Category Archives: people

Senate Hearing to Roast Mary Barra, Mike Millikin, Rodney O’Neal Tomorrow

In testimony leaked ahead of the hearing, Millikin claimed, “We had lawyers at GM who didn’t do their jobs, didn’t do what was expected of them.” Those lawyers are among the 15 people dismissed and are no longer with General Motors. Continue reading

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Cadillac Hires another Head as Johan de Nysschen Bolts Infiniti

The revolving door at the top of Cadillac continues today with the announcement that Johan de Nysschen, 54, is taking over the GM luxury brand that has seen three different people running it in less than two years, most recently Bill Peffer who suddenly resigned last month. Continue reading

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This Fourth of July More Independence is Needed

Unfortunately, as a result of political and Supreme Court decisions of our government comprised of craven “pay to play” politicians, we are not as free as we should be given our heritage. We remain dependent on foreign oil from nations that are openly hostile to us. We support dictatorships with billions in bribes called – euphemistically or cynically – foreign aid. Continue reading

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GM Recalls Another 8.5 Million Vehicles for 6 Safety Defects. $1.2 Billion Charge coming

GM said it expects to take a charge of up to approximately $1.2 billion in Q2 for the cost of recall-related repairs announced in the quarter. This amount includes a previously disclosed $700 million charge for recalls already announced during the quarter. Continue reading

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GM Names Cathy Clegg to Lead North America Manufacturing

General Motors has appointed Cathy Clegg as North America Manufacturing vice president, effective 1 July. She will lead a team of more than 74,000 employees with responsibility for 55 facilities including assembly, stamping, powertrain and component operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. She succeeds Gerald Johnson, who recently was named vice president, Operational Excellence. Kurt Wiese is named Global Manufacturing Engineering vice president, replacing Clegg. Continue reading

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John Bishop – Sports Car Racing Legend – to be Posthumously inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame

While with SCCA, Bishop is credited with creating the U.S. Road Racing Championship series, followed by the Can-Am, Trans-Am and Formula 5000 race series. Under IMSA’s sanctioning, Bishop introduced international endurance racing to North America in the GT series. Continue reading

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Ex Takata Exec Indicted for Seatbelt Price Fixing

Including Nakajima, 35 individuals have been charged in the government’s ongoing investigation into price fixing and bid rigging in the auto parts industry, 24 of whom have pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty. Of those, 22 have been sentenced to serve prison terms ranging from a year and one day to two years. Additionally, 27 companies have pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty and have agreed to pay a total of more than $2.3 billion in fines. Continue reading

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GM Appoints Tony Cervone as Senior Vice President, Global Communications as Recall Coverup Investigation Expands

Cervone succeeds Selim Bingol who left GM in April “to pursue other interests.” Ed Akerson, the former Chairman and CEO of General Motors, brought Bingo – a p.r. operative and / or lobbyist for ATT – into GM when he took over GM as CEO in July of 2009 as GM emerged from bankruptcy and GM CEO and lifer Fritz Henderson was forced to resign by the Federal Government, which with lavish taxpayer subsidies financed the GM reorganization. Continue reading

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Arena Football Players Join AFL-CIO

The Arena Football League Players Union, AFLPU, has joined the AFL-CIO following a unanimous vote by its Board of Player Representatives. The move comes as the league is about to add six teams in China to the fourteen teams that play indoors in the U.S. Continue reading

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Ex PetroTiger CEO Indicted for Bribery and Kickbacks

Joseph Sigelman, 43, of Miami and the Philippines, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of New Jersey and charged with conspiracy to violate the FCPA and to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to launder money, and substantive FCPA and money laundering violations while working for PetroTiger. Continue reading

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Grand Marshal Don Garlits at Detroit Dragway Reunion in Milan, Michigan Saturday. Be There or Be Square

This weekend in Milan, Michigan, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits will be the Grand Marshal at a tribute to the long defunct Detroit Dragway, a once famous – or infamous – shrine dedicated to a uniquely American passion. Sunday, Sunday, Sunday – be there or be square… Continue reading

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Department of Transportation Kisses Big Oil and Railroad Butts

The problem, the deadly problem, is that many of the tank cars in use by Big Oil and the railroads to move crude oil are not safe – as the Lac-Mégantic derailment that killed 42 civilians and wiped half of a southern Quebec town proved. Continue reading

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Ford Motor Finally Makes it Official. Alan Mulally Retiring. Mark Fields new President and CEO

Fields is a controversial figure who some senior executives at Ford referred to as a show horse as opposed to a work horse. Given the always-messy succession issues at Ford – with the family vying for top leadership positions against outside professional managers who have a demonstrably better record since the Deuce, the only fair thing AutoInformed can say is that we will look at the record going forward, and not the back biting of the past surrounding Fields. He inherits an under performing company with large quality challenges. Continue reading

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GM Nominates UAW VP Joe Ashton to Board of Directors.

The move comes after radical Republicans thwarted the establishment of a works council, which would require union representation in the anti-union South at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee. This is the only VW plant in the world without a works council, and VW has apparently put a big plant expansion on hold as a result. The high paying jobs with great benefits could now go to a VW plant in Mexico because of senseless political ideology. Continue reading

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Japanese Auto Parts Maker Showa Guilty of Price Fixing

Showa Corp., an automotive parts manufacturer based in Saitama, Japan, will plead guilty and pay a $19.9 million criminal fine for its role in a price fixing conspiracy. Continue reading

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