Mary Barra Considered Prospect For Next General Motors CEO (MotorTrend Magazine)
Much as Mark Fields is viewed as the heir apparent to the CEO position at Ford, many are saying General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) chief product officer Mary Barra is on the short list for the next CEO position at GM. Known for having a more reserved, analytical style and personality than some of the more flamboyant and colorful figures in the industry, Barra is reportedly held in high esteem by current General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) CEO Dan Akerson, who appointed Barra to her current role in 2011. Her previously-held position in human resources did not exactly endear her to the “car guys” that worked under her. But despite her position in HR, Barra’s background is engineering.
General Motors Company (NYSE:GM)’s decision to stop publicly disclosing monthly production numbers has touched off concern among industry analysts and economists, as well as suppliers that rely on the data for their production plans. For decades, GM and nearly all other major automakers have reported the number of cars and trucks produced at their North American plants each month, broken out by nameplate. The data get folded into numerous economic indicators, including ones published by the Federal Reserve, and are a benchmark for industry insiders to forecast GM’s future production. But this month General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) notified several research providers that publish production data — including IHS Automotive, the Automotive News Data Center and Autodata Corp. — that it will no longer give them those figures, providing instead only the number of wholesale deliveries.
Supporters of fired Colombian workers confront GM (Workers World)
For nearly two years members of Asotrecol — the Association of Injured Workers and Ex-workers of General Motors Colmotores — have been living in tents outside the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia. They are still demanding justice for workers who were fired after they were injured on the job in General Motors Company (NYSE:GM)’s Colombian plant. After they were fired, GM denied that their injuries were work-related, making them ineligible for workers’ compensation. On June 6, a group of activists, most of them rank-and-file union members, demonstrated outside GM world headquarters here during GM’s annual shareholder meeting. Huge letters on poster board spelled out a message that could not be clearer: “GM: workers are not disposable.” The protest received many honks of support and widespread media coverage.
GM poised to leap out of ‘lease hole’ (Automotive News)
General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) has a secret weapon in its bid to gain U.S. market share this year. Just consider the lease portfolio at Paddock Chevrolet in Kenmore, N.Y. Owner Duane Paddock says he’s finally beginning to see customers trickling in with expiring 36-month leases, after having barely any off-lease customers in 2012. The lease drought — a lingering effect of the recession and General Motors Company (NYSE:GM)’s 2009 bankruptcy — cut off a major customer stream for a store that once averaged about 180 lease returnees a month. “By about November we expect to be full-blown” with returning lessees, says Paddock, estimating that his sales staff will convert more than 50 percent of those into fresh leases or sales. He expects a few hundred off-lease customers to return this year, rebounding to nearly 1,800 next year.
GM recalls almost 200,000 SUVs over fire risk (NBCNews.com)
General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) is recalling almost 200,000 SUVs because corrosion in the driver’s door could cause a short circuit that poses a fire risk. In a notice to consumers GM says affected owners should park vehicles outside until they can be repaired. The recall involves certain model year 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, SAAB 9-7x, and Isuzu Ascender vehicles. Owners will be contacted and their door modules tested by authorized dealers, the notice stated. Any door modules at risk of corrosion will be replaced free of charge.
