WCA March 2014

From the Americas

“[Ours] is a global partnership, very much focused on the fans in Asia and specifically China,” GM spokesman Vijay Iyer said in an email to Mr Bomey. “The next big step will be season 2014/15 when the Chevrolet Bowtie will be featured on the Man United shirt.” ❖ After leading General Motors Co through a difficult three years, Dan Akerson stepped down as chairman and CEO on 15 th January. Mary Barra – executive vice president of global product development, purchasing and supply chain – was elected by the GM board of directors to succeed him. Ms Barra, who will also join the board, will be the first-ever female CEO of any major automaker. The 10 th December announcement of Mr Akerson’s impending retirement came a day after the US government sold its remaining stake in GM from the 2008-2009 auto industry bailout. And, as noted by automotive reporter Michael Wayland of the Michigan media group Mlive , it came less than three months after Mr Akerson said that “a car gal” could one day lead a Detroit automaker. Ms Barra, a 33-year GM veteran, started her career as a General Motors Institute-Kettering University co-op student at the Pontiac Motor Div, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. She rose in the company through a series of manufacturing, engineering, and senior staff positions including vice president of global manufacturing engineering, executive director of competitive operations engineering, and manager of the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. She is credited by many with helping lead the company’s ongoing turnaround. “Mary is one of the most gifted executives I’ve met in my career,” Mr Akerson said during a media conference call. “She was picked for her talent, not for her gender [or] for political correctness.” Elsewhere in automotive . . . ❖ After Detroit’s bankruptcy filing in July 2013, the organisers of the North American International Auto Show 2014 were in some anxiety about the impact on overseas carmakers with bookings at the 25 th annual show, set for 13 th -14 th January. In addition to offering assurances as to security and services, the NAIAS organisers floated what Detroit Free Press business writer Brent Snavely termed “a more subtle message.” “This is almost on a subconscious level,” said show chairman Bob Shuman. “But do you want to be the manufacturer that abandoned Detroit? This is the year you better come strong to Detroit, because you don’t want to be the guy who ran out on us.” The subliminal message got through. In the event, no major automaker backed out of its commitment. On the eve of the show the Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) was expecting at least 40 all-new or redesigned vehicles to be unveiled.

The USA Today reporters also made a shrewd guess that, at times, “money changes hands out of the FAA’s gaze.” ❖ New York Times op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd observed that it will be interesting to monitor coverage by the Washington Post of its new owner – Amazon’s Jeff Bezos – as he takes on the FAA over drone regulations. Allied with the Motion Picture Association of America, which is working for the right of directors to use drones for aerial shots, Mr Bezos wants private unmanned drones to be permitted to share the skies with commercial aircraft. Wrote Ms Dowd: “A degree in drone management can’t be far off.” (“Mommy, the Drone’s Here!”, 4 th December). General Motors will pull the Chevrolet out of Europe to concentrate on becoming more competitive in South Korea In what the Detroit Free Press termed “a sharp reversal of its global strategy for its most iconic brand,” General Motors on 5 th December announced plans to largely withdraw its Chevrolet brand from Europe. GM’s then-CEO Dan Akerson acknowledged that the company’s Opel brand was competing directly with Chevrolet in the European market. The automaker’s reasoning is that, by removing the Chevy, it clears the way for Opel. “Europe is a key region for GM that will benefit from a stronger Opel and Vauxhall and further emphasis on [the luxury brand] Cadillac,” Mr Akerson said in a statement. “For Chevrolet, it will allow us to focus our investments where the opportunity for growth is greatest.” With respect to GM’s stated aim of maximising sales opportunities in its Korean operations, business writer Nathan Bomey of the Free Press pointed out that most Chevys sold in Western and Eastern Europe are built in South Korea. While the company has had some problems with unions there, GM Korea CEO Sergio Rocha declared an intention “to continue to become more competitive in Korea.” In so doing, Mr Rocha said in a statement: “We will position ourselves for long-term competitiveness and sustainability... while remaining a significant contributor to GM’s global business.” ❖ General Motors does appear to be keeping both its European and Asian prospects firmly in view. The company said ‘select iconic’ Chevrolets, such as the Corvette Stingray, would still be sold in Europe. It also said that its decision to stop offering the Chevrolet in Europe does not affect the seven-year, $600 million sponsorship agreement it signed in 2012 with European soccer franchise Manchester United to promote the Chevy brand. Automotive

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Wire & Cable ASIA – March/April 2014