Lauckner to wear many hats at GM
 | Lauckner: New responsibilities |
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DETROIT -- Jon Lauckner, the veteran General Motors engineer who played a key role in the development of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, is poised to take on the duties of three people.
Last week, GM said Lauckner, 54, will succeed Tom Stephens, 63, as chief technology officer when Stephens retires April 1. CEO Dan Akerson created the chief technology officer position a year ago for Stephens. GM spent $6.96 billion on r&d in 2010, a regulatory filing shows. A 2011 figure hasn't been disclosed.
Also effective in April, Lauckner gets responsibility for GM's global r&d operations, which had been overseen since July 2009 by Alan Taub, 57, a GM vice president who also is retiring.
Lauckner keeps his position as head of GM Ventures, a venture-capital unit formed in 2010 that invests in startup companies of interest to GM.
Lauckner will still report to GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky. In a statement, Girsky said: "With both GM Ventures and research and development aligned under him, we will be more nimble."
You can reach Mike Colias at mcolias@crain.com.
