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GM has hired it's first woman CEO, Mary Barra. My impression is that women in general do not have the same passion for cars as men. IMHO, men understand the legacy of the car, how it relates to the American Dream, and the sense of style that allures buyers. Do you think this is just a stereotype? But, then GM has made very few beautiful cars over the last several years anyway.
yes its a stereotype, its called being sexist. i dont see any issue with a woman running GM, there are bad CEOs and very good CEOs that demand much from their engineers, we will see if she can walk the walk.
I think... It could be a good move for GM. As you mention, women do not have the "same" passion for cars as men do. It doesn't mean they don't have passion for cars, I know lots of women that do, but they tend to value some things and look at things differently than men do. As far as style goes, think about how the average man dresses. We're not exactly great at style ourselves.
I think her input could be very valuable to GM... or it could crash and burn tremendously, LOL
Who knew that women had so much influence when it comes to buying the family car? In fact, women have almost 80 percent of the purchase decision power – that’s a pretty impressive number.
The Heels & Wheels website (the site focuses on real world testing specifically by women) has some interesting numbers regarding women and their automotive purchasing influence. In addition to the figure stated above, women also make 62 percent of new car purchases and have over $5 trillion in purchasing power. And when the car breaks down, women make 65 to 80 percent of the service and maintenance decisions.
She seems like she's got some "gasoline in her blood" with her fondness for Camaros and test driving cars on the track and has proven herself in her 33 years at the company at various positions. We have many women engineers and designers to thank for dramatically improving interiors in nearly all marques in the last couple of decades (I will probably be labeled sexist for that comment but I believe it to be true, and appreciate it- and not that women engineers haven't also contributed in other areas of car design).
Running a car company is very different from designing engines or racing cars so there certainly is no reason why she couldn't succeed at it as well or better than a similarly qualified man. I used to hate all things GM and the last few years Cadillac has made huge strides, all GM interiors are much better and the new SS looks like a mighty fine car as well; she has had a great deal of input in these areas so I wish her "Good Luck and prove yourself even more".
GM has hired it's first woman CEO, Mary Barra. My impression is that women in general do not have the same passion for cars as men. IMHO, men understand the legacy of the car, how it relates to the American Dream, and the sense of style that allures buyers. Do you think this is just a stereotype? But, then GM has made very few beautiful cars over the last several years anyway.
Car companies had to adjust because women can and do make family decisions on the vehicle these days. And they have for quite a while. Since the 90s women have been the ones who really make the purchasing decisions in the household. Personally I don't much care who my leader would be as long as they are a leader. Women can do just as good of a job as men can. Read up on this lady before you dismiss her as just a know nothing woman.
Her job as very little to do with having a passion for cars.
She operates a huge company. Her job concerns strategy and decision making. She doesn't need to know the spec of every Corvetter. She needs to be an effective leader who makes sound decisions.
GM has hired it's first woman CEO, Mary Barra. My impression is that women in general do not have the same passion for cars as men. IMHO, men understand the legacy of the car, how it relates to the American Dream, and the sense of style that allures buyers. Do you think this is just a stereotype? But, then GM has made very few beautiful cars over the last several years anyway.
She wasn't hired. She was promoted from within. Being with the company 33 years suggests she has more than a passing interest in cars.
CEOs often move from one company to another. A business is a business, and they all need to turn a profit. A good CEO will use what they know, recognize what they don't, and properly manage those have the rest of the info. With that in mind, though I believe she is somewhat more a car person than Joe Average, she doesn't need to be an automotive wizard or brilliant visionary to make her new position a success.
Yeah, no kidding! Why would you (OP) think women can't share a passion for cars, or that men have some sort of innate "appreciation" for the history of the automobile? Not many still-living Americans were around when the first car came rolling off the assembly line, so it's not like a man is any more likely to have that strong connection. And people wonder why I say women aren't regarded the same in auto-related businesses/hobbies? Sheesh.
But like a few others have said, her position is more about being a good businessperson - which a woman is perfectly capable of being, regardless of the specific industry. Although, if she weren't at least somewhat passionate about cars, why would she have been in this business for so long?
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