Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel dies

Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel, who led the automaker during a turbulent period of recession and restructuring in the early 1990s, has died at the age of 77.

"Bob was a very popular chairman with employees, and his many accomplishments as a visionary engineer included leading the development of the catalytic converter, one of the great environmental advancements in auto history," GM said in a statement.

"His knowledge of battery development led to the push for the EV1 electric car, and Bob continued to build his expertise in the electrification of the automobile after he left GM in 1992."

Stempel died Saturday in Florida, the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press reported Monday night.

Stempel worked his way up from an engineer in Oldsmobile's chassis division in the late 1950s to stints as general manager for several brands, including Pontiac and Chevrolet, before being named chairman and CEO in 1990.

A "car guy" who replaced former GM CEO Roger Smith, Stempel came on at an inauspicious time. One day after he became chairman, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's forces invaded Kuwait, triggering the Persian Gulf War and helping push the U.S. economy into a recession that would sap car sales.

He later joked that he had "one good day" as chairman, according to a 1992 Reuters profile of Stempel.

While at GM, Stempel approved the development of the EV1, which would have been the first electric car to be sold by a mainstream automaker. The idea was scrapped after his departure.

Despite closing dozens of plants and cutting tens of thousands of jobs, GM lost $4.45 billion in 1991, Stempel's first full year as CEO.

He also agreed to a new contract with the UAW that gave laid-off hourly workers 95 percent of their pay. At the time, analysts said the pact made GM's restructuring much more costly.

With GM's board losing confidence in him and Stempel suffering from a heart condition, he resigned in October 1992.

Stempel later joined Energy Conversion Devices Inc., a Detroit-area maker of nickel-metal hydride batteries and solar panels. He later forged a joint venture between that company and GM to make batteries for the EV1 electric car, which was phased out in 2000.

By Mike Colias- Automotive News