Mary Barra

Mary Barra has led General Motors as Chair and CEO since 2014, making her the first woman to head a major global automaker. Under her leadership, GM has committed to an "all-electric future" with over $35 billion in planned EV and autonomous vehicle investment, while simultaneously generating record profits from its traditional internal combustion engine business — particularly the highly profitable full-size truck and SUV lineup (Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban). Barra's EV strategy centers on the Ultium battery platform, which underpins vehicles from the Chevrolet Equinox EV (affordable) to the GMC Hummer EV (premium) and Cadillac Lyriq. The ramp-up has been slower and more costly than initially projected, leading Barra to adopt a more pragmatic "multi-energy" approach that includes hybrids alongside full EVs. The Cruise autonomous vehicle subsidiary (majority-owned by GM) paused operations after a safety incident. Key stock drivers include U.S. vehicle sales (particularly trucks and SUVs), EV sales ramp-up and profitability timeline, production costs and pricing, UAW labor contract execution, China market performance (GM has historically been strong in China but faces intense local EV competition), Cruise autonomous vehicle strategy, and the competitive dynamics against Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, and Tesla.