Quote Of The Day: Mary Barra's Big Break Edition
Weeks after being appointed to the top of GM’s new product development team, Mary Barra remains something of an enigma to much of the automotive press. Like, what accomplishments earned Ms Barra her lofty spot on GM’s org chart? According to Newsweek‘s Doron Levin
When Mary Barra was a senior manufacturing executive a few years ago at General Motors, she spotted another maker’s car decked out in a rich metallic black color. It was unlike anything GM was offering, so she suggested the color be added to the company’s palette—and was promptly rebuffed by fellow engineers, who fretted about potential quality-control difficulties. But Barra wouldn’t take no for an answer, and before long buyers were able to get their Cadillac Escalades and Chevy Malibus in elegant “Carbon Flash.”
So, now we know.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
Comments
Join the conversation
Title of source article: "How Mary Barra Is Supercharging GM" Content of source article: Anecdotes and speculation and nothing about what Barra is doing at GM. I'm guessing this quote is relevant: "Barra is injecting her manufacturing experience into a realm formerly dominated by gut-feel designers. That, Runkle says, could ultimately bring a needed dose of practicality to the design process, signaling that “how vehicles are built will be more important.” I dont know. I'm starting to get the feeling that I can write for a major news outlet. Just gotta work on my bs a bit.
I'm glad she was there to use "Carbon Flash" to elevate the prestige of the Escalade and Malibu. I'm mean it so unique. It's not like something you would see on a Ford Fiesta. Oh wait, you can get a "Tuxedo Black" Fiesta... Well, I'm sure its only available on "nice" Fiestas... Oh wait, it comes on the Base "S" Sedan... Never mind.
The woman who's really making a difference here is Tina Brown, who is about to put a pitchfork in this style of Newsweek "reporting." Current version of Newsweek, RIP. You won't be missed.