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Report: Ferrari chairman ticked off by Alonso

Filed under: Motorsports, Ferrari, Racing

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo does not strike us as the kind of person we’d want to cross. We imagine the Chairman of Ferrari as sort of like an automotive Don Corleone, a thought that is further confirmed when we hear about the aftermath of last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso made some unsubstantiated remarks that have angered his team, with The Daily Mail reporting that when asked after the race what he wanted for his birthday, the Spaniard responded “Someone else’s car.” And while no one seems to know exactly what was said, it was enough to prompt a personal phone call from the boss of Ferrari on Alonso’s birthday for a dressing down.

Montezemolo reminded Alonso that, “All the great champions who have driven for Ferrari have always been asked to put the interests of the team above their own. This is the moment to stay calm, avoid polemics and show humility and determination in making one’s own contribution, standing alongside the team and its people both at the track and outside it.”

The Italian wasn’t done, though, presenting each of the team’s engineers with a symbolic gift – a knife to put between their teeth. We think there’s a pirate reference here, but aren’t certain. According to Sky Sports, he opened the post-race meeting by informing team principal Stefano Domenicalli that, “The Ferrari I saw in yesterday’s race doesn’t sit well with me.” We aren’t the only ones imaging the threatening undertones here, right?

Formula One is entering its summer break, meaning that each team has four weeks to get itself sorted out before the end-of-season grind kicks in. There’s no doubt that after this very public display from Montezemolo, that Ferrari will have its nose to the grindstone.

Ferrari chairman ticked off by Alonso originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Jul 2013 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Incoming Toyota chairman wants a Supra successor

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Toyota

We’d venture to guess that in recent years, there have probably been almost as many rumors swirling about a Toyota Supra successor than there have been for a mid-engine Corvette. (Case in point: the speculative renderings we came across a few years ago, pictured above.) While we don’t expect the Corvette’s recipe to change drastically any time soon, it looks like a Supra – or more appropriately a Supra-like car – could be closer than we think.

First, there was an announcement of a BMW-Toyota joint venture. Said venture would, among other things, “Set up a feasibility study to define a joint platform concept for a mid-size sports vehicle.”

Upping chances even further, a new Automotive News report claims that incoming Toyota chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada wants a vehicle “comparable” to the Supra. Clearly there are a lot of parties that want a new Supra to happen – to say nothing of enthusiasts – but Uchiyamada might be just the guy to get it done. None of this is proof positive of an impending Supra, to be sure, but winds do seem favorable.

Incoming Toyota chairman wants a Supra successor originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Follow-up: Kia names new vice chairman

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Kia, South Korea

Kia has named its next vice chairman. Lee Hyoung-Keun, the company’s chief of overseas operations, will step up into the automaker’s highest leadership role to fill the void left by Jeong Sung-Eun, who stepped down from the position of vice chairman after a global recall sent many of the company’s vehicles in for repairs. Lee, who is also known as Hank Lee, will continue to perform the duties of his old role in the company while taking on the responsibilities of the vice chairman at the same time.

The Detroit News states that Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-Koo was originally responsible for asking Jeong to step down, though Hyundai has not officially confirmed this report. Kia recalled a total of 104,047 vehicles worldwide, with 35,185 of those in the United States. The recall primarily concerned a faulty wiring harness that could eventually cause a fire if left unchecked.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Follow-up: Kia names new vice chairman originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia Motors chairman resigns over recalls?

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Kia, South Korea

Jeong Sung Eun, the vice chairman of Kia Motor Corporation, has reportedly resigned on the heels of a large recall by the automaker. According to Automotive News, Eun stepped down on September 3 after a global recall sent a total of 85,900 Kia vehicles back to the factory due to faulty wiring. In the U.S., around 35,000 Soul and Sorento models were impacted by the fault, which could cause a short that can result in a vehicle fire. The company is also recalling 18,147 Sorento, Borego and Soul models in China for bad circuit boards.

Before becoming the vice chairman of Kia, Jeong served as a president of the company’s production division. As of right now, it’s unclear who will take over Jeong’s duties within the company or what the former vice chairman will do now that he’s stepped down.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Kia Motors chairman resigns over recalls? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Introducing Dan Akerson, the next Chairman and CEO of General Motors

Filed under: Etc., Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, GM

Another round of CEO Musical Chairs is being played at General Motors.

When Daniel F. Akerson officially begins his tenure as GM’s chief executive officer on September 1st, he will be the fourth person to sit in that chair in less than two years. Rick Wagoner stepped down from the position at the request of the United States government and was replaced by Fritz Henderson, who then resigned in December of 2009. Ed Whitacre took the reigns in early 2010, and now Akerson will replace him as both CEO and chairman of the board by year’s end.

But who is Dan Akerson? After all, most of us had never heard his name before this big announcement, and he must be awfully qualified if he’s been offered the top-ranking position at one of the world’s largest automakers.

Akerson, 61, has been a member of GM’s board of directors since July of 2009 where he worked closely with Whitacre. In addition, he currently serves as managing director for the Carlyle Group, a United States buyout firm, and is one of the directors at American Express.

GM picked a successor for Whitacre who has had plenty of experience with business management. Akerson is the former CEO of Nextel Communications, a wireless carrier now owned by Sprint, as well as a former CEO of telecom services provider XO Communications.

He was also appointed to GM’s board of directors after the company emerged from bankruptcy reorganization last year. He may not be much of a car guy by our definition, but in terms of someone capable of running a major corporation, both Whitacre and the rest of the GM board of directors are confident that Akerson will use his years of experience to continue to reshape GM during this crucial time of restructuring. Godspeed, Dan.

[Source: General Motors, The Wall Street Journal]

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Introducing Dan Akerson, the next Chairman and CEO of General Motors originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM board member Kresa retiring, led automaker as interim chairman last year

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, GM

General Motors board member Kent Kresa has reached the ripe old age of 72, and as such, he is no longer eligible for re-election to the company’s controlling body.

Kresa originally came to GM after retiring from Northrop Grumman Corp. where he helped lead the aviation giant through troubled waters of its own. Kresa joined ‘old GM’ in 2003 and served on the board until the company’s bankruptcy in 2009. You might best recall that Kresa stepped into the chairman slot left vacant when former CEO Rick Wagoner left the company just prior to The General entering into Chapter 11. When ‘new GM’ formed its board, the executive was there to lend his experience in leading a company through difficult financial decisions.

Kresa was also instrumental in bringing in a wide array of new talent onto the GM board, including the company’s 13th board member, Cynthia Tulles. Don’t expect Kresa to be spending his days playing shuffleboard, though. He also serves on a number of other corporate boards, including Fluor Corp in Irving, Texas and MannKind Corp in Valencia, California. Hit the jump for the GM press release.

[Sources: General Motors, The Detroit News]

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GM board member Kresa retiring, led automaker as interim chairman last year originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Volvo’s new chairman wants 7-Series, S-Class rival

Filed under: Sedan, China, Volvo, Geely, Luxury

2011 Volvo S60 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Geely isn’t wasting any time in shaping up its newest acquisition’s product line. The Chinese automaker officially completed its deal to purchase Volvo from Ford earlier this week, and already the Swedish brand’s new chairman is making noises about a new large luxury sedan to go toe to toe with the likes of the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Li Shufu, Volvo chairman and co-chair of Geely, said that the brand already competes with luxury German carmakers in most markets, but lacks all of the hardware to do so effectively. To remedy the problem, Li wants to put the rush on a new saloon to take the fight to the Bavarians.

According to the Financial Times, Volvo repeatedly ran into roadblocks when it attempted to develop a large four-door under Ford. Evidently the Blue Oval was concerned about a long-wheelbase Swede nabbing sales from Jaguar – another brand Ford owned at the time. A new Volvo sedan is far from a done deal, though. Li says that the thought of a range-topping sedan is his, and he’ll have to convince the company’s new board to give it the green light. With an ambitious goal to double Volvo to 600,000 units in five years primarily through growth in large-car loving China, a D-segment player sounds like a good bet – at least for select markets.

Gallery: 2011 Volvo S60

[Source: Financial Times – reg. req.]

Report: Volvo’s new chairman wants 7-Series, S-Class rival originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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