agent Entrepreneur logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

G.M. Chief to Appear Before House Panel Once Again

June 12, 2014
3 min to read


The chief executive of General Motors and the former prosecutor hired by the company to investigate why it failed to recognize a fatal defect in Chevrolet Cobalts and other small cars will testify before a House subcommittee next Wednesday, reported The New York Times.


The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on oversight and investigations will call Mary T. Barra, the chief executive, and Anton R. Valukas, the former United States attorney whose report on June 5 was a scathing critique of management culture. The company dismissed 15 employees, including at last three senior corporate lawyers, and disciplined five in the wake of the report.

Ad Loading...


In April, Ms. Barra endured withering criticism from lawmakers when she testified before the same House panel, as well as a Senate subcommittee the following day. She deferred questions at least 54 times, saying she could not talk freely until the internal investigation was complete.


“Next week, we will have the chance to get those answers and compare the company’s findings with our own,” said Representative Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican and the chairman of the full committee, in a statement with Representative Tim Murphy, a Pennsylvania Republican who is chairman of the subcommittee.


The committee staff is poring over hundreds of thousands of pages of documents.


“Mr. Valukas’s exhaustive report revealed disturbing truths about G.M.’s systemic and cultural failures that allowed this problem to go undiagnosed for over a decade,” the two Republicans said, “but many questions remain unanswered about the recalls and resulting changes within the company.”


Representative Diana DeGette of Colorado, the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, will ask about how G.M. is approaching the problem of its poor internal communications, with one group of engineers not knowing what another is doing, a problem Ms. Barra referred to as “silos.”

Ad Loading...


Ms. DeGette will also ask about compensation for crash victims, her staff said. But G.M. has delegated that issue to another outside expert, Kenneth Feinberg, a lawyer who specializes in allocating payments to victims in disasters. Mr. Feinberg has not yet given his recommendations on whom G.M. should pay, and how much, for the Cobalt crashes. His recommendations are expected this month.


Another question likely to surface is who was fired or disciplined, and who was not.


The Senate panel also plans a follow-up hearing, but not until summer.


In a statement, G.M. said Ms. Barra was looking forward to talking with lawmakers.


“Ms. Barra wants to return to Congress and update the House Energy and Commerce Committee members on the actions G.M. is taking in response to the ignition switch recall,” the company said in a statement. “As outlined by Ms. Barra last week, these efforts include fixing the failures identified in the Valukas report, building a culture centered on safety, quality and excellence, and doing what’s right for victims and their families.”

More Industry

Two white men's shaking hands
Industry•October 15, 2026

Penske Auto Group Deal a Record

The deal to take the dealership and transportation services company private sets a new pace for industry buy-sell transactions.

Read More →
Rows of cars parked in exterior lot
Industry•by Hannah Mitchell•October 8, 2026

War Toll a Damper on Used Auto Prices

Cox Automotive found wholesale depreciation to be elevated in September amid high fuel prices and this year's unusual hurricane season.

Read More →
Mechanic cleaning interior of engine
Industry•by Lauren Lawrence•October 8, 2026

Bridge the Maintenance Gap

With many drivers missing recommended maintenance, service departments offering transparency and efficiency have a better chance of reaching financially strained consumers.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Ford F-150 truck rounding a curve
Industry•by Hannah Mitchell•October 1, 2026

California Store Has New Owner

The longtime dealership in the northern part of the state is known for robust fleet sales and has served the state capital for 115 years.

Read More →
crane lowering a pipeline into the ground
Industry•by Lauren Lawrence•October 1, 2026

BMW Plant Pursues Cleaner Energy

BMW Group Plant Leipzig has utilized hydrogen to help power its production since 2013, but a new pipeline is planned to take it to another level.

Read More →
Two dodge cars outside of dealership.
Industry•by Lauren Lawrence•September 17, 2026

Auto Affordability Inches Up

The latest Cox Automotive and Moody’s Analytics index shows a slight increase in new-vehicle affordability despite high prices.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Five men smiling for photo in front of Honda car dealership.
Industry•by Lauren Lawrence•September 10, 2026

Ohio Auto Group Under New Ownership

After 79 years with the Schluter family, Mansfield Auto Group has been acquired by Missouri-based Clement Auto Group.

Read More →
Blue and white RV parked on beach facing the ocean.
Industry•by Lauren Lawrence•September 3, 2026

RV Group Expands Carolina Footprint

Blue Compass RV Columbia Northeast is the 13th RV dealership owned by Blue Compass in the Carolinas.

Read More →
Photo of two men and one woman on a discussion panel
Industry•by Hannah Mitchell•September 1, 2026

Agent Acumen

An Agent Summit panel of people who’ve been supporting auto dealers for years gave both timely and timeless advice for those starting out or mulling the prospect.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Gloved hand holding two wrenches next to “Turn Overdue into Opportunity” Graphic
Industry•by Lauren Lawrence•August 27, 2026

Missed Maintenance Creates Opportunity

As families get back on the road and into daily school routines, service drives have an opportunity to capture customers who are behind on recommended vehicle maintenance.

Read More →
Ad Loading...