Page 66 - Motor Trend (January 2020)
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Carlos Tavares Joe Hinrichs
Chairman and CEO, PSA Group President of Automotive, Ford
2019 Rank: Unranked 2019 Rank: Unranked
General Motors couldn’t make money Ford CEO Jim Hackett moved
with Opel in Europe, but Tavares, who Hinrichs to the new role of
raised eyebrows when PSA bought overseeing the company’s global
the brand in 2017, is delivering on his automotive business as well as
promise to turn the brand around with product development—a good
tough love, cost-cutting, and the same fit given his business acumen and
discipline he applied to his other ability to work with others to get the
brands—which are showing job done. This puts him in line
record profits. to succeed Hackett.
33 32 31
Giovanni Palazzo
Takahiro Hachigo Chris Urmson CEO and President,
Electrify America
CEO, Honda Co-Founder and CEO,
2019 Rank: 29 Aurora Innovation 2019 Rank: Unranked
After seven years as VW’s head
Under this chief executive with 2019 Rank: Unranked of e-mobility strategy, Palazzo
an engineering background, After leading Google’s self- was put in charge of Electrify
Honda is streamlining its driving unit, Urmson co-founded America, which is installing fast-
products, consolidating models, his own startup in 2017. Aurora charging stations across the U.S.
reducing variants, introducing has partnerships with FCA and The independent subsidiary of
a new architecture, expanding Hyundai and investment VW was born of scandal, but its
its two-motor hybrid system, from Amazon, and it’s now comprehensive, open network
sharing more parts, valued at about $2.5 billion. of charging stations could be
30 reducing manpower, Aurora’s autonomous Dieselgate’s redemption.
tech will be seen in 2021 in
and spending
more on R&D. 29 vehicles from Hyundai and
Chinese startup Byton.
Mark Reuss
President, General Motors Ralf Speth
2019 Rank: 32 CEO, Jaguar Land Rover
Reuss is managing the day-to-day 2019 Rank: 16
for an automaker as focused on the Love it or hate it, after 22 years of
Corvette and Silverado as the goal begging, the Defender returns to the
to put 1 million electric vehicles on U.S. Jaguar has its own SUVs now, and
the next XJ flagship sedan is expected
the road annually while developing
autonomous vehicles and still making to be stunning and electric. Even as
a profit. It means overseeing JLR fights Brexit and slowing sales, 26
a leaner company going Speth is investing heavily and
forward to fund the has partnered with BMW
28 expensive tech. to develop electric Jensen Huang
powertrains.
27 Founder and President, Nvidia
2019 Rank: 15
Ola Källenius The founder of the graphics-
Chairman and CEO, Elon Musk processor chip company has
become the king of AI. From
Daimler AG CEO, Tesla gaming roots, he expanded into
2019 Rank: 41 2019 Rank: 42 transportation, manufacturing, and
The new CEO is making hard Another year of drama for Musk other fields. He is riding the demand
decisions to pare the lineup, with lawsuits and SEC concerns for artificial intelligence chips as
reduce cost, and form alliances to over tweets. But sales continue to deep learning becomes crucial to
improve margins while investing in grow, affordable Model 3s are on autonomous driving.
electric and autonomous vehicles. the road, there’s a new plant in
Sales are strong in China, but there China, and promises of a pickup,
are still problems in Europe—where compact crossover, roadster,
Daimler paid a fine for diesels and a big-rig continue.
accused of not meeting Ever the boy at
25 emissions regs. 24 heart, his cars
can now fart.
Dhivya Suryadevara John Krafcik
Chief Financial Officer, CEO, Waymo
General Motors 2019 Rank: 6
2019 Rank: Unranked Waymo has autonomous
In charge of GM’s finance taxis on public roads in
department since 2018, Phoenix, is mapping the 21
Suryadevara is pivotal in achieving streets of L.A., and will
annual cost reductions of $4.5 lease a factory in Detroit to Akio Toyoda
billion through 2020—ensuring the retrofit vehicles from FCA and President, Toyota
automaker has the resources for Jaguar to drive autonomously. 2019 Rank: 35
ambitious EV and autonomous Krafcik is also testing Waymo’s The scion of the founders remains in
vehicle plans while self-driving technology in charge after a decade with no signs
keeping things Class 8 trucks for use of slowing down. He wants to lead
running during 22 in the trucking the future of mobility with artificial
23 a protracted industry. intelligence and partnerships to
labor strike.
address the cost of future tech while
still creating fun-to-drive cars.
66 MOTORTREND.COM JANUARY 2020
