Until Tuesday, the only comments new General Motors chief executive officer Mary Barra made about the massive recall of older models because of problem ignitions came through the automaker’s public relations department. Then for a few minutes at GM’s headquarters, Barra faced the press in what might be a prelude to the scores of questions likely to come.

“I want to start by saying again how sorry I am personally and how sorry General Motors is for what has happened,” Barra said according to this report from Bloomberg. “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 likely will be talking about the recall for some time as a congressional hearing is ahead as well as investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Department of Justice. Regulators and lawmakers all want answers about exactly when GM knew about the problems with recalled units such as the Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Ion and why official announcements didn’t come until last month for models that haven’t been manufactured for several years.

Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book, cheered Barra for facing a throng of reporters on Tuesday.

“While it arrived much sooner than anyone predicted, this recall crisis is an opportunity for GM’s Mary Barra to step up and resolve the issue in a very public and progressive manner,” Brauer said.

“Her proactive stance thus far, which includes creating a new global vehicle safety chief and stating she is willing to testify before Congress, indicates she recognizes this opportunity and is willing to embrace it,” he continued. “As a critical first step in Barra’s role as CEO it will set the tone of her leadership, as well as the automaker's image, going forward.”

In that same Bloomberg report, Barclays auto analyst Brian Johnson said how Barra how she handles this crisis will define her as CEO.

“This is the Tylenol moment for her, where the company is either seen as quickly and thoroughly addressing the issue or seen as dragging its feet and denying reality,” Johnson said in a Bloomberg interview from Chicago. “She was kind of quiet the first week, but this week they seem to be stepping up.”