Bob Lutz Meets With Peers at Chicago Auto Show
In what is fast becoming an auto show tradition, Bob Lutz sat down with fellow bloggers for a question-and-answer session. Here are the highlights. -Bill Betts, GM Blogs Manager
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Yeah, I want the designers to scare me!!!
Well what happened with the Holden Efigy? I saw you with Ed and Rick running for the door. Run for the boarder!
Let me put it this way. GM already declared war on the automobile industry with design. Now here is what is happening. Honda, Toyota and Nissan and their luxury divisions already sent designs like their next Corolla, NSX and Camry back to the drawing board to add some pizazz along with countless other models we don’t know about.
Then the question lingers, where is your advantage. And we told you. Your advantage is in your heritage and if you don’t use it there will be no advantage in design on GM’s part except for the fact that you can try more times.
But here is the difference, here is your advantage. You can’t turn a Toyota into an exotic, you can’t turn a Buick into a break dancer. We are not going to have Al Gore on Dance with the Stars.
Still Toyota can be a beautiful Toyota.
just as much as a Buick can be a beautiful Buick.
The difference is Buick has 100 years of history and excellent architecture to draw from, and if they don’t use it there is no more advantage here. Period.
That’s why I like the Efigy, the playing field all of a sudden is no longer level-Sound familiar, because the playing field is not level.
You need to use your resources that you own to gain an unfair advantage.
Heritage is to design,
What a name is to a painter.
Now there are millions of talented painters, but there is only one Picasso.
If I am Picasso and I have already enjoyed a successful career, I am going to paint differently, with bold stokes and I would have more confidence. And this in and of itself is another advantage.
When you folks discover what Buick truly is and has created over the last 100 years, not just the mistakes of the last decade. But if you see her as what she truly is, the Picasso of the automobile world, then you will see your designs, your confidence and your profits soar and like never before.
That is the advantage.
You have to tap that heritage like ExxonMobil.
Take the Efigy designer put him in chargeof GM’s new Heritage House that will tap GM’s heritage to make truly classic designs come to life again in the showrooms not the convention centers.
Don’t get Al Gore to dance, get Shakira. We will get Al Gore to give us a good speech.
In the same way don’t use modern design to create a classic.
In short?
GM is still acting like a company that likes great designs, but now, it’s time you become the part. It’s time for GM to become a company that makes great designs.
Be fearless GM, because every automaker and their brother is pushing better design right now.
Bob, you SHOULD keep working since you’re having fun. I have family members who have worked to a similar age because their company wanted them and they loved what they did. I can only hope to be so lucky late in my career to have a blast while ‘working extra innings’!
Keep up the good work – I hope you feel a sense of accomplishment and pride when you’re done at GM that’s on the same order of magnitude as the amazing things you’ve done for GM the past few years.
Bob:
It is refreshing to see your openness and transparency when talking about the car industry w/bloggers and the car industry media. Please continue with these open chats. There is so much speculation, rumors, and mis-information being circulated about not only your Company but others as well, that it is great to get the straight talk from “an inside guy” like yourself. Keep up the good work!
Mr. Lutz seems to be a class act and one of the few leaders at GM with vision and courage. When he does decide to retire, he will be very hard if not impossible to replace.
Are there no other visionaries in the GM leadership?
Those who have their noses too close to their balance sheets will never see the future coming. They will lack the big picture vision and will be unable to lead others to reach out and meet what’s coming down the road.
Bottom line people kill innovation and destroy companies.
straight talk from the horses mouth. love to hear about the factors that go into a decision. like we say in the corp, amatures talk strategy pros talk logistics.
its the logistics, the supply chains, the market movements that shape the decisions that make or break companies. its a complicated world and many factors go into making the decisions that shape the product you deliver to the customer. let us know what is going on behind the curtain and you will earn the respect of the car guys that everyone comes to for car advice.
ps, and EV1 blog would have made all the difference in the world. too bad noone knew wth a blog was back then.
I have been meaning to ask GM this for a while and it keeps escaping my mind.
The question is now that the PT Cruiser has an established niche selling 100,000 or so a year, and the HHR has made its debut selling just as much. Add in the Mini Cooper, Beetle and retro Thunderbird to these cars built around heritage.
Now here is the question. Once a single person, couple or small family expands unto what vehicle will they upgrade that would have the same level of unique styling? Let me ask you, where does an individual or family now go if they need something larger when automakers offer every flavor under the sun just so long as it’s a flavor between vanilla, vanilla bean and French Vanilla?
Oh we must be excited with the new flavors of vanilla automakers seem to discover every so often. And Jay Leno laments how he can’t distinguish his Lexus from his Infiniti.
The market for unique vehicles is big, it has been proven and it’s time to upgrade the family sedan segment to meet these buyers that are used to flavors like rocky road and rum raisin.
What I see in this marketplace is the perfect storm for GM to introduce vehicles like a larger HHR which is downright Lilliputian but still seems to be the favorite runabout for small businesses. Now what if they find themselves needing something a little larger? If they upgrade in size they just about have to become comatose as far as styling when made to upsize to a minivan or big van.
What I see coming is the perfect storm for GM to introduce heritage vehicles in new classes and sizes to serve a proven market.
The business case for a high heritage roof sedan, wagon or luxury vehicle is clear and WIDE open primed and ready for GM, Buick or Chevrolet to lead the way.
Otherwise just introduce another wonderful unique and classic flavor somewhere between vanilla bean and well you got the analogy.
Look congratulations on the numbers now the near death I hope is over it’s time to start building again and don’t throw away anymore opportunities to change the world.
In short…
GM thinks it put both feet into the heritage market with the HHR. Let me tell you, the HHR is but your big toe, you have a lot of room to grow.
Trivia of the day time?????
The press laments that one day Lutz would have to retire and you know what they said they would miss the most???
A) The design excellence that is encouraged by management that is finally responsive to great design.
B) Global expertise on product development and management that is second to none.
C) Lutz prowess when it comes to GM history, product and technological knowhow.
D) One liners.
You know what the press said they would miss the most when Lutz retires? One liners. Well congratulations.
Don’t worry Bob listen to us and we can change all that;)
will pratt and miller build a Corvette Z06 for the GT2 class of the American Le Mans Series. a team from denmark, markland racing, will race a new Z06 in the Le Mans Series in Europe.
Bob, each new product coming from GM is second to none, thanks to you and the team. To show you I mean what I say, I would like to put my money down now on the future GM product based on the 2004 show concept “Holden Torana” http://www.torana.info. As is, don’t change a thing because it is perfect inside and out. Mine would have the 3.6l v6 w/6 speed auto tranny. Thanks. Pete.
Hi Bob,
I’ve attached this comment to your auto-show column, since this deals with a suggestion for upcoming product.
This last weekend, a blogger released an April Fools column that spoofed a potential 2009 introduction of Chevy’s version of the Solstice called the Monza Spyder: http://www.bloggercrab.com/blogs/?u=artonwheels
I really think this deserves a second look, since it highlights the need for an affordable, small Chevy sports car, once again.
A couple of new fascias and some hood, deck rework, some badges, and you’d have a model that could really amp up production on the Solstice line!
As a 59 year old, longtime Chevy owner who’s now past owning Corvettes (yes), I’d jump at the chance to drive a small sports car again with the Chevy nameplate on it!
Please give this more than a passing thought. The Monza Spyder’s photoshopper made a convincing argument for this model’s existence. For the low development money involved, the payback might be very large!
No need to post this on the blog, just zip me a reply, if you want…
Thanks and best Regards,
Mel Francis
Ok,
I wanna know what happened to any and all news about the next pontiac GTO. It’s like media blackout since 2006 on any mention of the car. What’s up?????
In my small opinion, I believe we are focusing to heavily on batteries. What may be needed instead to make this possible, is the use of super capacitors. We are nearing the ability to do this and with additional RD, it may be feasible to produce these for both cars and trucks. To refill these any outlet could be used, of course the higher the amperage the quicker the recharge for gas/refill stations etc. Refill them as many times as you like, and environmentally to. Has anyone looked into using this type of power source? I’d love to hear from you.
Again, only one small opinion.
Mr. Lutz I know you have to wait a little longer to make a decision on the Cadillac Sixteen but I hope you build it, I would put a deposit on a car today if I could. I have own 2 Escaldes and I am so please with the cars and buying an american car, A few years ago I would never have invision buying a Cadillac, Now I can’t wait to buy the Sixteen. Please make it, Al