Tag Archives: mary barra

Cruise and GM Closer to Sale of Self Driving Vehicles

“These appointments further demonstrate our commitment to transforming mobility through the safe deployment of self-driving technology and move us closer to our vision for a future with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion,” said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. Continue reading

Posted in autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, mobility company, news analysis, people | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

GM CFO Stevens to Retire. Dhivya Suryadevara New CFO

In an unusually long exit, Stevens will remain with the company as an advisor until his retirement. At GM’s annual meeting yesterday, five anti management proposals received significant votes, but not enough to disrupt business as usual at GM. GM stock has been trading in the $44 range, about $6 ahead of its post-bankruptcy return to public trading. Continue reading

Posted in people | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Autonomous Vehicle Nod – Super Cruise on All Cadillacs

The driver assistance device is made possible by precision LiDAR map data, high precision GPS, a driver attention system and a network of camera and radar sensors. It requires an active OnStar service plan with emergency services to function. Customers it’s said can drive hands-free on more than 130,000 miles of limited-access freeways in the U.S. and Canada. Continue reading

Posted in auto news | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

CEO Mary Barra, 54, Now Also Chairman of GM Board

In a breakthrough that would have been unthinkable even a few years ago, one that is without precedent in automotive and arguably corporate history, current GM CEO Barra becomes the highest ranking female now running a large publicly traded company. Continue reading

Posted in news analysis, people | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

GM Restructures Global Product Development Again

In the seemingly endless series of corporate moves that are always claimed to improve competitiveness, General Motors is restructuring its vehicle line engineering groups to consolidate current development executive roles and reduce new product birthing times. It appears to be the first major action by Mary Barra, a human resources executive who took over product development in January 2011. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, engineering, news analysis, people | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

GM Plans Four World Debuts at NAIAS. Where is Bob Lutz?

“ATS enters the biggest market segment in the global luxury car industry, both in terms of volume and importance,” said Barra.

No kidding. ATS better be good when it appears next fall.

But when I asked what GM consultant Bob Lutz was doing these days, Barra said she was trading e-mails with him about getting Lutz to drive a new Chevy Sonic, which has been on sale globally for a couple of years. While Barra called Lutz an “automotive rock star,” there was no hint in her brief response that she was spending any time with Lutz. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, marketing, new vehicle, news, news analysis, people | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

General Motors Appoints Mary Barra, a GM Human Resources Executive, to Head Global Product Development

General Motors today named Mary Barra, 49, senior vice president, Global Product Development, to lead the design, engineering, program management and quality of vehicles for GM’s 11 brands around the world.

Barra comes to the high visibility position once occupied by formidable car guys, including Tom Stephens and Bob Lutz from her position as vice president, Global Human Resources. Prior to this appointment, Barra had been vice president, Global Human Resources since 2009. Both Lutz and Stephens carried the title of vice chairman, so Barra’s job has been downgraded in the latest GM reorganization. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, manufacturing, new vehicle, people | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment