We will remember 2022 as another year of disruptions everyone grew tired of talking about. Pandemic shutdowns and the semiconductor shortage continued to plague vehicle production, but they eventually stopped driving each day’s biggest industry headlines.
Instead, electric cars dominated the automotive world’s news feeds. Carmakers announced a steady stream of commitments, resource allocations, future vehicles, and new assembly and battery plants. But while fanfare rarely centered on new vehicles with internal combustion engines, there were some notable exceptions, like the 2024 Ford Mustang. The seventh-generation pony car will likely be the last before the Mustang goes full EV, and competitor Dodge also showed its Charger as a fully electric muscle car concept, complete with enhanced powertrain sounds to appease motorheads.
The year also saw Ford split itself into two divisions, ICE and EV, and it brought in outside talent to engineer the software-defined vehicle. Longtime executives Hau Thai-Tang, who led product development, and Lincoln boss Joy Falotico retired. Over at Jaguar Land Rover, CEO Thierry Bolloré was let go because the lack of computer chips crippled inventory and sales. At Volkswagen, CEO Herbert Diess was also ousted as the automaker struggled with software issues that delayed product launches. Tesla CEO Elon Musk continued to unravel on the world stage, his attention seemingly everywhere but on his car company, which failed to launch or meaningfully update a single vehicle.
Amid all that chaos, here are the 50 most influential figures from 2022 that kept us raptly following this incredible business, capped by our 2023 MotorTrend Person of the Year.
50 Gavin Newsom
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR
Under Governor Newsom, California announced it will ban sales of new gas-engine vehicles by 2035. In so doing, he became the de facto leader of a new transportation policy some other states have followed. Newsom pledged $10 billion over six years for incentives to make EVs more affordable and to improve the charging infrastructure. He also spearheaded opposition to a new tax on high-earning Californians that would have further contributed to the shift toward zero-emission vehicle adoption.
2022 Rank: Unranked
49 William Bin Li
NIO CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
The Chinese entrepreneur helped found the premium electric vehicle manufacturer in 2014 to fight smog. In 2018 the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange, and in 2021 Nio expanded outside China with sales in Norway. Sales and revenue continue to grow, propelled by the new ET5 midsize sedan and a battery-swap business model. Nio plans to launch five new vehicles in 2023, and it has lots of cash to invest in its portfolio and for continued expansion in Europe.
2022 Rank: Unranked
48 Netflix and Sean Bratches
THE FORCES BEHIND FORMULA 1’S SURGE
Global F1 attendance and ratings are at all-time highs, notably so in the U.S., which will host three grands prix this season for the first time since 1982. One major contributing factor: the docuseries, which premiered on Netflix in 2019. Whose idea was it? Credit Bratches, 61, F1’s managing director of commercial operations from 2016 to 2020. The American joined the F1 circus after nearly three decades in a similar role at ESPN. He’s
