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Mary Barra Inducted Into Automotive Hall Of Fame

General Motors CEO Mary Barra has been inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.

Barra, along with five other notable people in the automotive landscape, will be recognized for their induction into the Class of 2023 Automotive Hall of Fame on July 20th, 2023 in Detroit. Barra is commended for becoming the first woman CEO in the automotive industry, guiding GM through the ignition switch recall, and establishing gender equity and equal pay within the Detroit-based automaker.

“This year’s class of inductees continues to recognize the breadth of contributions to this industry,” Hall of Fame president Sarah Cook was quoted as saying. “This group includes trailblazing innovators and leaders who have left an impact globally on the automotive industry and we couldn’t be more pleased to recognize their achievements and welcome them into the Hall of Fame.”

It’s worth noting that additional inductees will be announced in Spring 2023.

As a reminder, Barra was named to Forbes’ most powerful women of 2022 list, ranking fourth overall. Initially joining General Motors at the age of 18 as a co-op student at the General Motors Institute (now known as Kettering University), Barra has held a variety of different positions in the company, including management at the GM Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly facility (now known as GM Factory Zero), vice president of Global Manufacturing Engineering, vice president of Global Human Resources, and executive vice president of Global Product Development.

Following the announcement of Daniel Akerson’s retirement as GM CEO in late 2013, Barra took up the mantle in January 2014 as the first woman CEO to lead a major automaker. In fact, she remains the only woman with this distinction. Elected chairman of the board in 2016, Barra and now strives to transform GM into an all-electric automaker, with a noted goal of offering 30 EVs worldwide by 2025.

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Comments

  1. Love General Motors! Love Chevy! Sorry that they gave up on Pontiac! Want to see GM be prosperous, successful and number 1, but I HATE that they have neglected the CAMARO!!!!!! UNFORGIVABLE!!! 😩😩😩😩😩

    Reply
    1. Roger Smith and Rick Wagoner are both in the hall of fame. That tells me all I need to know.

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      1. And NOT Elon Musk.

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  2. Congratulations to Mary. At this point it appears well deserved. However, GM has fumbled the last couple years and they need to get parts shortages resolved and eliminate the long wait times for select models. Get some inventory out there so dealers stop charging market adjustments.

    Overall excited for what the future holds and all the upcoming EV models.

    Reply
    1. So please tell me which auto manufacturer avoided part shortages and long wait times for select models over the last few years? Do tell?

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      1. Starts with a T and ends with an A.

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  3. Somebody drank their hateraide I see. Congrats for being a diversity hire? That statement is the reason diversity hires exists. It’s awesome to see a female CEO.

    Reply
    1. No matter how lousy that diversity hire may me? Is it just a gender or color thing that automatically makes them goof CEOs?

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      1. Is it a gender or color thing that makes you a goof commenter?

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  4. It’s amazing what has happened to GMs culture, margin, customer acquisition via innovative products and industry driving vision.
    GM has evolved from a tired stale company that produced vehicles even rental car fleets were embarrassed by to cutting edge products that dazzle in many ways pleasing car guys and bean counters alike. This award is well deserved and hard earned.

    Reply
    1. Where are the dislikes coming from? I wonder if either of the trolls can muster up a rebuttal since they disagree. And maybe provide a LOGICAL explanation for why they would disagree. Is it simply “I dOn’T LiKe EVs, tHeY ArEn’T tHe SoLuTiOn” politically driven idiots that are rebelling against a private owned company because they think it owes them something? Lol. These people on this website are IGNORANT and so weird.

      Reply
      1. Your GM sucking sound makes you sound ridiculous.

        It’s okay to be critical of bad leadership, no matter the gender or color. Bad leadership isn’t based on those, it’s based on not leading and poor decision-making.

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        1. WHAT DO YOU DRIVE AGAIN, SIR? Would love to hear this…if you’re not a GM supporter then Why Are You Even Here?

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          1. Very happy F-150 owner…my 2nd one. 2009 Suburban was an unmitigated disaster, as were a number of our GM cars before that.

            Why am I here? Because somewhere deep in my mind, I hold out hope for GM. My family and I have been GM people from the early 70’s.

            But GM seems lost, narrow-minded, overpriced, and overly politics these days, when it should be building quality cars. I guess it’s hard juggling all of that…

            If you think I’m biased, merely look at market share, or better yet, look around your town. GM has been overwhelmingly replaced on the streets of America. Millions of once-faithful GM owners have moved to other brands.

            Why is the better question while you question me.

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            1. Wow, your comments clearly show how disconnected from reality you are. Refusing to look at reality or incapable?

              GM has laid out a clear plan to transition to EV long before all other legacy automakers. It’s a long term plan that will extend well beyond a decade. One by one, every other legacy automaker is realizing is they need to follow GM and Tesla and they are far behind. And despite Ford having 3 EV models available, they’re all based on modified ICEs and are compromised and they are losing money on each model.

              GM is also a leader in automated driving capabilities. Your Ford is trying to catch up but they have a ways to go.

              Show me what GM model that is significantly overpriced when compared to the equivalent Ford model? You’re not going to find it because most fords are actually even higher priced but I’d love to hear what you come up with.

              GM isn’t political. They have a leader who understands the benefits of diversity and as a woman, is making significant progress toward moving GM in a direction that embraces diversity. If you have a problem with that, step aside because you have a simple mind and you’ll hinder future growth and development wherever you are.

              And finally, reports suggest that GM quality continues to improve. Meanwhile at Ford, their CEO is commenting about how long it will likely take for them to improve quality.

              Keep you head in the sand, you’ll never realize when you get passed by and how pathetic your thinking is.

              Reply
              1. Idiotic reply, but here goes….

                Three incredibly easy question…

                Is diversity automatically always good?

                Are women leaders automatically better than men, and vice-versa?

                Where do qualications fit into your world view?

                Feel-good is not an answer.

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                1. 1. Yes. More than one point of view is always better than a single point of view. Always.

                  2. No. But, if there’s one of each, and each is equally qualified, then, given the historical omission of women’s points of view up until now, it might be a good idea to tip the scales the other way just a tiny bit for just a small period of time.

                  3. Right up there at the top. See answer #2.

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                  1. Okay, Esky, you bit. Let’s expand a little more:

                    When is diversity bad, if ever?

                    Are jobs best done by experienced, educated, well-sorted people, or just people with other voices?

                    Is diversity covering for underqualified people at any given time?

                    Lastly, do you want people specialized in surgeries to operate on you, or should it be a group of 25 doctors, nurses, technicians, and lawyers deciding what needs to be done just because they’re different from each other?

                    Let’s put this in another light. Are you good at your job/profession? If so, why?

                    Your thoughtful answer are appreciated a little more than you may think.

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                    1. 1. I was in err in the above answer #1. Diversity in and of itself is incapable of being good or bad. Diverse viewpoints are always beneficial. It’s up to you to do your due diligence on whatever viewpoints you receive. The seemingly inevitable result being innumerable silly discussions, many times with folk whose intellectual ambitions exceed their intellectual abilities, about whether or not a woman can or should lead a car company.

                      2. The two are by no means mutually exclusive. It’s entirely possible for experienced, educated, well-sorted people to be those who speak with “other” voices.

                      3. It’s just as possible that diversity is covering for as many underqualified people as is the opposite of diversity — which would be, of course, racism. Check that: Given the fact that, if only for the different lengths of time that each has been in force, racism has overwhelmingly covered for more underqualified people than has, so far, diversity.

                      4. You’re grasping for pretty much anything you can reach, except reality is still so very far away….Mary Barra is not a committee, she’s just one woman, so your question is irrelevant. Of course, surgery is best done by a single surgeon, although the more delicate a surgical procedure, the more likely it is that there will be multiple surgeons in the theatre.

                      5. Yes, I’m good at pretty much everything I do. I attribute that to an inquisitive mind.

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              2. I agree with the automated driving, but disagree with the rest.

                The electric and battery vehicle push is purely political. Vehicles like what they are pushing only work for the to and from work people. For those of us who drive long distances and have to tow frequently, the solution is hybrid or hydrogen tech, but thats not government backed or a good buzzword. Granted if battery tech improves, it could be a diff story but as of now it wont work for many of us.

                If GM was smart, they would try to help with the infrastructure issues with charging too. and you cant put a 200kw battery pack in a vehicle and be happy cause “it has 400 miles of range” even though its the most inefficient EV and takes forever to charge (and dont say use a super charger cause the closest one to me is 180 miles away).

                And while ford is bad right now for quality, thats true, chevy cant say anything yet. As for my credentials in all of this, I build custom vehicles on new platforms and currently own a 2021 silverado, a 2021 subaru crosstrek, a 1982 camaro, a 1986 k10, and a 2022 triumph motorcycle, and my wife has a Polestar 2

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  5. Why, because she is a woke female?

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    1. Just like the Hollywoodies heaping praise and awards on like-minded people in their bubble.

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  6. Barra has the opportunity to take her Hall of Fame award as-is, missing key components due to supplier constraints. The Automotive Hall Of Fame will inform her local awards dealer when these components arrive back into stock and arrange for an appointment date where she can bring her award in and have these dealer retrofits completed.

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  7. I will give her credit for one thing, employee profit sharing checks were much better under her. The 30 years I worked for GM my profit sharing check was never $300. I do think her leadership during the EV craze is off base. Their profits are in ICE vehicles, EV’s are still a generation away before becoming mainstream. When the power companies start upgrading the power grids then you can say EV’s are becoming viable.

    Reply
    1. Honestly I don’t understand your thought process. It’s almost like y’all want GM to be behind, play catch-up like Ford and Stellantis, wait until you feel that EVs have become “mainstream” and THEN GM should start working on producing their own EVs after the market has taken off without them? Yeah that makes perfect sense.

      Y’all complain that she collapsed GM, but y’all’s suggestions sound like they’d do that very thing. Not sure if you people who think you know it all as it pertains to GM, actually are aware of just how many people are on waiting list for a Ultium product from GM. Honda/Acura customers are waiting for GM’s EVs too.

      The more y’all try to critique MB’s leadership the more you make an arse out of yourselves. If I were you, I’d let her run the company and handle future endeavors, accept my raises in profit share, and shut it ALL THE WAY up – gracefully. She seems like a great leader for the cooperation with all the products they’ve rolled out lately, not only taking care of customers (lifter issue) but improving product build & quality and apparently also taking care of employees too.

      The GM haters aren’t going to LOVE this post very much!

      Reply
  8. Good…

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    1. That’s was “good”, correcting “goof” in my previous post..

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  9. Mary , is it true that the insane up swing in prices is on account of research and investments for EV vehicles ?

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    1. It’s economics 101. Demand is high, seller/manufacturer set prices accordingly. All part of Capitalism which is what made this country the way you see today. Don’t like how Capitalism works, North Korea will love to hear from you.

      Reply
  10. I’m constantly amazed at the ignorance of my fellow citizens every time I read the comments on this forum. I’ve sent letters many times to the site owners that this part of their web experience is horrific, useless and frankly detrimental to readership growth. I have never seen such racist, sexist, ignorant and thoughtless commenting concentrated so heavily in one place with regard to automotive forums. There is absolutely no value 95% of the comments as it relates to the topics at hand. Sure, there are a few thoughtful and informative posts here and there but the majority seem to come from undersexed, uneducated, thoughtless wastes of flesh (or bots). Not just on this post but across the board on this site.

    Read a book for Christ’s sake people. Think about what you say. Get the facts before you post garbage. Say something useful. And by all means grow the eff up.

    Reply
    1. Oh and I congratulate Mary for everything she’s done at GM from working her way to the very top from the very bottom to having the vision to step out into the brave new world of EV’s which like it or not is coming at us like a raging bull… Companies and leaders who don’t step out or at very least move with the times are destined to fail. My only gripe about GM and the other large automotive companies that it took Tesla to wake them the eff up.

      The should have been leading this charge but better late than never. Even Toyota has finally seen the light, fired their foot dragging CEO and is going to move full steam on EV’s…. It’s over people, get on board.

      Disclosure, I own a Tesla Model Y and a Chevy Bolt…. Love them both! 100% Electric in this house running on a home solar array for local transport. Haven’t bought a drop of gasoline since Dec 2022. Regularly smoke ICE vehicles even in the Bolt. Never been left on the side of the road. Never not been able to go where ever I want when ever I want. Leave the house every morning with a battery full of sunshine. Try it, you’ll like it

      Reply
      1. A household of what? Two?

        An electric car works for toting the miss and you to the grocery store, but loading the vehicle with kids and gear and sending that thing to Disney World is a whole other matter. Or try hooking up the family camper and making it out of the state.

        EV has a time and place, but for most active families — who actually use their vehicles as long-distance transportation machines — they’re just a non-starter.

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      2. Now that gas is back below $3, EV’s will never payout.

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    2. So just because you don’t like some comments, that means they shouldn’t be said? Better go back and read the Constitution.

      Reply
  11. Ok, congrats Mary.
    Tell us one thing , please.
    Is the INSANE price upswing in GM’s portfolio of vehicles ( especially trucks) on account of finance needs for the research and development of EV vehicles ?
    Please don’t blame it all on chips, supplier issues, etc.
    Every domestic and foreign manufacturer has lost it.

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  12. Yes great job Mary… My truck was produced May 28th 2022 and still hasn’t shipped… Again congratulations

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  13. I thought the Rock and Roll hall of fame is pathetic. Looks to me like the Automotive hall of fame wants to fight for the top spot. I can only hope they put a statue of Mary right next to uncle Roger!

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  14. Sounds a lot like the rock and roll hall of fame…lots of folks there didn’t contribute much either.

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    1. Don’t know much about music do you?

      Reply
      1. Maybe I should have said “rock” wise.

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  15. Well, this is gonna stir up the peanut gallery….

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  16. I suppose Ms. Barra gets Honorable Mention for sending decently sized profit sharing checks for the Production workers, but she has been much worse than MEDIOCRE in the release of Electric Vehicles…

    Item – Chevy Bolts built 2 years ago STILL do not have the promised replacement batteries (like mine)..

    Item – With supposedly OVER 8,100 LYRIQs manufactured during 2022, but only releasing 122 for sale, at that rate of release they have over a 66 YEAR supply without manufacturing a single one more.

    Item – LYRIQs are constantly advertised with other colors than BLACK, but other than a WHOPPING TWO Blues they have released a few Silvers, and only Blacks for the rest of the 2023 model year….

    Item – GM’s marketing department MOUTH writes checks the rest of the company can’t cash….. The LYRIQ, as a for instance was supposed to have a 2023 AWD model later on, and at first 2, then by MAY 19th, 2022 there were going to be 4 colors.

    The reality is only BLACK vehicles (besides the 2 blues, and a few Silvers) for the 2023 model year, and ZERO AWD models.

    Item – Making the Fanciest LYRIQ available first, then supposedly suspending any sales since they can’t get anything to work.

    All these $Billionaires always give each other Awards every other week. Other than parting with more than the normal amount of peanuts for the workforce, I don’t think she has done such a great Job. And that goes for the last 5 of her predecessors also, since gm’S market share keeps declining.

    But Mary actually looks pretty smart compared to FORD lately….. So I wonder if she is encouraging the more dopey of their engineering pool to go to work for FORD…. If you’ve been keeping up to date with the group of ridiculous Patents that FORD has applied for lately – its the only thing that makes sense.

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  17. For making gm bad ??
    GM world sales at 2014 -9.93m
    GM world sales at 2021 – 6.29m
    Including giving up key markets like Europe after 120 years.
    – 36% In sales So much talent 😃😃

    Reply
  18. OK now just get on with making them and putting them out to actually see and buy!

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  19. This woman is a WOKE politician and a traitor not a car person. Get rid of her immediately!

    Reply
  20. Well I would not have done this till she was retired. It is a bit early in the game for this honor.

    As for what she has she has navigated a very difficult road from the bail out and decades of failure to where GM has proven stable.

    GM is not doing EV because they want to but because they have to. If the trolls have not notices every automaker is following the same path as they have no choice. Some are doing it better like GM that has invested in EV but also is trying to keep ICE alive as long as they can.

    As for the loss of divisions GM had way too many brands and to fix much of their issues and waste they need to step back to move forward.

    As for the Camaro I would not get too worked up as this segment is not a high volume or high profit market anymore. The Camaro is not a cheap car to build and is very advanced but buyers want it to still cost $28K. I expect to hear soon what GM has planned. I do not think the car is totally gone but it will be transformed into something new as the old formula is dying.

    As for GM itself few companies are doing as well. Ford is in a major money problem and it has much to work out as they are just getting the income they need to feed future products. Quality is also a major issue.

    FCA sold out to the French and they are also having some money issues.

    This time in the industry it is so difficult as you have to meet all the government regulations that keep stacking up. How about that breathalyzer now required?

    You have all these woke groups committing cooperate black mail that if you do not support their causes they will destroy you in the media that is working with them, Companies are facing extortion from these groups and have little defense.

    The key points to GM is

    1) Remain profitable
    2) Keep Stable and growing stock prices even in economic down turns.
    3) invest in the future to keep GM on the leading edge of where the market is going.
    4) To maintain a dividend to share holders.

    Today companies no longer can afford to address every single niche in the market. They also have to work in the the areas they can remain profitable. GM suffered many mistakes and damage since the late 60’s and the price paid is what we are seeing today. It is nothing Mary did but more what she was given to work with.
    The lack of having good small cars and moving into more global markets in the 70’s has limited GM’s scope today.

    Even those American brands like Ford in Europe are struggling and selling plants to the Chinese.

    GM under Mary has not been perfect as Cadillac has been a unmitigated mess. But over all they appear to be on track now at GM and even have companies coming to them for tech and it is helping them off set cost. Honda came to GM not GM going to Honda.

    We unfortunately due to cost and regulations going to see some major changes to the industry and it will strike at the heart of the enthusiast. But the people who pay the bills are the family trucksters types who want affordable and safe transportation with utility to fit their lives.

    I expect performance to survive just not as many offerings and it may whine not roar. Either way it will be fast just different.

    I work in the racing industry and it will affect my work greatly. I hope to be done before all ICE is gone but it will be close.

    Reply
  21. In the 21st Century, the color of someone’s skin and/or what someone has in between their legs, far outweighs any accolades and credentials that he/she may possess.

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  22. Wasn’t the Vega ‘Car of the Year’, once?

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  23. Great for Mary, now retire and take the board members that favor Evs with you. U can’t make enough ice vehicles but continue trying to build Evs that are years away from being problematic. Hummers sitting in parking lots, pathetic , bolts having every battery replaced. Theirs plenty of life left in ice vehicles. If the west coast fell into the ocean along with the northeast no one would care about Evs. Gm should just keep working on quality control , and not be government puppets. Make your voices heard.

    Reply
  24. Well first of all who knew there was an “Automotive HOF”?? The bar must be set pretty low there or maybe full of woke ERG globalist who have an orgasm each time Queen maryb doubles down on investing in Communist China and or those EV environmental disasters she is shoving down our American throats entirely too soon & at break neck speed. But what happens when one of those Communist China trial balloons floats over the USA with a nuclear device attached OR a biological weapon with Wuhan COVID times 10??? Will you still be making all those Buicks & Caddys in Communist China Hall of Famer Queen maryb???

    Reply
  25. GM MADE A RECORD PROFIT IN 2022
    MORE MONEY WITH FEWER CARS
    EVEN WITH SUPPLY CHAIN PROBLEMS

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  26. I just want vehicles that are fun to drive. Every announcement from gm recently has been extremely disappointing, except the Corvette, which are overpriced and let’s be real, are still for the old country club set. Nothing wrong with that, but there is NOTHING exciting coming for the working person from gm. They are moving towards boring, soulless blobs to transport you from A to B, and NOTHING more. I just can’t go where Mary and gm are going anymore.

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  27. Where is the moderator of this site? Its not about cars anymore but people who hate everything. Go away if you don’t like where GM is going. I don’t care about your nonsense. Too many tolls here.

    Reply
    1. Not all of us are trolls (a term commonly used to dismiss differing opinions).

      Some of us are legitimate former GM enthusiasts who can easily detect the company’s bullcrap, and who proceed to call them out on it on this forum.

      But you seem to prefer an echo chamber of Mary/EV praise instead…and that’s perfectly fine if you wish to ignore honest concerns and complaints from lost customers.

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      1. How do you know what I prefer? Not worth arguing with you. As soon as my Bolt arrives ill be gone from this site.

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        1. Your plethora of previous posts indicate you blindly love everything GM and can’t tolerate fair criticism of them.

          Everyone who does criticize GM gets “kretched” on this forum.

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  28. Just look at the leader of Ford vs Mary and see who has been doing the better job.

    Ford is in a serious financial issue and it is not getting better.

    Yet GM has navigated tough times and even paid a dividend and profit sharing to the employees.

    Reply

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