Which car industry executive is this about?

The following is a quote about a prominent car industry executive:

“The workers at the factory were not used to the boss being so hands-on. Their previous boss was a behind-the-scenes manager and had rarely shown his face on the floor. But he was almost always in their midst. This was a place where distance was part of the work environment and certain lines were just not crossed. He crossed them. The engineers in their clean white coats were offended when he climbed under their test cars and growled at them for not having figured out things he could see quite clearly. They had to get their hands dirty, he said, and stop all this standing around.”

On 10/18, I will reveal who this was written about, in what context and by whom. In the mean time, please check-mark your guess: