named to the GM Truck Group in 1995. Wallace holds a bachelor's in mechanical engineering from Kettering University (formerly GMI), and is a Sloan Fellow, earning a master's in business administration from Stanford University . Wallace and his team were responsible for the development and launch of Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Chevrolet SSR. Additionally, he led the highly successful launch of the Saab 9-7X and the HUMMER H3. An avid performance car enthusiast, Wallace has enjoyed competing in both amateur and professional road racing, rally car and drag racing. He started racing with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) more than 30 years ago and has raced in a variety of Sedan and GT classes with race-prepped Oldsmobile, Buick and Chevrolet models. Queen received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Kettering University (formerly GMI). She recently led the launches of some of GM's most successful products currently in the market: Chevrolet Cobalt and HHR, Saturn ION, the Pontiac Solstice and the soon to be released Saturn Sky. Queen has been with GM since 1974 and has held numerous Engineering positions, including vehicle chief and VLE assignments for both cars and trucks. General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader since 1931. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 325,000 people around the world. It has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 200 countries. In 2004, GM sold nearly 9 million cars and trucks globally, up 4 percent and the second-highest total in the company's history. GM's global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit . More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com. __________________ ZR-1 Mom Founder ZR-1 Net Registry Founder ZR-1 Net NCM Lifetime Member

10-28-2005	#2
tomtom72 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Jacksonville, FL USA Posts: 4,645	Re: David Hill to Retire Bravo Mr. Hill. I hope Dave has a fun & rewarding retirement! Thanks for keeping the faith! to Dave Good luck to the new team. Thay have a tough act to follow. __________________ 1990 ZR-1, Black/grey, #2233, stock. ZR-1 Net Reg Founding Member #316 & NCM member

10-28-2005	#3
WB9MCW Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: McHenry, Il. Posts: 6,607	Re: David Hill to Retire IT SURE WILL BE AN UPHILL BATTLE TO REPLACE HIM...PUN INTENDED..LOLOL __________________ http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o...9mcw/SIG-2.jpg http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o128/wb9mcw/vcm.gif "The Budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome will become bankrupt. People must again learn to work instead of living on public assistance." - Cicero, 55 BC " We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution." - Abraham Lincoln Last edited by WB9MCW; 10-29-2005 at 02:38 AM.

10-28-2005	#4
Kevin Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: pittsburgh Posts: 4,632	Re: David Hill to Retire can't say I'm sorry to hear it __________________ It's not the car, it's the people - Doug Johnson 90 r/r "KEYS ON" nick named "T.L.B"

10-29-2005	#5
RICHARD TILL Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Iuka, Mississippi 38852 Posts: 756	Re: David Hill to Retire IF TOM WALLACE HAS BEEN WITH GM SINCE 1966, ADD IT UP. HOW LONG MIGHT HE BE GOOD FOR? GOOD OR BAD?

10-29-2005	#6
Patton Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 224	Re: David Hill to Retire Whatâ€™s up with the CAPS LOCK people? I mean I can understand wadsworth,.... Thatâ€™s just part of the awesome wadsworth package for christ sake, wouldnâ€™t have it any other way. But lets draw the line somewhere,... For everybody else, save wadsworth, AS PER VERY VERY COMMON TYPING EDIQUETTE CAPS LOCK MEANS YOU ARE YELLING... Read closely, hopefully you will detect a difference... Hey buddy, howâ€™s it going? HEY BUDDY HOWS IT GOING? One was calm and one LOUD... see? Give it a shot. __________________ "Mr. President, we must not allowwww... a mine shaft gap!!" -General Buck Turgidson 1994 ZR1 - White on Black

10-29-2005	#7
WB9MCW Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: McHenry, Il. Posts: 6,607	Re: David Hill to Retire PATTON FIGURED ME OUT,,, DAMN IT,,, I ALWAYS YELL A LOT....i think he is sensitive to all this yelling stuff cause he is in the mans army...jimo __________________ http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o...9mcw/SIG-2.jpg http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o128/wb9mcw/vcm.gif "The Budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome will become bankrupt. People must again learn to work instead of living on public assistance." - Cicero, 55 BC " We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution." - Abraham Lincoln

10-29-2005	#8
Patton Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 224	Re: David Hill to Retire Hey good thinkin wadsie,.. Cause most of us Jarheads are really sensitive creatures when it comes to yellin... or not. But hey quick, everybody take a screenshot!! Wadsworth has typed using freakin lower case letters!!! that is a miilestone my friend, you and your family must be proud. Dont worry wads, I got your back on the whole caps thing. I just dont want to see droves of just any ole jack biting off your styles. __________________ "Mr. President, we must not allowwww... a mine shaft gap!!" -General Buck Turgidson 1994 ZR1 - White on Black Last edited by Patton; 10-29-2005 at 03:36 AM.

10-29-2005	#9
RICHARD TILL Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Iuka, Mississippi 38852 Posts: 756	Re: David Hill to Retire hey PATTON. i`m just an ole country boy who types with 2 fingers and may even spell words wrong. didnt mean to step on and "YOUR" toes.

10-29-2005	#10
tomtom72 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Jacksonville, FL USA Posts: 4,645	Re: David Hill to Retire Just curious since for the past 20 yrs I didn't pay much attention to Hi performance cars. Is the vette in trouble from an engineering to reality point of view? In light of GM's financial difficulty there has to be an impact somewhere. I was thinking the other day that Chevrolet as a company probably could stand up by itself? Maybe Caddy also? I doubt any of the other divisions would have enough market share to carry on alone? Did Dave have to do too much politicing & that took away from leading the engineering of corvette? The C5 & 6 platforms were his projects, weren't they? I remember when the C5 was announced & it even woke me up out of my slumber when I saw the chassis details. Ofcourse I thought to myself...it's so old it's new...the backbone type frame was used by Lotus on the Europa twin cam, 4 valve DOHC cars of the seventies. I know there isn't but so much you can do on a production line but at least it looked like GM was at least listening to the engineers at corvette. Just curious. I'm not throwing rocks at anyone. Tom __________________ 1990 ZR-1, Black/grey, #2233, stock. ZR-1 Net Reg Founding Member #316 & NCM member Last edited by tomtom72; 10-29-2005 at 08:26 AM. Reason: can't type & can't spell!!