Did you hear the one where Bob Lutz calls global warming a "total crock of shi*t"? Yeah, he did say what you just thought he said, though the most Maximum of Bobs added that he's just skeptical and doesn't deny the theory completely. He's interested in green transportation technology, but for different reasons than perhaps a die-hard, tree-hugging liberal. It's all about weening our nation off the teet of imported oil for Bob. Regardless, the interwebs went wacky with the "crock of sh*t" quote, and Bob has taken time out of his busy schedule to address those digital pundits that have given this story its legs.
Yesterday on the GM Fastlane Blog, Lutz tried to get people to look past his own beliefs and at the bigger picture, saying "The point is not why and how did we get where we are, it's what are we going to do to get where we're going." And he goes on to state what that big picture is: removing the automotive industry entirely from the environmental equation. That's REALLY big picture stuff, but Bob claims that this goal is what motivates the decisions being made at GM right now. Of course, he also admits that he gets paid to do what makes the most business sense for GM. Fortunately, those two things seem to be in harmony more and more as these green conscious times intensify.
[Source: GM Fastlane Blog]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
D-GOD @ Feb 22nd 2008 3:39PM
What's not a crock of shhh it, is Lutz is a dinosaur in need of retirement, he's still living in the 60's but the economics of Walmart.
Yeah, he's playing catch up for GM, but still its just catch up.
Old man, time to retire and live off all your Oil-Stock options.
dean @ Feb 22nd 2008 4:29PM
D-GOD, I wouldn't want him to retire, as he's doing great things for GM.
Louis Duran @ Feb 22nd 2008 6:29PM
Why do they call him "maximum Bob"?
Global warming is real, by the way. It is partly caused by man as well. Bob needs to pull his head out of his ass.
Daniel @ Feb 22nd 2008 7:25PM
Bob is a lying scum bag and he needs to have the sh*t kidded out of him.
GM developed full size sedans that got better that 80 mpg more that ten years ago (See PNGV) but they refuse to offer them for sale. His talk of an eco-friendly GM is a crock of crap.
Ford Wannup @ Feb 23rd 2008 8:02AM
it is a crock of sh*t. There are plenty of very credible scientist and prominent meteorologist who said the same thing, but the lemming press just do not report them to the same intensity that they report this crock of sh*t.
Lutz is doing GM well.
James @ Feb 23rd 2008 2:03PM
"There are plenty of very credible scientist and prominent meteorologist who said the same thing, but the lemming press just do not report them to the same intensity that they report this crock of sh*t."
Ford Wannup,
I've never really understood why Americans are the only people who believe this. I study environmental science in college, and your claim just really isn't substantiated within the scientific world. There are always a few researchers here and there who will dispute everything, but the scientific consensus is quite clear: it exists.
TwinTurbo3000GT @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:32PM
Sure, the climate is warming, but that doesnt mean it has anything to do with man. The climate warms and cools in cycles. We are coming out of a cold cycle (ice age) right now. It's going to get about 9 degrees warmer avg global temp before it starts to cool down again and we enter another ice age (in about 200000 years). This cycle has been going on for millions of years, long before humans. Science books are your friends people. Dont be ignorant and dont believe everything al gore of fox news says. Try actually doing some reasearch.
Even if we ARE causing a minute raise in global temp due to CO2 output, it's not going to make a difference when the next ice age comes.
Jerry @ Feb 24th 2008 12:32AM
James so you think some Americans are oh like say crazy when they say global warming is bogus well let me ask you this not just our planet is warming up from this so called global warming other planets are warming up too and how do you explain that ? what are there alleins out there on other planets driving gas hogging SUV's warming up there planets too ..lol hehe or is this all just natural that the planets are warming up how can you just write off that huh ?
tekdemon @ Feb 25th 2008 3:06AM
TwinTurbo, you do realize that even if global warming isn't caused by man and is a natural cycle, that we'd still be screwed if temperatures keep climbing?
So regardless of whether you believe it's man-made or not, it would be in our best interests to figure out how to keep the climate as it is.
I'm sure there's a cyclical natural cycle to the whole thing, but that doesn't mean that we haven't affected the cycle-even accelerating it ever so slightly could make it hit a tipping point faster than we'd like.
Higher average temperatures mean more hurricanes and a rising sea level (which is REALLY problematic for lowlying cities by the ocean, like NYC). So even if global warming were entirely not because of our polluting, we'd still have a LOT to lose if we didn't figure out how to stop it.
Thinking that it's OK to do nothing is pretty stupid. That's like finding out that a meteor is about to hit the Earth, but since man didn't make the meteor you don't need to do anything about it.
Last time I checked, we don't want rising sea levels to bury our lowlying cities, and we don't want it to eventually lead to an ice age either. Natural or not, I don't want our cities to be buried under water.
Matt @ Mar 12th 2008 12:53AM
tekdemon,
To suggest that global warming is "all GM's fault" or that it should be up to them to fix it IS a crock of sh*t. :)
Parkerman @ Feb 22nd 2008 3:39PM
Awesome, I'm glad someone pointed out that it was a Crock of sh*t. For once I agree with GM.
Randy @ Feb 22nd 2008 3:46PM
I don't agree! It's basic math with big numbers! Global warming is real! Do you REALLY think every company in the US would spend money on making their products more green if it was a conspiracy?
tankd0g @ Feb 22nd 2008 3:48PM
Ah, so the Volt is canceled then?
AlexP @ Feb 22nd 2008 3:51PM
They're spending money on making their fleets and everything less energy-hungry to save money, not to save the Earth. The green approach is a marketing cover-up, you people are hilarious.
The Volt isn't canceled, it's a mass-production technological showcase in Lutz' heart.
Seoultrain @ Feb 22nd 2008 3:44PM
This was actually the point where Bob lost all credibility to me. I personally hate the entire global warming debate, but regardless of your position, if you are a car exec, you should not say something so completely polarizing. That was just retarded, Bob. GM pays you to make car-related decisions, but they also expect you not to bring bad press to the company.
AlexP @ Feb 22nd 2008 3:52PM
He didn't lose credibility to me, but I agree, it's bad press GM doesn't need in such times.
Robert's true, he hates fiddling around with PR (he mentioned it before).
Lithous @ Feb 22nd 2008 4:15PM
I must laugh at your reply. How ironic that you would think that Lutz looses "all credibility to me" with his comment yet your comment here throws around a sometimes offensive word as well: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retarded
Big Rocket @ Feb 22nd 2008 4:47PM
Lithous: There is a huge difference betweeen a blog visitor using the word "retarded", and the CEO of a global company using a four-letter word.
Seoultrain @ Feb 22nd 2008 6:15PM
Rocket is right. I don't have a company's reputation to protect. I don't even have a non-default avatar to protect.
as for the word "retarded" itself, I could make a case for Lutz having limited emotional development. or maybe I'm mistaking that for senility.
Lithous @ Feb 22nd 2008 10:06PM
So as a human being you have less responsibility to not offend because he is a car exec?
Sorry, your excuse for the comment didn't brainwash me enough to make me think that your excuse is in fact reasonable.
And to your excuse generator: Little D, I don't believe the curse word was the problem that Korea lover was miffed about. It appeared to be Lutz's overall disregard for political correctness that did it.