DETROIT (AP) -- General Motors product development chief Mary Barra has been named the company's new CEO, the first female head of a U.S. car company.
Barra will replace Dan Akerson on Jan. 15. GM said in a statement Tuesday that Akerson moved up his retirement plans by several months because his wife, Karin, is battling advanced cancer.
The 51-year-old Barra currently is senior vice president for global product development. She started with GM as an engineering co-op student in 1980.
