General Motors CEO Mary Barra has spoken out about the company's 1.6-million vehicle recall that has been related to at least 12 deaths.

Addressing media for the first time on the matter, Barra apologized and promised stronger safety regulations in the future, Bloomberg Businessweek reported.

"I want to start by saying again how sorry I am personally and how sorry General Motors is for what has happened," Barra said to reporters at the company's headquarter in Michigan, according to Businessweek. "Clearly lives have been lost and families are affected, and that is very serious. We want to just extend our deep condolences for everyone's losses."

Barra, who was named GM's new CEO in December, also announced the appointment of a new safety chief.

She told reporters that it took "too long" for GM to investigate the faulty ignition switches in the affected vehicles and that "Our goal is that something like this will never happen again."

Jeff Boyer, a veteran company engineer, will be put in charge of recalls and other safety-related concerns, The Associated Press reported.

"If there are any obstacles in his way, Jeff has the authority to clear them," Barra said in a statement, as reported by the AP. "If he needs any additional resources, he will get them."

GM head of development Mark Reuss called Boyer "a passionate safety zealot," as quoted by Businessweek.  

GM has been investigating the ignition switch issue, which has been related to 12 deaths and 34 crashes, and has reportedly admitted that the problem first surfaced 11 years ago. The Justice Department recently launched a probe to see if the American car company broke the law in its slow response.

Owners reportedly complained of the ignition switches for years, saying that the vehicles tended to turn off abruptly if the ignition is bumped or if a heavy keychain is used. The recall includes Chevrolet Cobalts, Saturn Ions and four other compact cars, according to the AP.

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