VISIONARY DISRUPTOR OF THE YEAR

Because of Barman's leadership, Slate will offer new-age engineering at a budget-friendly price point

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IN HER THREE DECADES IN THE AUTO BUSINESS Slate's President of Vehicles Chris Barman watched as affordable, entry-level car brands like Plymouth, Pontiac, Saturn and Scion disappeared. At the same time, legacy auto brands were adding features, cost and complexity, driving up the price of new models.

Hardworking middle-class American families were priced out of vehicles with the latest technologies designed to keep their families safe.

Barman wants to change that. The execution of her ambitions to provide affordable vehicles earns her Newsweek's World's Greatest Auto Disruptors Visionary Disruptor of the Year award.

“Slate originally started as Project Re:Car within Re:Build Manufacturing. The founders—Will Barker, Jeff Wilke and Miles Arnone—collaborated on a brief that challenged the current status quo and asked: Where had the affordable vehicles like the Ford Model T, Volkswagen Beetle and Jeep Cherokee gone? They challenged the industry norm by envisioning a vehicle produced in a single configuration from the factory, ready for accessorization after delivery,” Barman told Newsweek.