Colias hired as WSJ’s GM reporter

John Stoll, the auto editor at The Wall Street Journal, sent out the following announcement on Friday:

I’m pleased to announce Mike Colias has joined The Wall Street Journal as the Detroit bureau’s General Motors reporter. Mike joins us from Automotive News.

Mike built a reputation as a scoop machine at Automotive News and joins the Journal’s automotive coverage as the global car business drives toward an inflection point. Auto makers are reaping big profits amid the U.S. market’s record deliveries, a surge in light-truck demand and strength in China and Europe. Tech giants and a slew of startups, meanwhile, are threatening to upend the industry with rapid advancements in electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles. GM is a company trying to navigate these changes, investing in Lyft and other new businesses while spending billions to revitalize product lines.

Prior to Automotive News, Mike was an award-winning reporter at Crain’s Chicago Business covering health care — including pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and health insurers. He also spent two years as a business reporter in the Chicago bureau of The Associated Press; and covered business and general news at newspapers in Providence, R.I., and in the Denver area.

Mike is a native of Palatine, Ill., and graduated from Ohio University in Athens. He lives in Ann Arbor with his wife and three boys. He is a Cubs fan and spends a lot of time on baseball diamonds with little leaguers.

Please join me in welcoming Mike to The Wall Street Journal.