3. Rick Wagoner
General Motors chairman/CEO
On the hottest seat in Detroit
2008 Rank: 1
Why he was 2008's top dog: Wagoner brought a slew of great new cars and trucks to market, transforming GM on the product side.
Our caveat last year: Waiting for the new product to pay off. GM hasn't posted a quarterly profit since 2004. And Wagoner came up the ranks through the company's finance department. He ought to have handled it better.
Wagoner's prospects: While GM's board has repeatedly said it supports him, the drumbeats for his removal are too loud to ignore. In December, Wagoner and Henderson finally issued a plan to cut brands. Will GM be around to implement it?.
Prospects for 2009: No better than 50/50 for Wagoner or GM.
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