Dan Akerson, General Motors' former CEO and a guy that had zero experience in the auto industry before taking the helm, doesn't think Apple should get into the car business. Because of course he does.

This is The Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:30 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parse it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?

This is The Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:30 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parse it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?

This is The Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:30 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parse it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?

DETROIT – General Motors today announced that Dan Akerson, who guided today's GM to record profits and dramatic improvement in vehicle quality while closing the chapter on government ownership in the company, will step down as chairman and CEO on Jan. 15, 2014.

Among the news of Mary Barra's appointment to CEO and a clearer explanation of his earlier-than-expected exit, retiring General Motors CEO Dan Akerson told reporters today that without government oversight, the automaker's pursestrings are a little looser.

This is The Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parse it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?

This is The Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parse it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?

This is The Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parse it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?

This is The Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parse it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?

This is The Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parse it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?

This is The Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parse it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?

This is The Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parse it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?

This is The Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parse it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?

The government auditors responsible for monitoring the Trouble Asset Relief Program (i.e. TARP) say executives at three companies received pay that was "excessive" given the guidelines outlined in the program, including employees of GM and Ally (formerly GMAC).

It's as predictable as snow during the Detroit Auto Show or flight delays from summer thunderstorms. As soon as a company runs into a crisis, the CEO heads for the op-ed page.

You could see this one coming for months, but today, General Motors made it official. Karl-Friedrich Stracke, who had the thankless job of trying to lead GM Europe and Opel/Vauxhall, is stepping aside to take on "special assignments" for GM CEO Dan Akerson.

General Motors today announced it's bringing back former Vice Chairman Bob Lutz to provide counsel to the senior leadership team of the company. Although Lutz has been providing advice to GM executives informally since retiring from the company in 2010, we think maybe they realized just how much they needed a, you…

Former General Motors product czar "Maximum" Bob Lutz left the company last year, but new GM CEO Dan Akerson's been trying to get him back. The only thing standing in his way according to The Daily Beast is the U.S. Treasury Department, which fears the move could be perceived as a golden parachute.

General Motors CEO Dan Akerson has only been on his first auto industry job for a few months, but based on a speech in Washington today, he's a quick learner. Fight! Fight! Fight! Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty [Ken Thomas via Twitter]