My definition of 'innovative' is providing value to the customer. Mary Barra More Quotes by Mary Barra More Quotes From Mary Barra My goal is for General Motors to lead in safe autonomous driving. Mary Barra leaddrivinggoalsafe My senior leadership team is half people who have been at GM for a long period of time like me, and others who have joined the company within the last five years from different industries, experiences, and countries. You have a better picture of the world. The diversity of thought is where you can make better business decisions. Mary Barra mebusinessleadershiptime We have vehicles like the Opal Atom that we offer in Europe that offer consumers a huge ability to customize, from the color to the accessories. I'd say it's our vehicle that's the most customizable to give it quite a different look and feel. Mary Barra sayfeellookcolor Our goal is to make General Motors the most valuable automotive company. Clearly, that is having sustainable profitability and driving great returns for our shareholders. Mary Barra makegreatcompanydriving My father was a die maker for 39 years, so I had a basic understanding of the automobile industry and what the manufacturing world was like, just from the opportunity to spend time with him - just talking, because he was a car buff. Mary Barra caropportunitytimefather I started at General Motors at 18 years old as a co-op student at the General Motors Institute, which is now Kettering. Mary Barra oldstudentnowyears When I am there at our global product development centers, I am meeting with the design team and reviewing design work being done there and meeting with engineers responsible for work being done specific to that region, meeting with purchasing team. Mary Barra i-amdesignteamwork When you look at the Chevrolet Volt, those customers are some of the most satisfied across the industry. Mary Barra somelookyousatisfied The key with autonomous is the whole ecosystem. One of the keys to having truly fully autonomous is vehicles talking to each other. Mary Barra ecosystemhavingkeytalking When you look at the truck market in North America, you have to understand the customer, and that's one of the things I think General Motors does really well. There's a big population that buys our trucks. It's their life - or it's their livelihood. Not their lifestyle, their livelihood. It's a work truck. Mary Barra lookyouworklife I know we're all addicted to our smartphones, and I'll say, if I forget my smartphone, I go home and get it. And so understanding how to integrate that technology into the driving experience, both the front seat and the passenger seat and the back seat, I think is very important. Mary Barra experiencetechnologyhomeforget My first job at General Motors was as a quality inspector on the assembly line. I was checking fits between hoods and fenders. I had a little scale and clipboard. At one point, I was probably examining 60 jobs an hour during an eight-hour shift. A job like that teaches you to value all the people who do a job like that. Mary Barra jobyouqualitypeople It was great to go to Stanford. Until that point, I'd spent my whole life in southeast Michigan, working for General Motors. I was in a different part of the country. People didn't know what General Motors was, didn't care, or if they did, they might not have had a favorable impression. I saw people driving nondomestic vehicles. Mary Barra greatcarelifepeople A car is thirty thousand parts you're putting together. Mary Barra youthirtycartogether One of our most promising technologies is Super Cruise, which is the working name for an innovative system coming to Cadillac in the 2016 time frame. It will allow you to drive on the highway without touching the wheel or pedals, both at speed and in stop-and-go driving. Mary Barra namedriveyoutime I'm a big believer of work/life balance. You need a little down time to recharge to make sure that when you're here, you're really all here. I still have a child in high school, so I go to her sporting events, even if it means leaving work and working again when I get home. I probably should work out a little more than I do. Mary Barra youworkhometime
