Autoblog

If there's one thing Mr. Bob Lutz can't be accused of, it's backing down. The Car Czar will not only tell you exactly what's on his mind, but he'll also give you a chance to change it, and then tell you what he thinks of that, as well. Tuesday, at his office, Lutz met with the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) -- the same group that recently gave Honda its fourth green award in a row and ranked GM seventh out of eight automakers reviewed -- to give them a chance to show what his company was doing wrong.

Lutz actually asked them -- or rather, challenged them -- to come by. The UCS charged that "with off-the-shelf technology, the automaker could build a minivan that would reduce tailpipe emissions by 40 percent -- and cost just $300 per vehicle." Lutz's response was: "Let them come and see us. If the technology were readily and easily available, what on earth would be our motive for withholding it?"

Lutz met with Dave Friedman, head of the UCS's Clean Vehicle Research program, for two hours. Both parties had agreed not to comment on the meeting, but "loggerheads" was the quoted result. Friedman said "we didn't change any minds," and it was left to GM spokesman Chris Preuss to perhaps say what Lutz wouldn't, remarking "The challenge with environmentalists is that there is a complete lack of business and technical experience from which they can draw conclusions . . . [but] we think the meeting was very worthwhile."

[Source: Detroit News]

Thomas Friedman recently disqualified himself for any future runs at heading up the General Motors fan club, but now he's going to host a new Discovery Times documentary called "Addicted to Oil". The topics that will be discussed during this documentary, such as the "true" price of gasoline (Friedman doesn't feel that the cost of securing oil or cleaning up the environment is reflected in what we pay at the pump) and the role of petrodollars in the War on Terror, are likely old hat for anyone who's been keeping up on the debate over the last few years. However, we suspect that there might be a few eyes opened among the general TV-watching audience, at least to the extent that this audience watches the Discovery Channel.

Friedman boasts that green energy technology will be the growth industry of the 21st century, and he says the real question is whether America will lead the way, or if a new economic leader will be born elsewhere in the world.

Interestingly enough, Friedman states that he has nothing against SUVs, and he seems to agree with GM's claim that the automaker makes a lot of large SUVs (such as the Hummer H2) because they sell well. That free-market explanation is a somewhat different take than what has been presented on the pages of the New York Times recently.

[Source: The Discovery Times]