DOT Chief Hosts Safety Summit with Auto Executives

Top executives from 15 carmakers met Tuesday with U.S. Dept. of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to discuss ways to improve automotive safety, the recall process and cybersecurity issues.

Participants were asked to come prepared with suggestions to share and work toward industry-wide safety measures. A follow-up meeting is scheduled in January.

Among the attendees were General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne and Ford’s Kim Pittel, who is the company’s vice president for Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering.

Other participants included senior North American officials from BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota and Volkswagen.

Both sides characterized yesterday’s summit, which was held at DOT’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., as productive. Specific initiatives and possible remedies discussed weren’t disclosed.

The meeting comes on the heels of several recent major safety blunders, cover-ups and poorly handled recalls. In an invitation letter sent to executives last month, Foxx voiced concern that the public had “lost faith” in the industry’s commitment to safety.