General Motors promotes Mike Trevorrow to lead global manufacturing and engineering, aligning production with innovation in software-defined and electrified vehicles

In a move that points to its strategic focus on manufacturing as a cornerstone of product innovation, General Motors has promoted Mike Trevorrow to the position of senior vice president, global manufacturing. The appointment is effective immediately. Trevorrow, a GM veteran of more than four decades, will also continue in his existing role as vice president of global manufacturing engineering.

The promotion consolidates responsibility for GM’s worldwide manufacturing and engineering operations under one executive, reinforcing the firm’s commitment to tighter alignment between production and product development. Trevorrow will oversee more than 95,000 employees across 110 sites in 11 countries, spanning four continents. He will report directly to GM President Mark Reuss.

Trevorrow’s career reflects a deep-rooted knowledge of automotive manufacturing and a consistent record of leadership.

He began his career with GM in North American manufacturing and held a variety of operational and engineering roles, including a post in Japan.

In 2013, he was appointed executive director for global body in manufacturing engineering, before taking on the position of plant executive director of the Lansing Region. He has also served as vice president of global workplace safety.

In 2023, he was named vice president of North American manufacturing. Earlier this year, he advanced to his current post heading global manufacturing engineering, a remit that is now further expanded with his latest promotion.

”His promotion means we will maintain a strong link between manufacturing engineering and product execution, encourage more collaboration among our teams, and increase the pace of advanced technology and innovation”

- Mark Reuss, Presdient, GM

Mike Trevorrow’s aligns with GM’s forward focus

“Mike’s extensive experience in manufacturing operations and engineering, along with his steady leadership, make him the right choice to lead our global manufacturing organisation into the future,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “His promotion means we will maintain a strong link between manufacturing engineering and product execution, encourage more collaboration among our teams, and increase the pace of advanced technology and innovation.”

GM sees Trevorrow’s expanded responsibilities as key to enhancing the integration of advanced manufacturing technologies within the company’s operations. His appointment is intended to accelerate GM’s shift to software-defined vehicles and underpin broader innovation strategies tied to next-generation platforms.

The role also strengthens the link between production and the customer experience, recognising manufacturing as a critical lever in delivering quality and innovation across the lifecycle of GM’s vehicles.

By unifying leadership across its global manufacturing footprint, GM is betting on continuity, deep operational knowledge and technical fluency to drive its production network into a new era of speed, flexibility and digital transformation.

Strategic consolidation reflects GM’s manufacturing transformation goals

General Motors’ decision to consolidate its global manufacturing and engineering leadership under Mike Trevorrow is not merely a personnel move, but a strategic recalibration designed to accelerate the company’s transition into a new era of integrated, digitalised automotive production. The promotion aligns with growing industry-wide imperatives to unify manufacturing execution and engineering development as OEMs reconfigure plants for flexibility, software integration, and electrification. 

The appointment comes at a time when GM, like its global peers, is facing the dual challenge of scaling production for electric vehicles while simultaneously modernising legacy infrastructure to support software-defined vehicle architectures. 

By embedding engineering oversight within the top manufacturing role, GM seeks to streamline product industrialisation processes - reducing lead times, enhancing first-time quality, and enabling faster deployment of advanced technologies such as digital twins, closed-loop data systems, and flexible automation.

As AMS has documented, manufacturers are increasingly turning to modular architectures and digital production ecosystems to support vehicle diversity, complex option mixes, and over-the-air update capabilities. Trevorrow’s track record across workplace safety, body engineering, and North American operations suggests a focus on consistency and operational discipline, qualities critical to managing GM’s diverse footprint as it implements agile manufacturing systems at scale.

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Furthermore, with production operations spanning multiple regions and regulatory environments, GM’s unified leadership model can help standardise best practices while allowing for localisation.

This approach is particularly important as manufacturers balance the need for global efficiency with regional sourcing and compliance strategies, especially in light of evolving US industrial policy and Inflation Reduction Act requirements.

Ultimately, Trevorrow’s elevation signals GM’s intent to bring manufacturing engineering closer to the forefront of product and process innovation. By embedding this capability within its executive leadership, the company is reinforcing its commitment to digital continuity - from concept and design through to final assembly and customer delivery.