---
title: "Mary Barra Is the Highest-Paid Auto CEO in the World"
description: "Lowest-paid auto CEO in the world? Elon Musk."
date: "2017-04-05"
modified: "2017-04-05"
authors:
  - name: "Chris Tsui"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/chris-tsui"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/8936/mary-barra-is-the-highest-paid-auto-ceo-in-the-world"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Business"
  - "CEOs"
  - "Mary Barra"
---

# Mary Barra Is the Highest-Paid Auto CEO in the World

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/04/mbarra.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

For the second year in a row, GM's Mary Barra tops the list of the world's highest-paid auto CEOs, earning $22.6 million in 2016 according to [*CNN Money*](<https://money.cnn.com/2017/04/04/news/companies/mary-barra-pay/>). GM sold a record 10 million cars last year, producing an operating profit of $12.5 billion. Coming in second place, Ford's Mark Fields with $22.1 million, while Sergio Marchionne of Fiat Chrysler rounds out the top three raking in the European equivalent of $10.6 million. Despite heading the world's largest automaker, Volkswagen boss Matthias Müller received a relatively paltry €7.3 million, or $7.7 million in today's exchange rates. This is likely in no small part due to the German automaker's [Dieselgate](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/6872/fbi-arrests-volkswagen-executive-on-dieselgate-related-conspiracy-charges>) scandal, which [continues](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/7274/if-you-had-dieselgate-buy-back-money-to-spend-what-car-would-you-get>) to cost them billions.

[Surprisingly](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/8696/watch-elon-musk-take-delivery-of-his-new-mclaren-f1-in-1999>), the lowest-paid car company CEO was Elon Musk, reporting a comically philanthropic annual salary of $37,584 in 2015—the minimum wage California law allows for an 80-hour work week. According to Tesla, he hasn't accepted any of it, and it's only a figure used for tax purposes. Taking his $10 billion worth of Tesla shares into account, Musk is simultaneously the world's richest yet lowest-paid car executive. In addition to being one of [the most important people in the automotive world](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/3337/who-are-the-most-important-people-in-the-automotive-world>), Elon is also definitely one of the coolest.

## Author
Chris Tsui is *The Drive*'s former Reviews Editor and current freelance automotive journalist. He's based in Toronto.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/cltsuii/>)