DETROIT – The automotive sector is quite simple. Start the cars that other people need to buy and make a profit.
It’s much more confusing since Mary Barra took over as CEO of General Motors in 2014.
It has reduced prices and streamlined management, closed factories and sold waste operations in Europe, partly in anticipation of the next recession.
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Thanks to the coronavirus, he’s here. Barra spoke to The Associated Press about guiding GM on the crisis.Answers are edited for longer life and clarity.
Q: Instances of coronavirus are increasing and are canceling the third shift at a factory in Wentzville, Missouri because it doesn’t have enough workers.Are you worried about the factories closing again?
A: If you come back in March, and even earlier, we’ve learned a lot from China, Korea, and the United States.We believe we are doing a very smart task to keep other people safe by eliminating the option for someone with COVID to enter our factories.And then all the pictures we make in the amenities to prevent you from spreading.We take time and train everyone. People perceive that we run hard to keep the environment safe for them.One of the things we’re looking to do now is inspire other people to use those same protocols when they’re not working.They wear masks, wash their hands, have hand sanitizer and are socially estranged.We have a safe environment to run. In Wentzville, one of the things we do is project.We take the precaution of telling you that you want to quarantine yourself until we know you don’t have the virus.I’ve been in 10 factories since we started dying and I keep moving to factories.When I communicate with other people, they perceive protocol.A user is told I feel safer here than at the supermarket.
Q: Are you involved in returning states to home maintenance controls?
A: We are watching everything very carefully. The verbal exchange I’ve had with many other officials is that they perceive with protocols that other people are at work.I think we’re seeing actions taken in many of those class-learned spaces about maybe what worked well with reopenings and what didn’t.In Michigan, you now see the requirement to wear masks.I think you’re seeing action being taken in more places.This allows the numbers to go down and let’s start on the road to recovery.
Q: Do you think car sales will soon be general again in the US.Hus And all over the world?
A: We’re seeing a recovery. We think it will be a short-lived recession, but we have a long way to go as we head to a low base.The new epidemics pose possible setbacks, but we expect the US economy to be in the process of causing a major risk.But it’s not the first time Return to 90% of your previous level.-pandemic point early next year.There’s a lot of uncertainty.
Read more: Mary Barra, GM’s CEO, appoints inclusion team to act on commitment to social equality
Q: After George Floyd’s death, you took a firm stand against racism.Companies don’t do that. In today’s politically charged atmosphere, are you afraid to alienate some customers?
A: We felt that it deserved a very strong statement, but more than words: actions.That’s why we formed the Inclusion Advisory Board, and we’re going to have our first assembly this month.I am very proud of General Motors’ leadership in supplier diversity and runner diversity.We have more than a dozen resource groups for painters.And then we take a look at all the paintings we’ve made, what we have to do now is build on that.We need to create an inclusive environment where everyone can bring their true self to paintings, because that’s what really empowers other people and leads to the maximum compromised pictorial force.It is difficult to oppose creating an environment in which everyone can be themselves.
Q: Tesla said it has a 400km diversity in some of its vehicles, is that within the scope of General Motors?
A: Many of the visitor studies conducted, we know that the diversity of 300 miles is an ideal point. Thanks to the flexibility of the Ultium platform, we have the ability to pass over 300.We’ll take a look at the pricing equation for the visitor..