The General's chief product guru, Bob Lutz, responded to questions regarding GM's reliability in the company's FastLane Blog's most recent video Q&A chapter. According to Lutz, who cites comparisons to company "H" and company "T" as being perpetual reliability yardsticks, GM has aimed at making every component throughout the automaker's brands "bulletproof," including the engines, transmissions and every mechanical part imaginable.The move began about four or five years ago, and despite high ratings in J.D. Power and Associates initial quality reports, Lutz explains that all the money spent was in an effort to "shoot for infinite life," as opposed to what Lutz calls, "100,000-mile bogies."
Lutz goes on to recount his aim of making Buick the American equivalent of Lexus, which was just confirmed with the recent release of J.D. Power and Associates long-term reliability ratings. Buick sat pretty, right next to Lexus. Mission accomplished Bob. Congrats.
[Source: GM FastLane Blog]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Donald @ Aug 28th 2007 4:59PM
no one comments about these things huh?
Don @ Aug 29th 2007 5:49PM
Annnnnnd 87 comments later...
Seriously, though...I'm glad he's talking about GM's reliability. That's great.
TBSS in the D @ Aug 28th 2007 5:00PM
Just wait three years from now. The Chevy Astro Van and many other 20 year old designs will not even be considered. I love that Bob came out and said this. He is the only one in the auto industry willing to speak his mind.
John P. @ Aug 28th 2007 5:06PM
I've got great respect for what Bob's doing. He's a real car guy and wants GM to succeed. Unlike many people shooting their mouths off from the sidelines here.
I never owned a GM product in my entire life, but I'm going to start considering them in the future, Particularly Saturn, Buick, and Cadillac.
500 @ Aug 28th 2007 9:01PM
Lutz is 20 years too late. Reliability is no longer their main problem, and hasn't been for years. The problem is that, with few exceptions, they are building boring, outdated vehicles that people don't want to buy.
Now build that long-rumored RWD, heritage-inspired ('68-style) Impala, in 2- and 4-door configurations or even a wagon, and I'll buy.
whofan @ Aug 28th 2007 5:07PM
I hope GM stays focused. They seem to be right on target. Buick has been one of the better cars on the road for years. The older people know this thats why they buy them. I look at a Lucerne and La Cross and both are more youthful looking than a Camry.
GM needs to whip its other models into shape also. A cheap no frills car can be a quality built car also.
Best vehicle I owned has been a 99 Plymouth Voyager. So much for stereo typing auto makes.
Miyoshi @ Aug 28th 2007 10:17PM
"Youthful" doesn't describe the Camry, but it doesn't even belong in the same sentence as the Lucerne and LaCrosse. What's "youthful" to you? The 59-65 age group?
Dave @ Aug 28th 2007 11:19PM
Exactly what Miyoshi said. Buicks still do not look "youthful"
Frank @ Aug 29th 2007 7:34AM
You guys need to take a class in reading comprehension. Whofan said the Buicks are MORE youthful looking than the Camry (and I'll add the Avalon to this), not that they looked youthful period.
Mal Fuller @ Aug 28th 2007 5:10PM
".....as opposed to what Lutz calls, "100,000-mile bogies."
Did anyone ask Bob what bogies are? The Oxford Dictionary isn't much help, it says:
"bogie |ˈbōgē| noun ( pl. -gies) chiefly Brit. an undercarriage with four or six wheels pivoted beneath the end of a railroad car.
iamhoff @ Aug 28th 2007 5:28PM
An undercarriage for a rail car?!? Well don't use a damn British dictionary! Typically, bogey (or bogie) is a term used to describe a target, be it a benchmark or (as originally conceived in this instance) an unidentified and possibly enemy aircraft (both of these from Dictionary.com). In short, bogey/bogie refers to setting the standard of 100k miles of life before any major servicing/rebuilding is required. What's the buzzphrase you hear constantly these days? "100,000 miles before your first tuneup". I think Bob's trying to show that GMs quality efforts are aimed past the 100k mile mark.
Mal Fuller @ Aug 28th 2007 7:14PM
OK, Iamhoff, I put away the Oxford Dictionary, included with my Apple (USA) computer and got out my huge damned Webster's New Twentieth Century Unabridged Dictionary where I found that Webster agrees with Oxford regarding the meaning of Bogie, except that Webster characterizes the word as being of Scottish origin. The Fuller family has been speaking English since before my ancestors landed at Plymouth Rock, and I never heard the word used as Bob Lutz used it or you define it.
Phil @ Aug 28th 2007 7:47PM
I guess it's a super-secret use of the word known only to an underground secret society consisting of Iamhoff, Bob Lutz and myself. Or you need a new dictionary.
Rich @ Aug 28th 2007 9:42PM
Haven't you ever seen a movie with an airfight between fighter jets or such?
Bogey at 3'o'clock! You got a Bogey on your tail!
Not a strange use of the word 'Bogey' at all.
One definition listed on dictionary.com-
3. Also, bogy, bogie. Military. an unidentified aircraft or missile, esp. one detected as a blip on a radar screen.
But there are MANY other definitions beyond the one you found.
Ryan @ Aug 28th 2007 10:26PM
I think it's pretty obvious he's using 'bogey' as it applies to golf. As in, shooting over par on a hole...which isn't good. A bogey is one stroke over, two stroke over par is a double bogey. I think this is what he's referring to.
Mal Fuller @ Aug 28th 2007 11:32PM
So, we have 100,000 mile unidentified aircraft on our tail? That makes a lot of sense. My original point was that Bob Lutz was not speaking in terms likely to be understood. I guess the above responses have made my point for me.
Dave @ Aug 28th 2007 11:48PM
By "bogey" he meant target.
Drewboy @ Aug 29th 2007 12:21AM
Damn, I understood what he meant, and I don't even golf! Retards...
Phil @ Aug 29th 2007 12:45AM
"My original point was that Bob Lutz was not speaking in terms likely to be understood. I guess the above responses have made my point for me."
If by that you mean making the point that everyone else got the use of the term and you didn't, then yes.
Barney @ Aug 28th 2007 5:11PM
The hurdle to leap, is in convincing people it's not all talk. Buying a car today can be forgotten once the sale is done. People will wait to see if the Buick will surpass the Lexus. Then they may consider it.