Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, General Motors Co
Extended interview: General Motors CEO Mary Barra
Mary Barra, the CEO of General Motors since 2014, speaks with CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil about the future of electric vehicles amid slowing U.S. sales, affordability, manufacturing shifts and more.
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About Mary Barra
In the first half of 2026, Mary Barra discussed General Motors’ financial performance and strategic priorities during the company’s Q1 earnings call and in media interviews. She stated that GM was “executing well against our plan” and had “durable earnings,” citing a first-quarter EBIT-adjusted margin of 10.1% in North America, which included a benefit from a tariff adjustment. Barra noted that GM was raising its full-year EBIT-adjusted guidance by $500 million to a range of $13.5 billion to $15.5 billion, while also addressing higher costs linked to the conflict in Iran. She said the company was “prepared to respond quickly and strategically” to market developments and emphasized a multi-year focus on products, team, and balance sheet strength. Barra also spoke about the role of artificial intelligence at GM, describing an AI tool that allows designers to estimate aerodynamics on concepts in minutes rather than weeks. She said AI is a way to “give the tools to the people to be able to do better work” and that it is “hard to predict” whether AI will create more jobs than it replaces. On competition with China, Barra called for a “level playing field,” including “equivalent tariffs” and an end to what she described as unfair Chinese government subsidies, and she raised national security concerns about connected technology. Regarding consumer demand, she said GM was not seeing customers pull back on purchases or fall behind on auto loans, and that the company offers six models starting under $30,000.
Transcript (47 segments)
I
Interviewer0:00
Thank you very much for doing this.
M
Mary Barra0:01
Well, I'm really excited to host you here in our new global world headquarters in Detroit.
I
Interviewer0:06
Yeah, when did this open? Tell me about the building.
M
Mary Barra0:09
Well, we moved in yesterday. So you literally are one of our very first guests. This is our home. Detroit is our home. It always has been, but we're now back to Woodward. The Hudson's building site has great memories for me because as a child, I remember coming down here to see the Christmas windows. So we're really excited to be in Hudson, and I think it's going to be good for the city with the proposal we have working with Dan Gilbert and Bedrock for the RenCen to continue to strengthen not only the city but the state.
I
Interviewer0:42
I saw a vintage cassette kind of display artwork on the wall over there. Yes.
M
Mary Barra0:46
Well, you're a Taylor Swift fan. Are you going to sneak her into the display somehow?
I
Interviewer0:50
Well, to get on the wall you have to have an album that has a vehicle mentioned in one of your songs. So I will look forward to that. Good suggestion.
Let's talk about electric vehicles. In the news a lot lately, it seems like the industry, like many industries, took a big swing and it didn't work out. What happened?
M
Mary Barra1:08
Well, I wouldn't say it didn't work out. We never thought the transition, remember the way the vehicles propelled, this is a huge transition since almost a hundred years ago. So I think we're on a journey to get to electric vehicles. We're still committed. But I also think when we looked at the regulatory requirements we were getting a little ahead of the consumer. A vehicle is such a big purchase for a consumer, and for many of them it's the most expensive thing that they buy, so we have to stay aligned with the consumer. I think we're on a good path. As there's more charging infrastructure, as we continue to get the cost of batteries down, I think consumers will pick an electric vehicle because they're better. But in the meantime, we have a phenomenal internal combustion engine portfolio of vehicles. We lead in full-size trucks, full-size SUVs. In fact, we've led in full-size SUVs for over 50 years.
I
Interviewer1:58
But it's a bit of a chicken and egg question, but I want to linger on it for a second. Do you think electric vehicles failed to take off like the industry hoped because of the lack of infrastructure, charging stations and the like, or because of a design issue, the world-beating electric vehicle just hadn't come online yet?
M
Mary Barra2:16
No, I think it's more of again, it's a very important purchase. The consumer is rational. Most people only have one vehicle, so they need to depend on it for everything, every day, everywhere. And we don't have the charging infrastructure as robust as we need to have for people to count on it like they count on having a gas station around the corner. But I think that's happening. There's more and more charging stations being put in. Charging is getting better. So it'll happen over time, on a little bit longer trajectory. But in the meantime, like I said, I'm very proud of our internal combustion engine portfolio because we have great vehicles for consumers to choose from. We grew share by almost 6% last year. We sell more vehicles in this country than anyone else. So I'm really proud of the choice we offer consumers.
I
Interviewer3:03
You mentioned the cost of a vehicle being for some families, for many families, the most expensive thing that they buy. I was reading recently that the average price of a vehicle in America now is north of $50,000 for the first time. Is there an affordability crisis here in the industry?
M
Mary Barra3:18
Well, again, we have a full portfolio of vehicles. I'm really proud of the fact that we have several vehicles. In fact, last year we sold over 700,000 vehicles that had a starting price of under $30,000. These are vehicles that have great technology, great safety features, connectivity. So when you think about the Chevy Trax or Trailblazer or the Buick Invista or Enclave, we've got great choices that are affordable. We have luxury, we have premium, we have trucks. We have a full portfolio for people to choose from.
I
Interviewer3:48
On the electric vehicle front and on the affordability front, China seems to be able to pump out electric vehicles at unbelievable price points, $12,000, $15,000. And your counterpart at Ford looked at one of these vehicles, got a sample, and said, 'It's a really good vehicle. Why can't we do the same thing?'
M
Mary Barra4:05
Well, I think at General Motors, we have affordable vehicles. In fact, the Bolt, we just started selling in the last few weeks. We'll have a starting price at $25,000 again, and that's meeting US regulations, our safety standards and requirements. So I think that's fairly significant. I think we're going to continue to compete, and I take all competition in the industry seriously by continuing what makes American car companies great, and that's innovation. We also have to recognize the fact that right now much of the auto industry in China is heavily subsidized. So all factors considered, I think we can compete and have a better vehicle, and I think we're doing that.
I
Interviewer4:43
And that subsidy makes it really difficult, though, doesn't it?
M
Mary Barra4:45
Well again, I think when you look at what the administration did looking at tariffs and trying to get a level playing field, because previously people could sell vehicles in this country and the reverse was not true of what the tariffs were. So I think there's been a lot of progress made on leveling the playing field. I think that's something that the current administration and all administrations are looking at, because the auto industry does provide a lot of good paying jobs, and we intend to continue to do that.
I
Interviewer5:11
So on that subject of jobs here and manufacturing here, I talk to everyday Americans who wonder why it's not possible to just turn on these empty factories again and make it all here. Like why is that so difficult?
M
Mary Barra5:23
Well, we make a tremendous number of vehicles in this country already. We're actually equipping and working by later this year, early next, we'll have two additional factories. One that we're adding products to and another that we are starting up again. So we're doing just that. And we'll have a significant portion of the vehicles we sell in this country built here and also leveraging the footprint that we have to drive on affordability.
I
Interviewer5:49
I know it's not simple and I know that the supply chain involves parts that we don't make here. We have to import, and that raises questions for people. What does it mean to be American made? If the parts come over from overseas, but they're assembled here, what is the definition these days of an American made car?
M
Mary Barra6:06
Well, I think it starts with where the vehicle is designed, where all the engineering is done. We have about 20 miles away, we have our Warren Tech Center. It's a mile square campus where much of the engineering is done. We have in Silicon Valley a huge software organization. So we really leverage engineers in this country, true American innovation. Also from a supply chain perspective, we've been working ever since we went through COVID and the semiconductor shortage to bring a lot of the components into this country working with the supply base, and that's something we're going to continue to do to have supply chain resiliency. So much of what you're talking about, General Motors is doing.
I
Interviewer6:44
When you say American made means where it's designed, where it's engineered, that reminds me of Apple, which always says made in California or designed in California. But of course, all those Apple products are made overseas. Can you say a bit more about the actual construction, the hand part of it, the putting the thing together part of it?
M
Mary Barra7:03
Well, again, we have more assembly plants in this country than anyone else. We also build engines, stampings, so well over 50% and growing. When you take the percentage number, you always have to look at what's selling right now because we actually have a lot of capacity to build more EVs that I think will come online. But we'll be already the majority and continuing to grow that of the actual vehicle being built here as well as the components we make. So I'm very proud of the US content that we have in our vehicles, where the vehicles roll off the assembly line.
I
Interviewer7:38
Part of making things in America is having people to make them here in America. And I was really struck by something your counterpart at Ford said not long ago to the Wall Street Journal. He said that there are 5,000 mechanic jobs over at Ford paying six figures and he can't find people either willing to do the job or able to do the job. Are you facing a similar difficulty?
M
Mary Barra7:59
Well, you know, we're working on making sure people know the great opportunity it is. One of the things we do from a dealer technician perspective to help our dealers is we work with the military, and as people are ending their service to our country, putting them in a training program so they can then work in our dealerships. Another thing we do is we have a very robust apprentice program for people that work in our factories, and we've spent over $250 million over the last five years training people to be an electrician, a pipe fitter, very important roles in our plants given all the technology we have. So I think we have to continually work on making sure we have the resources. But I'm really proud of the programs we've had in place for many years. In addition to all of that, we employ overall more people in the auto industry than anyone else in this country.
I
Interviewer8:50
Well, I am aware of those programs and they're really important. We've done stories on programs like that that get young people into manufacturing including the auto industry. But to be clear, you don't have the same hiring difficulties Ford has?
M
Mary Barra9:04
Well, I think we're continually working to make sure we close that gap. It's not something you can say, 'Boom, I'm done.' It's something we continually work on to make sure we have enough of the skilled talent to not only build our vehicles, make sure our assembly plants and factories are running, but then work in the dealerships as well.
I
Interviewer9:21
On robotics, this is always a perennial conversation in the industry. The president in December talking about not vehicles but ships made a comment about robotics being a big part of the assembly line. I think it took people back because if you've got the president thinking about robotics, you wonder how many industries are going to add to their robotics inventory. What is the mix for General Motors between actual human beings and the robots assisting?
M
Mary Barra9:50
Well, one of the things we focus on when we automate and leverage robots, which we've been doing for the last 30 to 40 years, so that's nothing new, is we focus on jobs that are either repetitive and maybe have ergonomic issues, so people get hurt doing them. We focus on safety, we focus on ergonomics. We also focus on certain jobs that people don't want to do. And then we look at how do we make each of our team members more efficient. There's a lot that we look at, and other areas we focus on is actually quality because sometimes the precision of the job requires that type of automation. I don't have a specific percentage across the board, but we have a lot of opportunity to continue to improve, and we really leverage our workforce to help us understand where those opportunities are.
I
Interviewer10:39
I think this topic is so important and so interesting because I've covered robotics, I've covered AI as well. People in white collar jobs and blue collar jobs are worried about what's coming. What can you say in terms of reassurance that there are going to be jobs for people who are working today wondering what their kids are going to be doing in an economy they can't imagine?
M
Mary Barra10:59
Well, I spend a lot of time in our assembly plants and our manufacturing plants overall. Every time I'm there, I always meet with a group of people from all areas of the plant, and we talk about it. One of the areas we've seen a huge opportunity with AI is to improve quality, giving people the tools that they can do their job better, whether it's in our factories, manufacturing facilities, or even in our engineering. How do we do things so we can move faster, get new products out the door, have more capability, more new features sooner? That's what General Motors is focused on. It's speed and providing more for our customers and doing that effectively, because as you mentioned earlier, this is a very competitive industry.
I
Interviewer11:43
Let's talk a little bit about the future. I mentioned to you earlier that my first vehicle, the first one I loved and cared about was a Chevy S10. It had a blue racing stripe on the side.
M
Mary Barra11:51
Love it.
I
Interviewer11:53
Since I've owned that vehicle, young people turning 16, they're not getting their license at the same rate. It seems like the personal connection that I had way back when is different now for young people. How do you win the future and take American car culture from the past into the future?
M
Mary Barra12:12
Well, I think affordability plays a big role in that. We look at data on what's happening with people as they turn 16 and are able to drive. Whether they're buying a home a little later, starting a family later, you definitely need a vehicle when you start to have a family for car seats, packing, strollers, etc. So we see that happening a little bit later. But you mentioned earlier, affordability plays a key role, and we're seeing a lot of growth with people in that 16 to 24 age range in these very affordable vehicles that start under $30,000.
I
Interviewer12:49
On the affordability question, how much did tariffs hurt your ability to offer low prices, and how much did tariffs eat into your profits?
M
Mary Barra12:59
Well, it had a few billion dollar impact last year. We made changes, we made changes to mitigate it. I called them no-regret moves where we chose to build things working with our supply base, because in many cases the parts they were building were USMCA compliant; they just needed to get the certification. There was a lot of work we did. As I mentioned earlier, we also made some shifts to our footprint. So we're going to be assembling more vehicles here. We made those changes. I think this is really important: we worked with the administration, and they took the time to understand our industry to make sure there weren't unintended consequences so we could still compete with some of the vehicles coming from other countries. So I think it was a shift that we're working through to get back, but I think 2026 will be an even better year than 2025. The playing field is a bit more level than it was 18 months ago.
I
Interviewer13:56
But I mean, a few billion dollars even for GM, that's a big number.
M
Mary Barra14:01
That is a big number, and that's why we're working to offset it. We'll continue to grow, drive efficiency, but also we've changed our footprint because of tariffs, and I think that's a big piece of it as well.
I
Interviewer14:12
You're in the kind of industry that is often an early indicator for where the overall economy is going. You hear a lot of pessimism out there. Consumer sentiment is way down. Are you seeing a change in car buying habits that could be an early sign of trouble on the economy?
M
Mary Barra14:26
You know, this is something we watch almost on a weekly basis. I was asked this question a lot all through 2025. As we get into 2026, we really aren't seeing it. We think the market is going to be about the same as it was last year. With the vehicles we have, the portfolio that's really strong, we're looking to continue to grow share this year as well.
I
Interviewer14:46
You know, I miss the non-automatic windows on my Chevy S10. How come I can't get the old-fashioned windows?
M
Mary Barra14:52
Well, I think you might be one of the few people who wants that. We try to make all customers happy, but also reduce the number of options so we can build vehicles efficiently. So that one I can't help you out with.
I
Interviewer15:03
And what was your first car and what did you love about it?
M
Mary Barra15:06
It was a Chevy Chevette, and I loved it because it got me through college. It was my very first vehicle, it was red, and I love that vehicle. After I graduated from college, my brother actually bought it from me and it got him through medical school. So it was a car that was very important to where we are today.
I
Interviewer15:26
Well, you're in a very important industry and I really appreciate your time.
M
Mary Barra15:29
Well, I really appreciate that you're visiting Detroit. Thanks for coming to our new global world headquarters, and we hope to host you again.