Wards100: The Most Impactful Auto Execs of the 21st Century

When considering the most impactful auto executives of the 21^th century, the challenge is that opinions are stronger when the candidates have either worked in the recent past or are working in the present.

WardsAuto, marking its 100^th year of publishing, has created three lists: the Most Impactful Engines/Propulsion Systems by decade of the past 100 years; the Most Impactful Vehicles by decade of the past 100 years; and the Most Impactful Executives of the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

In this, the final list of the Wards100 series, we examine the executives who have been the most consequential and impactful of the first 24 years of the 21^st century.

Our jury consists of WardsAuto Senior Editor David Kiley; former WardsAuto editor Drew Winter; WardsAuto contributor Gary Vasilash; WardsAuto contributor and publisher of Autoline, John McElroy; Headlight News publisher and WardsAuto contributor Paul Eisenstein; and Matt DeLorenzo, former editor of Road & Track and Autoweek, and current editor-in-chief of TightwadGarage.com.

For the 21st century, we considered the following executives:

Carlos Ghosn, known for his leadership at Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors, Ghosn was a prominent figure in the global auto industry before being arrested in Japan and later escaping from custody.

Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Tesla. Musk has been a driving force behind the rise of electric vehicles and autonomous driving.

Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors since 2014, has led the company through significant transformations coming out of bankruptcy.

Akio Toyoda, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Corp., has overseen Toyota's continued dominance in the global auto industry while also championing innovation in areas such as hybrid and electric vehicles.

Jim Farley, appointed CEO of Ford Motor Co. in 2020. Farley has prioritized Ford's transition to electric vehicles and advanced connectivity solutions, as well as revitalizing the company's product lineup.

Sergio Marchionne, former CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). Marchionne was known for orchestrating the merger of Fiat and Chrysler and leading the combined company until his untimely death.

Dieter Zetsche, former chairman and CEO of Daimler AG. Zetsche oversaw Mercedes-Benz's expansion into new markets and the development of electric vehicles under the EQ brand.

Ferdinand Piech, Volkswagen Group CEO and then Supervisory Board chairman. Piech ran the Audi division before he took over the VW Group in the 1990s. He also battled Porsche AG against takeover and then reversed the situation, acquiring Porsche for VW Group.

Though all these executives made remarkable and lasting contributions to the auto industry, our top choice is not surprising.

Most Impactful Executive of the 21^st Century: Elon Musk

Revolutionizing Electric Vehicles

Under Musk’s leadership, Tesla became the world's leading electric-vehicle manufacturer. Tesla’s Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y have set benchmarks for the EV industry in terms of range, performance and safety.

Mass-Market Appeal

Musk’s vision to produce affordable EVs for the mass market culminated in the Tesla Model 3, which became one of the best-selling electric cars globally.

Innovation and Technology

Tesla has been at the forefront of developing self-driving technology. The company’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems have been groundbreaking, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in autonomous driving. Musk’s deployment of the technology, though, has been fraught with investigations by regulators and is heavily criticized by many for being put into the hands of drivers prematurely.

Battery Technology

Tesla’s advancements in battery technology have been crucial in making electric vehicles more viable. The company’s focus on increasing energy density and reducing costs has led to significant improvements in EV range and affordability.

Supercharger Network

Tesla’s creation of a global Supercharger network has addressed one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption: charging infrastructure. This network has made long-distance travel in electric vehicles much more feasible, and is the benchmark for the industry. Several automakers have made deals with Tesla to enable their EV customers to use the Tesla network.

Market Influence

Tesla’s market valuation has soared under Musk’s leadership, making it the most valuable automaker in the world, surpassing legacy automakers such as Toyota and Volkswagen.

Controversy

Musk is a volatile personality, not unlike Henry Ford, our pick for the most impactful, consequential auto executive of the 20^th century. Musk, like Ford, is very active in politics. He has endorsed the polarizing Republican Party nominee in the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump, and is spending tens of millions of dollars to help him get elected via a super-PAC.

That partisan political activism is beginning to crack Tesla’s market momentum, moving car buyers to choose EVs based on whether they agree with Musk’s politics and not whether his vehicles perform well and are good values. This comes at a time when more EVs and consumer choices are arriving in the marketplace.

Musk is a visionary whose contributions and impact go beyond the auto industry to sustainable mobility of all kinds – including space travel. He made his initial money launching the financial transaction platform PayPal. The breadth of his ideas and his determination to bring them to life are unparalleled.

For the remainder of the 21^st century, it remains to be seen if Musk’s personality and political activity will dissipate his accomplishments under the heat of consumer and regulatory scrutiny. For now, though, he stands above the rest in terms of making the biggest impact this century.

Runners-Up

Akio Toyoda

Akio Toyoda, the former president and CEO of Toyota Motor Corp., and now chairman, is considered one of the most impactful auto executives due to his leadership during a pivotal period for both Toyota and the global automotive industry. He received the second highest number of votes.

Toyoda took over as president of Toyota in 2009 during the aftermath of the global financial crisis. The automotive industry was in turmoil, and Toyota was facing declining sales and profitability. Under his leadership, Toyota recovered from this downturn and emerged stronger.

Toyota, under Toyoda’s leadership, continues to lead in hybrid technology. The Prius, which had already established the automaker as a leader in green vehicles, saw further advancements, solidifying Toyota’s reputation as an environmentally conscious corporation. Steady commitments to expanding hybrid vehicle development while other automakers dialed back in favor of going all-in on electric vehicles is paying off, as consumers are proving to be slower to adopt EVs than industry officials and regulators believed.

While other automakers have struggled to make alliances and partnerships work, Toyota, under Toyoda, has been successful in navigating and optimizing alliances and equity investments in other automakers including Mazda, Subaru and Daihatsu.  

Mary Barra

Mary Barra, the CEO of General Motors since 2014, the third-highest vote getter, has demonstrated an enormous talent for changing corporate culture and making tough decisions.

Barra broke the glass ceiling in the auto industry as the first female CEO of a major automaker. She has been a huge advocate for diversity in the workplace, emphasizing the importance of multiple perspectives in driving innovation and success.

She has navigated GM through significant challenges, including a tragic ignition-switch recall crisis, one of the most significant safety issues in GM’s history. Her transparent and decisive handling of the situation, including testifying before Congress and implementing comprehensive safety and cultural reforms, helped restore trust in the company.

The CEO has driven GM’s transformation toward electrification, spearheading the development of the Ultium battery platform, which is designed to power a wide range of electric vehicles, from compact cars to large trucks, positioning GM as one of the industry’s leaders in the transition to electric mobility.

Rising through GM as an engineer in product development, plant management, human resources and other disciplines, Barra is perhaps the most well-rounded and best-educated CEOs, and second longest-serving in GM’s long history.

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