GM CEO Mary Barra: 'I've become impatient'

General Motors CEO Mary Barra predicted Thursday that industry new car sales will could hit 17 million this year in the USA, which would be the highest level since 2001.

But in her first year as GM's CEO, and one of the most prominent female CEOs in the country, some of the questions being put to her at a news conference in Detroit were about how the job has changed her.

Her first year in the top job, she says, was marked by disappointment and opportunity.

The disappointment came from having the year dominated by recalls surrounding faulty ignition switches in older vehicles that are now blamed for more than 40 deaths, and having to refocus the company on quality issues. But the opportunity has come in remaking GM into a company now focused on leading the industry in safety. She says there is no change in GM's predictions of how much compensation could cost the company, with estimates of more than $400 million.

The crises also changed her in her first year as CEO. She was asked if she ever felt "ambushed" because of how the recalls put her on the hot seat just after starting. "I never did," she replied. "The situation occurred and we had to deal with it."

She says her experience in running GM so far has changed her.

"I've become impatient and more determined. I would have accepted longer timelines to accomplish something. Well, no more." She says she's less willing to accept excuses.

All in all, she's bullish about GM and the auto industry in 2015.

Barra said she thinks the industry will deliver at least 16.5 million cars in the USA, which would be equal to what was sold last year. On the high end, it might hit 17 million.

She says GM ended 2014 with solid sales increases, especially in the critical U.S. and China markets.

She singled out the Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickups as an example of how GM is making smart product moves, shaking up a segment with a new entry. She also says she has high hopes for the new version of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in car, which is being introduced at the North American International Auto Show next week. She says it will have longer range per charge and great design.

Although GM just cut the price of the CTS sedan to spur sales, she says the Cadillac brand remains on track. She pointed to Cadillac's record sales in China last year and backed the goal's brand of competing head-to-head with the German luxury brands.

She acknowledged that the strong dollar vs. other currencies could give competitors an advantage, but that GM is building more of its products in the countries where it sells them, negating that edge somewhat. Also, she says she is proud that GM has exercised discipline on incentives, not having to add too many discounts to cars in order to sell them as it did the past.

In a year in which low gas prices are expected to switch more customers to trucks and SUVs, she says she is confident that GM's truck lineup will make it a strong player. But she says there are no current plans to add factory capacity to make more of them.