Just Kidding! Bob Lutz apparently isn't walking away from GM just yet
As General Motors was stumbling toward insolvency earlier this year and it became clear that the presidential task force was going to require some heads to roll, Bob Lutz announced his retirement at the end of this year. Now that the "New" General Motors has emerged from bankruptcy, it appears Lutz wants to keep his commitment to drive the first production Chevy Volt off the line in 2010. The first stage of Lutz's retirement involved relinquishing his duties as product development chief last April to Tom Stephens. Lutz was to remain as a special advisor for the rest of this year, however, the Detroit Bureau is reporting Lutz will stick around for an indeterminate amount of time to advise CEO Fritz Henderson. Henderson's background is on the finance side of the business, so perhaps GM wants someone else on the inside advising on future product. This will be particularly important over the next several years as GM pares down its model and brand lineup to determine what to keep and what to toss.
[Source: The Detroit Bureau]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Mike 8:03AM (7/10/2009)
Haven't you done enough damage?
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Clay Garland 8:39AM (7/10/2009)
Thanks for the biggest lol of the day.
amnigo 9:03AM (7/10/2009)
I know. It's not like good cars came as a result of this guy. The modern GTO, Solstice, Sky, G8, 08.5+ Malibu, CTS, CTS Coupe, Camaro, Enclave, Chevy Spark, 2010 Lacrosse, 2010 Equinox, 2010 SRX.... All crap cars. Let's not forget the Cadillac Sixteen and Converj concepts. This guy stinks.
/Sarcasm
Cmicasa the GREAT 9:19AM (7/10/2009)
Some people here on Autoblog are marred by so much ignorance it isn't even funny.
Since Lutz's arrival we have see GM go from a company that produced mediocre vehicles that were reliable, and often attractive but never exuded the norm in terms of quality and performance. We have, because of Lutz's product direction, Welburn's design direction, and Andrew Farah's engineering direction, a company that hasn't once yet, in the past 3 years put out vehicle that didn't win some sort of acclaim. Corvettes are considered Ferrari beaters, Cadillacs are comparable to BMWs and Benzes, Malibus are more efficient and better styled than CamCords, Cobalts are as efficient as Civics and Corollas and SS models outperform VWs and Mazda3s. Enclaves and Tahoes are more efficient and have better ergonomics than Highlanders, Pilots, and Sequoias. Silverado/Sierras continue to eat the Tundra, Titan, and Ridgeline's BREAKFAST, LUNCH, and DINNER. And that's just for starters.
We have the new Equinox, a stunner debuting, larger and more efficient than the smaller Rav4, CRV, and Rogue. We have the upcoming SRX which is being compared to the X5 in performance, the RX in comfort, the Q5 in quality, and the the OLD FX in looks. The Volt is coming after so many called it Vaporware. The Cruze is looking to be capable of finally doing what the durable Cavalier, and efficient, competent, but plain Cobalt failed to do: Bring respect to the Domestic Small Car effort. We have the Viva and Spark coming next year. The fantastic Lacrosse is ready to do for Buick what the CTS has done for Cadillac; make it cool again.
I'm sorry but truth is as bad as 2009 was for GM, it may have just been the best year in it's 100+ year history. Despite Forum goers silly, trolling rants about it being "controlled" by the Government, I'm seeing a GM emergence that will dominate again. Siting the move by GM to shudder the damaged, redundant Pontiac brand and move to building more efficient cars as a tell-tale sign of President Obama's strong hand. I have news for those fools... cars like the Volt and 40+MPG Cruze were announced well before President Obama ever took the pen from Mr. Bush, and logic tells me that even the foreign made vehicles will have to augment their strategies to meet GLOBAL fuel /emission standards forthcoming.
Some fool actually made an analogy between the Post Office and GM. Siting the Post Office as being Government owned and inefficient. I'd love to see GM operate as well. An entity capable of managing over 750K employees and billions of pieces of mail per day.
xcrunk 9:20AM (7/10/2009)
Screw you Mike...you have no clue!
ALL HAIL BOB LUTZ!!!!
The guy knows a good looking car when he sees one. Genius!
ALL HAIL BOB LUTZ!!!!
The Other Bob 10:03AM (7/10/2009)
Amen Cmicasa the GREAT, Amen.
Snowdog 10:43AM (7/10/2009)
Cmicasa.
That reads like fanboy GM press release regurgitation.
Cobalt is a POS. I don't care if they put enough motor to make it go fast, it then becomes a fast POS. In just about every comparison I read, the Cobalt barely makes "also ran" status.
Sol/Sky: While they look pretty are a startling example of how GM misses the engineering mark with an extremely poorly designed top/trunk setup and even worse when they built the Targa top coupe version and didn't seem to consider actually storing the roof panel in the car!
GM might finally produce some competitive mid size and larger vehicles but there is no sign they are emerging with a competitive small car. I would give GM the benefit of the doubt on the Cruze, but for me they are failing right out of the blocks by not having a hatchback. My Short list for my next car includes the Golf TDI, Mazda 3 (hatch), and maybe new Honda CR-Z. GM still hasn't shown any plan to compete here.
All that said. I hope for the best with GM. I think the new stripped and lean GM now has no excuses, they have another chance to compete with the best. They have no legacy cost issues and debt to complain about. I would love it if they gave me a reason to test drive something in my upcoming purchase, but it doesn't even look like they will build something in my category ( compact hatch).
jamie 11:25AM (7/10/2009)
Cmicasa the GREAT
Right on dude! I wish I had said that.
Mr.Oak 11:44AM (7/10/2009)
Cmicasa: All good points. One correction: Citing not Siting.
I love the folks who think that all government run agencies are failures.
NASA and DARPA are classic examples of how awful government agencies can be.
However, please remember to thank them for all the wonderful technologies that they have burdened us with.
Carbon Fiber
The computer mouse
the mobile phone
microwave ovens
GPS systems
Hubble Telescope
the space shuttle
etc., etc.
Those bumbling federal idiots.
Level 12:16PM (7/10/2009)
Everyone forgot to see the real problem and picture...It's not that they make cars that people dont want, GM pretty much outsells every other manufacture next to Toyota...Now how can someone selling soo many cars still loose money??? they have huge legacy cost, their UAW workers are over paid which at the end joe schmoe down the street selling 10 cars is making more money then GM selling 200K cars a month...It has never been about the cars that GM sells, that was created by the Media Spin..GM hands down sells more cars, its just their extreme over head and legacy cost which hurts them on the profits...Now since thanks to the democratic party which is supported by the unions in this country, the only chance GM had of removing the UAW was ruled out and instead they gave them a seat in the board..how the F does that happen? Point is GM always had product to sell by the thousands even after people hating on them they still outsold everyone next to Toyota...
Judy Zik 5:20PM (7/10/2009)
I will duck before I say that I have to agree with Snowdog. Sorry but I don't see Lutz as a saviour.
HHR? Good idea poor execution.
Cobalt? Good step up from a Cavalier but still a long way from a Civic or Corolla.
Sol/Sky. Another great idea totally screwed up in execution. The top is terrible. The inside is full of cheap plastics and terrible ergonomics. Proof a car can look good and drive good and still be a flop if you don`t get the details right.
GTO. Didn't live up to it's name and lost money.
G8. Say thanks to the Aussies not Lutz and once again a money loser and his other imports (Astra and Aveo) were real stinkers.
The Malibu is a good product but Lutz has proven time after time that he is willing to let half baked products go out the door. GM needs someone with the patience and dedication to make sure every detail is right and to me Lutz is not that person.
Lad 8:03PM (7/10/2009)
Perhaps a couple of Engineers on the board would be a good thing; someone with the right to sort out the technical information and express an honest opinion and not have to account to a bean counter. I don't think you would see as many mistakes it this occurred.
DJ 8:06AM (7/10/2009)
If it weren't for Bob Lutz, GM would have been dead long ago.
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BoxerFanatic 10:55AM (7/10/2009)
And maybe then they could be re-built by the private sector to actually be a lean, and private-sector enterprise.
Instead of a government-union conglomerate.
jamie 11:28AM (7/10/2009)
The investors are getting itchy trigger fingers and want in on the piece of the action already. GM won't be Government Motors very long.
Gary Lowe 8:10AM (7/10/2009)
I hate to use cliches but......you know what they say about re-arranging the furniture on the Titanic.
Anyhow....What a joke, what government: The New Improved-No different Then Anything We've Seen So Far...Except We Are Paying For It Now. The Old, The New, The Totally Meaningless: GM
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LMBVette 9:31AM (7/10/2009)
So..they've been out of bankruptcy for 3 hours already and in those 3 hours they've acquired billions more in debt and sprouted 4 new divisions?
Gary....take off the GM hating glasses for a minute and look around for a few minutes....things have changed dramatically!
Gary Lowe 11:12AM (7/10/2009)
LMB...I really don't hate them....though I never really wanted to own them....they are a corporate soap opera of mega proportions. I'm hoping Jerry Lewis will do a telethon for them next year. I can already envision Rick wagoner being rolled out in a wheel chair....an electric or hydrogen powered one I'm sure
HJC 2 8:25AM (7/10/2009)
Nah.... They don't need Lutz
They need a bean counter to show America how to build a car people really
want .... NOT
Thank you Obama for spending our money to save GM and put a bean counter with little or no car business experience to save GM
GREAT PLAN
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Avinash machado 8:31AM (7/10/2009)
Lutz was responsible for some of the best cars in recent times from GM like CTS,Malibu,Enclave,Acadia,Solstice,Sky etc.
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