GM: Mary Barra to Make $14.4 Million USD

General Motors said Monday that its new chief executive, Mary Barra, will receive a salary of $14.4 million USD this year.

The U.S. auto giant indicated that this is more money than outgoing CEO Dan Akerson, whom she replaced last month. There had been rumors that Barra was going to earn much less because she is a woman, and GM released these figures ahead of schedule to correct the misinformation.

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Ms. Barra is the first woman to hold the position of CEO of a major global automaker. She will receive $1.6 million in salary, $2.8 million in bonuses and $10 million in shares.

GM Chairman Tim Solso said in a statement Monday that the salary corresponded to that of its peers and is based largely on the performance of the company.