Dan Akerson

CEO, General Motors

Cadillac has heavily renovated and created new versions of its ATS, XTS, and CTS sedans over the past two years, and the effort shows.

In May of this year, Cadillac sold 13,808 cars in the U.S. — a 40% increase from the year before. It's the fastest the brand has grown in nearly 40 years, according to a GM executive.

Akerson is credited with taking the Cadillac from being "Seinfeld's dad's car" to a luxury car maker on par with the likes of Audi and BMW.