The Detroit Auto Show has captured the hearts and minds of car lovers for 17 years now, launching many of the industry’s new models and concept cars. Some stunning wheels graced the show floor this year too. But more impressive to me were the stars behind the cars – many of them women.
Susan Docherty holds a surprising position. The attractive 5’4” petite young woman heads up Hummer. Her role is to take the Hummer brand and the 2006 H3 global. The H3 is a mini-Hummer, smaller and more fuel-efficient (20-mile-per-gallon at peak performance) than its big brothers, but it still reeks of testosterone and military might. It stands in stark contrast to the dynamic brunette waving her long, dainty fingers, adorned with bright red nail polish and lavish diamond rings. But she’s focused when describing Hummer’s hefty sales increases in the past five months. December saw the second best month in sales in Hummer history and Docherty expects it will rise with H3. The H3 is expected to sell in the mid-thirty-thousands U.S.
Saturn general manager Jill Lajdziak has the daunting task of transforming Saturn’s stale, cheap image into a fun, fashionable, and sexy ride. Currently 60 percent of Saturn buyers are women, but she wants to attract more. The new racy and stylish Sky roadster will likely help the cause. It’s a sportscar slated to go on sale in 2006 for less than $30,000.
Lori Queen is the engineer in charge of the development of all small cars at General Motors. She’s a petite, soft-spoken blonde who is trying to make small cars as sexy in the U.S. as they are in Europe. Queen hopes the Chevy Cavalier’s replacement, the new Cobalt SS supercharger with spoilers and 18-inch wheels, will be one of those cars. It’s positioned at the premium end of the small car market – a vital segment for GM.
Queen’s counterpart at Ford is Barb Samardzich. She’s the chief engineer for Ford’s fleet of small cars, including the Mustang. She’s another young blonde, blue-eyed bombshell who is hoping to repeat Mustang’s success with Ford’s new cars.
Jaguar desperately needs new products and Bibiana Boerio, managing director at Jaguar is delivering that. She has held this position since August and she plans to stick around for a while – not like many of her predecessors (there have been five managing directors at Jaguar in the last 10 years). Boerio is committed to moving the product forward. It’s evident in Jaguar’s new concept car. The Advanced Lightweight Coupe is the first Jaguar that isn’t British racing green – it’s a stunning shade of sky blue and there’s no wood inside the coupe either.
Anne Belac just took the helm at Volvo Cars of North America. She’s trying to shake Volvo’s square image with the sleek Volvo XC90 V8 SUV. And she’s hoping this SUV adds to Volvo’s success. 2004 was Volvo North America’s best year ever and it’s her job to keep it that way.
It’s a refreshing change to see more women in key management positions on the auto show floor – making a slight dent in this male-dominated industry.
Image courtesy of naias.com
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