According to Bob Lutz, the first Chevy Volt powertrain mule has just passed a major milestone. After several weeks of testing in the lab with a battery pack installed, the Malibu based pre-prototype has rolled out into the fresh air. In fact, according to Lutz, the car has even rolled passed past the security gates of the Milford Proving Ground to drive around on public roads. Even in this early, very rough, form, Lutz says the car is meeting and exceeding the goal of 40 miles of driving without running the engine. With this, the E-Flex engineers have demonstrated the performance viability of this concept. However, they still have a long way to go in validating the robustness of the system in different operating environments as well as the long-term durability of the powertrain as a whole. Perhaps the biggest issue to address is the cost of the system, particularly the battery pack. For GM to sell the Volt at an affordable price at launch, they will likely be taking a significant loss due to the cost of the batteries. When that cost comes down, GM will finally be able to crank up production.
Click above for high-res gallery of the Buick Invicta Concept
GM Vice Chairman Bob "Maximum" Lutz published a new post today on the corporate GM Fastlane Blog that addresses the automaker's newest concept that debuted recently at Auto China 2008 in Beijing: the Invicta. The concept heavily hints at what the next-generation Buick LaCrosse will look like, but Bob points out that the global architecture underpinning the vehicle will be the basis of new cars for Chevy, Saab, Opel/Vauxhall and more. In the past, we would've expected those accompanying models to be rebadged versions with different grilles, headlights and taillights, but Bob explains how GM's new global platform sharing process is different than the rebadging of old. In a nutshell, he says that the money saved from sharing common platforms see will be put into making everything that customer's will see - exterior and interior design, specifically - completely different. While it's great to hear Bob talk about how GM finally "gets it" when it comes to producing common products across an empire of brands, it's something that other automakers like VW/Audi have been doing for years while the General kept feeding us "triplets" of every model it made. So kudos to GM for finally getting it, but it took 'em long enough.
The hopes and dreams of electric car aficionados for a purely battery powered successor to the late, lamented EV1 may soon be satisfied. Or not. It all depends on ... you guessed it, the battery. However, the latest utterings from Maximum Bob have people buzzing again. Mr. Lutz spoke to EV site PetroZero the other day and intimated that a purely battery-powered variant of the upcoming Volt is a possibility, leaving the range extender on the cutting room floor. This is actually not a new idea and dates back to the earliest dates of the Volt program. During a media briefing back in December 2006 several weeks before the Volt's public release, the Volt team showed us images like the one above that included several different powertrain configurations. The premise was to demonstrate the flexibility part of E-Flex. This included a variant with a larger battery and no engine to charge it. This pure EV was described as something that could be built if and when the range and more importantly the cost of the battery reaches a point where it could be successful in the market. Ditching the battery. on the other hand, won't happen because the inefficiencies inherent in transforming from mechanical to electrical to mechanical power without a battery to store regen energy and grid power just wouldn't make sense.
Finally, the PetroZero article indicates that Lutz will be driving the first Volt prototype within the next week. Lutz's use of the word prototype rather than mule led the author to believe this was an actual car with Volt bodywork. We checked with GM's Rob Peterson, who confirmed that such actual prototypes are still many months away and Lutz would actually be driving the Malibu-bodied mule that is now running with a lithium ion pack installed.
GM has seen plenty of tough times over the past few years, and even the company's top executives have felt the pinch. Executive pay was among the items cut as the General waded through multi-billion-dollar losses and immense market pressure, but after two years of cuts, the members of GM's top brass are getting their old salaries back. Top boss Rick Wagoner's base pay went as "low" as $1.1M but is now back to its 2003 level of $2.2M. Product czar Bob Lutz and money man Fritz Henderson also had their pay restored, and Fritz even got a raise to reflect his promotion to COO. Many of the pay cuts were voluntary in recognition of GM's market struggles, but even with the cuts in base pay, overall executive pay packages are worth a lot more than just the salaries alone. Wagoner, for example, was paid $14.4M in 2007, while Maximum Bob came in at $6.9M.
Click above for high-res live shots of the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe
A self-effacing and impeccably dressed Bob Lutz took shots at the old Pontiac during the live reveal of the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe. Busting on the arrowhead's former taste for cladding and Iron Dukes in the "excitement" product line, Lutz confidently strode alongside a silver 2009 Solstice GXP Coupe as it rolled out amidst fanfare provided by the Young Lords. Strobe lights flashed, music blared – it was like catching the last act of Kimmel, complete with Pontiac Garage signage. The Solstice Coupe replaces the world's flimsiest soft-top setup with a composite targa panel. 50-Cent also made an appearance and touted the performance of the GXP-trim Solstice, saying "It's faster than a Porsche Boxster. For $30,000... pick this one, not that one," while pointing at the Porsche display. The look of the Solstice Coupe is definitely zoomy - think of a C3 Corvette left in the dryer too long and you get the idea. Inside, the feeling is perhaps slightly less claustrphobic, but the general low-budget interior continues, though the GXP on the stand was wearing leather on the seats. The price of entry will still be a bargain when you look at the style it buys (official pricing hasn't been announced) - and the Coupe may even have enough trunk for an overnight bag.
Gallery: 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe - Live Reveal
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...
Rick Wagoner, CEO of General Motors, is a player in the auto industry. So when he sits down to have breakfast with reporters, you can bet that some juicy quotes will be delivered. Speaking on a number of topics recently at a breakfast with journos, Wagoner set the record straight that he does not share the view expressed by Bob Lutz that global warming is a "crock of $#!t". Of Lutz's famously quoted remark, Wagoner said, "The comments weren't coming out of our company." No, just the mouth of your Vice Chairman.
Wagoner also took some time to address the issue of states' rights when it comes to setting national emissions standards. Despite Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain all stating that they are for allowing individual states to set their own emissions standards, Wagoner thinks the lucky winner of the highest office in the land will change his or her mind after moving into the White House. He counts on our nation's economic growth being a bigger priority for the next president, something to which the auto industry can't contribute if it's forced to build different versions of its vehicles to satisfy multiple emissions standards.
Click either of the sources below to read a few more topics touched on by Wagoner over his green eggs and ham.
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.
Bob Lutz understands how the automotive media operates, which is why on the same day that General Motors announced its largest loss ever, he pops up on the GM Fastlane Blog to talk about some good news: retail sales in January were up 11.2%.
The interesting thing is that this record $38.7 billion loss that the automotive media's talking (too much) about is not at all attributable to GM's performance at selling cars and trucks around the world in 2007. Nearly all of it is the result of an accounting adjustment, which we explained in detail last November. It represents past losses that GM was legally allowed to wait to report and finally did in Q3 2007.
Regardless of the truth, sensational headlines that include the words "record loss" have been plastered across the interweb all day. Since it's too hard explaining how the tax system for large corporations works, Lutz instead pulls the old "bad news here, look over there" trick. He points out that GM was one of the few automakers to report a rise in sales last month at 2.1%. According to our By the Numbers calculations, GM was the only automaker with multiple brands to do so.
In the fuel economy and future tech debate, the hybrid vs. diesel vs. hydrogen fuel cells vs. smaller cars and smaller engines always provokes a fair bit of discussion among Autoblog commentators. At this point, no one yet knows what's going to win since nobody knows how the volatile mix of products, timelines, prices, regulations, legislation, state standards, and gas prices will ultimately pan out. Bob Lutz's prediction is that diesels, at least as far as the US is concerned, won't be much of a factor.
His reasoning is simple: "I think customers are going to say, 'Wait a minute. At equal fuel prices I'm paying $4,000 more for this." Unlike many countries in Europe, the US offers no incentive for people to buy diesels. In the States the price of a diesel vehicle is often more than $1,000 higher than that of a gasoline-engined car, and diesel fuel is just as expensive as gas (throughout California and other states, it's slightly more expensive than premium unleaded). In that case, Lutz's opinion is that just about all the customer will glean from an oilburner is a higher car payment.
Lutz sees diesel uptake in the US hovering at about eight-percent. The technology he sees as winning the day: ethanol. It's clean, it's easy to integrate into the refueling infrastructure, and it "doesn't require a change in consumer behavior." (Except for the people in emerging markets who've seen the price of corn skyrocket.) For another take on the fuel economy battle, according to Kelly Blue Book, 40-percent of US new car shoppers think hybrids are the future, with just 17-percent citing flex-fuel.
A self-effacing and impeccably dressed Bob Lutz took shots at the old Pontiac during the live reveal of the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe. Busting on the arrowhead's former taste for cladding and Iron Dukes in the "excitement" product line, Lutz confidently strode alongside a silver 2009 Solstice GXP Coupe as it rolled out amidst fanfare provided by the Young Lords. Strobe lights flashed, music blared – it was like catching the last act of Kimmel, complete with Pontiac Garage signage. The Solstice Coupe replaces the world's flimsiest soft-top setup with a composite targa panel. 50-Cent also made an appearance and touted the performance of the GXP-trim Solstice, saying "It's faster than a Porsche Boxster. For $30,000... pick this one, not that one," while pointing at the Porsche display. The look of the Solstice Coupe is definitely zoomy - think of a C3 Corvette left in the dryer too long and you get the idea. Inside, the feeling is perhaps slightly less claustrphobic, but the general low-budget interior continues, though the GXP on the stand was wearing leather on the seats. The price of entry will still be a bargain when you look at the style it buys (official pricing hasn't been announced) - and the Coupe may even have enough trunk for an overnight bag. 
Rick Wagoner, CEO of General Motors, is a player in the auto industry. So when he sits down to have breakfast with reporters, you can bet that some juicy quotes will be delivered. Speaking on a number of topics recently at a breakfast with journos, Wagoner set the record straight that he does not share the view expressed by Bob Lutz that global warming is a "crock of $#!t". Of Lutz's famously quoted remark, Wagoner said, "The comments weren't coming out of our company." No, just the mouth of your Vice Chairman. 
Bob Lutz understands how the automotive media operates, which is why on the same day that General Motors announced its largest loss ever, he pops up on the GM Fastlane Blog to talk about some good news: retail sales in January were up 11.2%. 
Volkswagen unveils Passat R36 Variant Styling Study at Worthersee
Volkswagen Scirocco GT24 debuts at Wörthersee
2010 Chevy Camaro caught in first stages of production
Spy Shots II: Jaguar XF-R
Officially Official (almost): Audi TT clubsport quattro
Autoblog Podcast #94
Hiroshi Tamura gives us closer look at 2009 Nissan Maxima
In the Autoblog Garage: Harley-Davidson Night Rod Special
In The Autoblog Garage: Suzuki XL7
First Drive: 2009 Ford Escapes, more of almost everything
