CN's auto industry people of 2010

Our pick of the industry's who's who for 2010

Auto industry people of the year 2010

As we recover from the GFC mire, a select few automotive industry personalities have shown determination and leadership to bring a turnaround of sales and substance. Similarly, some shining representatives from the world of motorsport have also won our praises. Here's how the Carsales Network team rate this year's Automotive person of the year.


Mike Sinclair - Editor in Chief
The importance of the role Mark Reuss has played, and continues to play, in the ongoing rehabilitation of General Motors both in Australia and internationally is starting to come into sharper focus. On the podium when GM rang in the start of trading at the NYSE fate the world's largest-ever IPO, Reuss heads up GM's critical domestic division and plays a hugely important role in influencing future product -- and not just for the USA.

Locally new Holden chairman Mike Devereux will in April or May announced Holden's first profit for six years, but perhaps more importantly that announcement will come after first pushing the button on local small car production and, very likely, after confirming strong ongoing exports of Commodore based police cars (and perhaps civi versions). Cruze, the police car, a stable growing employment register at its factory in Adelaide, and ultimately the profit, are all part of a legacy gifted to Devereux and the Holden 'family' by Reuss.

There's a long road ahead both locally and internationally but the GM machine is no longer broken down and parked on the side of it. Reuss has been instrumental in the change. He will one day run the company globally.


Ken Gratton - News Editor
Mark Reuss' meteoric rise through the ranks of the New GM has been truly remarkable and it's a sign of his competence and his career achievements. He has the interests of both Holden and GM at heart; that will benefit both the parent company and the local subsidiary. Since moving from the top job at Holden (MD) about 18 months ago, he has re-cast the upper management at GM and head-hunted Holden's Alan Batey to sell Chevs in the US. Watch what he does in the next couple of years, because sure as the sun rising tomorrow, he'll put into practice some of the lateral thinking he has learned at Holden -- and that can only help the General.


Melissa McCormick - Production Editor
Beneath Wolfgang Durheimer's flowing Hollywood locks lies a glowing brain. Say what you will about the (company-saving) Cayenne or (popular, despite the doubters) Panamera: he's the one behind those cars and who found Porsche new customers... Which means we're now treated to beauties like the Boxster Spyder and, potentially, the awe-inspiring 918 Spyder.

In the latter case Durheimer told me at its reveal in Geneva that Porsche was already committed to production... "We're much closer to our supercar than they are over there," he said, with a dismissive look at the Benz stand with its F800 Style Concept.

The friendly, polite and charming German is heading up Bugatti and Bentley... I just hope the move doesn't end up as my disappointment of 2011...


Feann Torr - Staff Journalist
Mark Webber for not only making the 2010 F1 season one to remember (back-flipping his multi-million dollar F1 car, dueling with Vettel, the controversial 'nanny state' comments) but also for keeping secret his broken shoulder in the last four races of the season.

Most people would take a break (excuse the pun) and holiday in Monaco, but this bloke decided to soldier on and keep the injury under wraps as his body was wracked with G-forces every other weekend.


Matt Brogan - Staff Journalist
The quiet achiever of the local auto sales and marketing world, Volkswagen Australia's Anke Koeckler's results speak for themselves. Volkswagen continues to go from strength to strength in Australia and its Anke and her enthusiastic team who battle hard to make this happen. A swathe of new vehicles have no doubt helped the German brand's success in this country but even so, it takes a bit of nous at the top to move metal, and this is something Anke manages with calm control.

Next year, as VW's new Amarok utility joins the fold, I'm sure we'll continue to see the VW success story continue and it's with interest we watch VW's approach to this product locally. Now, if only we could convince Anke to bring in Scirocco!


Joshua Dowling - Contributing Writer
The grandson of the founder of what is now the world's biggest carmaker, Akio Toyoda, is leading the biggest process change in Toyota's history. Quality and reliability -- not growth -- is once again the priority.

It is a shame that it took the recall of almost 10 million cars this year alone to trigger the company into action. And it is also unfortunate that the company took so long to react -- because it didn't fathom the gravity of the situation, which in itself was part of the problem in the first place. Hopefully the whole dire experience a big enough wake up call for Toyota to put this mess behind it once and for all.

Customers appear to have forgiven the car maker and in Australia its reputation has made almost a full recovery. The true test, however, will come when key models developed during the middle of the recall crisis -- the next-generation Camry sedan and Yaris hatch -- are released in late 2011.

Honourable mention for local automotive man of the year goes to an unlikely candidate who is yet to put any runs on the board in his new role: Clyde Campbell. The former Mercedes-Benz Australia executive is now running Chrysler-Jeep in Australia after a two-year hiatus from the car industry. He deserves accolades for taking on such a tough job with a range of cars that are tough to sell in Australia.


Michael Taylor - International Correspondent
Usually, the talk will be of Allan Mullaly or Martin Winterkorn.

Mullaly's genius was borrowing more money than even GM needed, but getting it done before the crisis. Now he's playing on Ford's perception as the rock-solid US maker beautifully. Winterkorn's genius is managing everything from the sometimes over-ambitious ideas of his boss, Ferdinand Piech; to the egos of his underlings.

For mine, though, Peter Schreyer has done wonders for Kia. Its design chief, he's shown the world once and for all that you don't need to drive an ugly car if you are on a budget. He has navigated notorious corporate politics to give Kia a funky look that's at once aggressive, unashamed and clean, devoid of the chromed tomfoolery that can sometimes plague Hyundai.

Would people have bought Kias without the input from the designer of the Audi TT?  Thanks to Schreyer, affordable doesn't have to be ugly, too.


Gautam Sharma - International Correspondent
One of my colleagues perhaps unkindly labelled him a "cruise ship crooner" for his Teflon-smooth demeanour in front of a large crowd, but you've got to hand it to Lotus CEO, Dany Bahar.

The ex-Ferrari exec has rung in the changes left, right and centre since being appointed to the position in September 2009, and he's been the driving force behind the company's bold initiative to take on Porsche across almost all segments. The Paris motor show unveiling of five new concepts had a touch of Hollywood about it (with Mickey Rourke, Stephen Baldwin and Naomi Campbell among those doing the unveiling), but it worked. Everyone was talking about it afterwards, and suddenly Lotus had taken root in the consciousness of many of those who had formerly never even given a passing thought to the brand.

Of course, putting on a show is one thing, creating a profitable business is another, but one gets the feeling there is at least a bit of substance behind the hype. By his own admission, Dany Bahar is not a 'car guy', but he's managed to poach some of the best brains in the business from the likes of Porsche, AMG and Ferrari to help him in his cause. Among these are ex-Ferrari crayon wielder Donato Coco, who has been entrusted with creating the new look of Lotus as it ushers in its 'new era'.

I'm not sure if Bahar hasn't bitten off more than he can chew, but the man deserves credit for having the vision -- and cojones -- to embark on this quest.


Jeremy Bass - Green Motoring Writer
Sebastien Vettel's the obvious one -- at 23 the youngest F1 world champion ever. Mark Webber's another contender for coming pretty close to a spot among the oldest. But -- call me a goose if you must -- for my money top spot on this year's podium goes to one very special guy striking terror in the hearts of the oil and coal lobbies by delivering his unique brand of marketing clout to EV promotional 'charity' Plug In America...


Mike McCarthy - Contributing Writer
Sheer genius, or an utter nutter? Lotus CEO Dany Bahar is easily motoring's biggest shock-and-awe newsmaker of the past year.

Bahar came to the comparatively small but ambitious company after influential upper executive stints at Ferrari and Red Bull. By mid-2010 Bahar was touting a new era in which Lotus will claim its allegedly rightful place among the likes of Porsche, Jaguar and Maserati. Ergo, the 'cottage' Brit brand has embarked upon huge leap upmarket, or a potentially calamitous crash and burn.

Although Lotus has history as an enthusiasts' sportscar marque, previous attempts to lift its products and brand image haven't really hit the heights. But the new plan goes far beyond anything that preceded it. Apart from proposing five striking new or updated model lines from 2012 to 2015, Lotus is pushing the lifestyle angle with a trice-yearly glossy magazine, a retail range of sportwear, testimonial celebrities and the Heritage and brand-building angles. It's also supporting hefty motorsport campaigns.

Regardless, the courageously/foolishly bold attempt to lever Lotus into a much higher league certainly means there's yet more to be heard of (and from) Dany Bahar.

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