WORDS ALISA PRIDDLEt has been another fascinating year for the auto
industry, with product highlights ranging from the
much-anticipated mid-engine Corvette to a string
of Tesla-challenging EVs to a swath of three-rowSUVs and heavy-duty trucks.
As usual, there was drama in the executive ranks of the
automakers that make these vehicles happen.
The most tumultuous was the Nissan-Renault alliance,
where the list of “former” CEOs kept growing. The jailed
Carlos Ghosn was out, but as the year progressed, many of
the people who filled his leadership void were also out.
Maurizio Reggiani
Chief Technical Officer,
Automobili Lamborghini
2019 Rank: 19
His latest is the $2 million, 808-hp
Sián hybrid supercar with a V-12
and a supercapacitor (instead
of a traditional battery pack),
allowing it to store more power,
discharge it faster, and require less
cooldown time so it’s ready
to squirt out of the
next corner.(^5049)
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Kyle Vogt
Co-Founder and Chief
Technology Officer, Cruise
2019 Rank: 40
The robotics pioneer (above) has
seen his startup raise another
$7.25 billion and expand to
more than 1,000 employees
developing and testing
autonomous vehicles for GM
with investment from Honda
and SoftBank Vision. Cruise
is valued at $19 billion and is
rivaling Waymo in the race to
get robocars on city streets in
big volumes.
Bryan Salesky
Co-Founder and CEO, Argo AI
2019 Rank: Unranked
Salesky’s startup has attracted
enough money and attention to play
in the big leagues with Waymo and
Cruise and is testing its robocars
in six cities now. Ford and VW
have invested about $2.6
billion in the private firm, which
will give each automaker an
autonomous driving system
it can tailor to its own vehicle
development programs.
Albert Biermann
Head of Research and
Development, Hyundai
Motor Group
2019 Rank: 17
Biermann injected
performance as head of
Hyundai N, and now, as global
R&D boss, he spreads his
engineering prowess across all
Hyundai Group brands. We
anticipate a Ranger Raptor
competitor for Hyundai,
more N models, and a
limited-production halo
car in partnership
(^47) with Rimac.
Alfonso Albaisa
Senior Vice President
for Global Design,
Nissan Motor Co.
2019 Rank: 36
Albaisa continues to
redefine the look of the
Nissan and Infiniti
brands as they
embrace a focus
on electric vehicles.
He poached former
Lincoln designer
David Woodhouse to
help create distinctive
Japanese designs. For
Infiniti, the Inspiration
concepts represent the future
of the brand. At Nissan, an overhaul of
the lineup is foreshadowed by the IMQ
crossover concept.
Jim Hackett
CEO, Ford
2019 Rank: Unranked
It has taken a couple of years for
Hackett’s ideas and methods to
become clear, resonate, and show signs
of change. He has made key partner-
ship deals with VW and Rivian,
expanded investment in
Argo AI for autonomous
driving, and sorted out
the proper roles for his
top lieutenants.
Masayoshi Son
Founder and CEO,
SoftBank Group
2019 Rank: Unranked
Son is a major player in Silicon
Valley, and his Vision Fund has
contributed to the mobility space
with investments in Uber, Cruise, and
a research project with Honda.
He has outlined a 300-year
plan to make Sof tBank
a leader in artificial
intelligence, robotics,
and other advanced
technologies.
At the Volkswagen Group, there were more arrests and
investigations in the wake of the never-ending Diesel-
gate scandal as investigators also turned their sights
toward Daimler, BMW, FCA, and Ford.
But amid the drama, the auto industry’s powerful
players continued to design, innovate, engineer, market,
sell, and even race a slew of spectacular vehicles with
increasingly complex technology.
This list is a hats-off to the people behind the accom-
plishments. They are the ones to watch. And No. 1 on the
Power List is the 15th MotorTrend Person of the Year.
(^4544)
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64 MOTORTREND.COM JANUARY 2020