10 executives who changed the industry -- for better or worse
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Akio Toyoda (left) and Norbert Reithofer |
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Norbert Reithofer
While he copes with the troubled European market, BMW AG's CEO, 56, is also pushing an aggressive green-vehicle agenda.
The automaker will emphasize recycled materials and provide for end-of-life recycling.
Akio Toyoda
Toyota's president, 56, is leading the automaker's strong rebound from two crises -- unintended-acceleration allegations and the tragic 2011 earthquake and tsunami. For 2012, Toyota is poised to reclaim the top spot in global auto sales.
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Elon Musk
When he wasn't launching spaceships or planning to mine asteroids, Musk, the 41-year-old CEO of Tesla Motors, kept pushing forward the launch of Tesla's well-received Model S. And his effort to bypass the franchised-dealer system stirred up dealers.
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Martin Winterkorn
The German automaker is looking like a juggernaut.
VW posted a record operating profit of $14.8 billion in 2011, and Winterkorn, its 65-year-old CEO, says it is likely to match that number this year, evidence that it seems to be quite capable of managing a broad array of brands.
Takanobu Ito
Honda Motor Co.'s CEO, 59, launched a major overhaul of the company's drivetrains and devised new product. He ordered a quick redo of the Civic, resurrected the NSX sports car and jazzed up the Acura brand. Ito also unveiled a new target: global sales of 6 million vehicles by 2016.
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Scott Painter
After some states classified TrueCar's model as bird-dogging -- paying a third party to bring buyers to a dealership -- Painter, 44, retreated and rethought his plan. Before year end, he was back with a reformulated TrueCar.
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Mary Barra
Barra, 51, GM's top product development executive, pushed "front loading" of decisions on vehicles in development to avoid last-minute delays. And she streamlined GM's product development, flattening what had become a top-heavy structure.
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Joel Ewanick
Ewanick, 52, General Motors marketing czar, inked a $600 million sponsorship deal with Manchester United, a British soccer club. The coup brought him down amid allegations that he went over budget and improperly accounted for the cost. Shortly after signing it, Ewanick was out.
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Jim Farley
Farley's out-of-the-box thinking was on display this year in Ford's launch of the mid-sized Fusion, the biggest use yet of the automaker's social-media expertise. But perhaps the toughest challenge for the 50-year-old Farley will be as senior leader of the effort to revive the Lincoln brand.
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Chip Perry
With aggressive marketing and acquisitions, AutoTrader's 59-year-old CEO has built the site into a car-shopping behemoth that helps 30 million consumers research vehicles every month.
