You might recall a quote exchange that took place last November between Toyota exec Kazuo Okamoto and the General's own Bob "Maximus" Lutz. The verbal barbs began with Okamoto calling the Volt "completely wacky" and "nonsense," to which Mr. Lutz responded, "Let's wait until the Easter Bunny. Somebody's going to have egg on their face. And I don't like having egg on my face." Hey Bob, you've got a little something yellow on your cheek.
During a recent interview with Reuters, Lutz revealed that road tests of the Chevy Volt wouldn't be happening until sometime in July, versus the expected test dates we were expecting later this month. Lutz didn't expand on the reason behind the delay, but he did confirm that GM wouldn't name a battery supplier until the second half of the year, saying, "That may also be a little bit longer now, as we need a better handle on who has the technological capability we need." As always, the beat goes on...
[Source: Reuters]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
M @ Mar 14th 2008 3:06PM
No, it's cool, keep on backin' it up there Bob...
sw @ Mar 14th 2008 3:17PM
My god, his handlers must be ashamed.
There's no global warming.
The volt is just around the corner.
Bob Lutz seems to be to senior management what George Bush is to presidents. They're both loudmouths that don't listen to their own experts.
But to be fair to Bob, he did breathe some life into GM, but he's not so far along the path of recovery to be criticizing other companies who have full hybrids (not mild hybrids) who have a product that I can buy from their dealerships
Jay @ Mar 14th 2008 3:21PM
GM has a bunch of full hybrids, and before they ever built a hybrid car they put thousands of full hybrid buses on the streets.
sw @ Mar 14th 2008 3:28PM
Well, if you want to take other types of vehicles into consideration then it'd be the manufacturers who made train engines that'd be the first, and then briggs and stratton had a working hybrid prototype many many moons ago.
To sum up my point, you can't really compare a bus to a car any more than you can compare a bus to a train.
I commend GM's efforts, and it is good that they're now starting to build vehicles people actually want to buy and after some dormancy pushing the envelope when it comes to technology. but I do think that if Bob had the composure and public speaking personality of Alan Mulally or Katsuaki Watanabe he wouldn't have his foot permanently wedged in his mouth.
AMcA @ Mar 15th 2008 2:51AM
So who ought to be running GM?
Carl Pope?
Ralph Nader?
I'll stick with Maximum Bob, even if h ruffles a few feathers now and then.
Polly Prissy Pants @ Mar 16th 2008 8:02PM
I guess if you consider a couple trucks and no cars "a bunch" out of 60 something models then yeah, GM has a bunch of full hybrids.
Now for reality: The 2009's are going on sale and GM doesn't offer a single full hybrid car in their entire line-up. Even their BAS cars like the Aura and Malibu are MIA on dealer lots. Way to go GM.
Jay @ Mar 14th 2008 3:24PM
and to be fair this has nothing to do with GM's ability to develop the volt's powertrain, and everything to do with supplier issues, which we all know GM has been having craploads of.
Supplier issues aren't something they can control, or you might wanna get all up in Tesla's grille because they've been having transmission issues for as long as I can remember as well.
2004m3driver @ Mar 14th 2008 5:24PM
If they were serious about it, they should try and help develop and supply their own. If they think the Volt is really crucial to their companies image, I would imagine they would put in that extra effort. Not to just let it ride on some suppliers. Thats like me telling my customers they can't have their clothes yet because my manufacturer is slow. Yeah that is an excuse, but no one wants to hear it and it is still my fault for not managing it properly.
tankd0g @ Mar 14th 2008 5:52PM
This has to do with GMs vaporware specs for a battery that doesn't exist.
Jay @ Mar 14th 2008 5:52PM
@2004m3driver
Well that may be true, but cars and clothes are different worlds entirely. GM has to design the bulk of the running gear and rest of the car to fit with it. Its a little more complicated than an analogy involving clothing could hope to convey. Due to the nature of the design the whole thing is worthless without the battery packs even if the rest of the car is for all intents and purposes finished. I mean really, what is a Volt without the battery packs? Just a shell with an engine that can't drive the wheels...
jake @ Mar 14th 2008 9:28PM
"Supplier issues aren't something they can control, or you might wanna get all up in Tesla's grille because they've been having transmission issues for as long as I can remember as well."
People HAVE been getting up on Tesla's grille for having transmission delays, esp on most of the blogs. It's not like they never took any flack for it, just go to TTAC to see what I mean. So they are going to do the same thing to GM.
To people not in the know, who claim that the batteries are non-existent, they already have packs from two suppliers; this we already know. Now they have to decide which one they will use. And Lutz didn't explain why they pushed the test dates back, so everything everyone here is saying is just speculation.
tekdemon @ Mar 15th 2008 4:56AM
Having a prototype battery available is one thing...having a battery that's ready for mass production is an entirely different story.
The last thing you'd want is to rush the battery and then have someone's battery explode.
Of course this basically means the volt's timeline really is nonsense, you can make all the prototypes you want but you gotta get it to market for it to matter.
jabari @ Mar 14th 2008 3:32PM
Just to let you know, GM does have a full hybrid on the market, the Yukon and Denali hybrids. They just aren't small sedans so therefore don't claim eye-popping numbers like some other vehicles.
In addition, they're taking the position of dealing with the biggest gas guzzlers first to have the greatest impact than focusing on a small car car for publicity's sake.
Furthermore, they two-mode hybrid GM has is pretty much being licensed by BMW and Chrysler because it works as a tranmission and can be dropped into existing vehicles. In other words, it doesn't require a platform be developed specifically for its use. Which means that as soon as the economies of scale kick in, everything GM BMW and Chrysler makes with an automatic transmission can be a hybrid theoretically.
With that and the hybrid diesel buses they have running around, I think they can get a pass on delaying the road test of the volt to July instead of doing it by Easter.
And yes, I do think Lutz shoots off at the mouth more than he should, but if somebody called a project you were working on "nonsense" how would you react?
sw @ Mar 14th 2008 3:33PM
If I'd been telling people about how wonderful my project was going to be for a couple of years, riddle it with delays, then some petty squabbling with a competitor who has a real product on the market now.
People would start calling me pretty inept and I'd deserve it.
PJ @ Mar 14th 2008 6:29PM
I'm not sure I understand the point of the dual-mode GMT900 hybrids. They only get around 18-20 MPG combined--which is great for what they are--but if fuel economy is driving your purchase decision, why wouldn't you simply buy a smaller (and less expensive) three-row crossover?
If, on the other hand, fuel economy isn't enough of a priority for you to give up driving a mega-'ute, would you really be willing to pay $15K over a regular GMT900 for the extra 5 MPG?
Anyway, in responding to Toyota's criticism, the last thing Lutz should've done was pull optomistic dates out of his ass and set his engineers up for (perceived) failure.
tankd0g @ Mar 14th 2008 5:51PM
Nobody cares that the Volt is a hybrid, it's claim to fame is that it's a plug in electric vehicle with supposedly 60 miles of battery range. GM doesn't have an serial hybrids.
Seoultrain @ Mar 14th 2008 3:34PM
I gotta say, as an engineer on the Boeing 787, Bob Lutz makes us look good.
rar @ Mar 14th 2008 3:45PM
Keep in mind, this type of car has never been made before (extended range ev). I am sure there are many unforseen problems/ delays that will come up. GM is taking a big gamble by trying to make this work. No other major car company that I know of is even giving it a try. Yes Bob talks to much, but for people like me who would like to purchase this car someday, I like to read all I can about the development, good or bad.
PAT @ Mar 14th 2008 3:41PM
I like his candor and personality, sure he speaks his mind, but you can't have your cake and eat it too. He has, as said earlier, provided spark for Gm, but he talks a little too much. Who cares, Want-to-be is perfect for Toyota, and Lutz is perfect for GM.
I agree with jabari, I can't say I wouldn't respond to the ever growing arrogance of Toyota.
Allan @ Mar 14th 2008 3:47PM
It'd be better if he just said "it'll be here eventually." Or maybe "it'll be here as soon as we have the battery tech squared away."
If he'd stop saying things that reference specific dates, he'd be OK.