Talk About a Crock…
By Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman
It amazes me sometimes what kinds of things seem to “catch on” out there.
An offhand comment I made recently about the concept of global warming seems to have a lot of people heated, and it’s spreading through the Internet like ragweed. But I think that the people making a big deal out of it are missing the real point. My beliefs are mine and I have a right to them, just as you have a right to yours. But among my strongest beliefs is that my job is to do what makes the most business sense for GM.
Never mind what I said, or the context in which I said it. My thoughts on what has or hasn’t been the cause of climate change have nothing to do with the decisions I make to advance the cause of General Motors. My opinions on the subject – like anyone’s – are immaterial. Really. 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 I think that many of the people who’ve been spewing their virtual vitriol in my direction in the past week are guilty of taking the easy way out.
Instead of simply assailing me for expressing what I think, they should be looking at the big picture. What they should be doing, in earnest, is forming opinions not about me but about GM, and what this company is doing that is – and will continue to be – hugely beneficial to the very causes they so enthusiastically claim to support.
General Motors is dedicated to the removal of cars and trucks from the environmental equation, period. And, believe it or don’t: So am I! It’s the right thing to do, for us, for you and, yes, for the planet. My goal is to take the automotive industry out of the debate entirely. GM is working on just that – and we’re going to keep working on it — via E85, hybrids, hydrogen and fuel cells, and the electrification of the automobile.
The Chevrolet Volt program is occurring under my personal watch, because I — and others in senior management — believe in it. I fully expect that it will revolutionize the automotive industry, and I’m committed to seeing it successfully developed and in showrooms.
We’re going forward with these programs because it makes good sense to do so – common sense. If it’s doable, why wouldn’t we do it? It would lead to nothing but good things: energy independence, lower emissions, and better air. Isn’t that what we all want?
As long as I am in this position at this company, GM will continue to take these initiatives and others that lessen, and eventually even eliminate, the environmental impact of the automobile. And that’s what people ought to be focusing on.
474 Comments
Leave a Reply
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
Mr.Lutz you should be used to this retoric by now, if it was toyota they would be praised, the press hates GM and I’m tired of it also, just like the Hummer they keep bashing its just not right when the new toyota suv gets 11 mpg and now one says anything come on my H2 gets 13 mpg. my suggestion is to take off the gloves and start bashing the imports heavy and hard with the truth that GM is FAR superior than its rivals but it has to also has to show in the dealer showrooms and staff unlike here in so.cal. not too empressive here.
love your passion for the industry please give us the CTS coupe soon.
thanks
Bob,
If 1/10th the politicians, upper executives, celebrities, and other high profile personalities were to be as frank and non-apologetic as you were on something you said, then quiet honestly, people would probably stop making such a big deal about it. As you mentioned, opinions are just that- opinions.
Where people took this erroneously was by applying personal opinion to corporate behavior. By doing so, it continues a sort inexplicable lack of trust amongst Americans for large corporations. The mindset for many is that if a company is large… then they must have done so via distasteful transactions and bad professional behavior, which is ironic given the never-ending national quest to grow companies to a high degree of success.
Thus it is easy to see how anyone involved with a large corporation- such as yourself- could be inextricably attached to the corporation, and especially when opinionated observations are made.
You don’t need to defend yourself. I have to admit that I too sometimes question whether we actually have a grasp on environmental characteristics given the fact that the science of meteorology is far to young to have the ability to accurately predict historic weather trends. We did have an ice age just 10,000 years ago after all.
Anyhow, the proof is in the product. Get that Volt out the door and prove em wrong!
Bob,
Spot on! Unfortunately there are a lot of people with huge time on their hands and little tolerance. Keep up the good work. Ed
We can’t change the world, but we can change and be king of our own little corner of the world-and work on making our corner, no matter how big or small just a little bit more perfect. And by doing that, that is how we, in fact, change the world.
Imagine what GM can accomplish if they do everything Lutz just said. That would be amazing and yes, it would change the world.
The incentive to research alternative fuels is growing bigger everyday. And just as I said yesterday, those incentives are not subsidies, or tax breaks, those incentives are the potential to to take some of the oil industry’s $100’s of billions of profits from swelling profits statements of oil companies to exploding coffers of oil producing nations.
If we dabble a little in hydrogen and cellulose ethanol while we exercise our ability to take some of those oil profits through ethanol and hybrids, more power to us.
I would rather farmer Joe get more for his corn and wheat that sultan getting another undisclosed obscene amount of cash.
I would rather GM.
Hi Bob: I am not sure what your comment was but it is clear that GM has shown true leadership towards solving this issue. No question that for a while it was off track. Your multi-pronged strategy is effective and is slowly but surely being understood by the public. As GM continues rolling out more and more green products its image will change.
-Uday
GM is clearly headed in the right direction. GM by far is becoming the leading automotive manufacturer in alternative fuel and propulsion methods. Unfortunately the current Congress of our government, along with the mainstream media, is doing everything in their power to make the public believe just the opposite.
We have been granted the right to free speech and that is slowly being taken away. Those that disagree with the mainstream media are potrayed sometimes as evil, un-American or biased. But people like Al Gore (who flies around the world in his Gulfstream(s) and owns a house that is 10,000 square feet) are given the nobel-peace prize for writing a book and making a movie on global warming. This has put pressure on politicians to go against the grain because of the consequences. And therefore the only people that will suffer will be the governed.
So, Bob keeping speaking your mind. As a GM employee I fully support the efforts to bring the Volt to production. I want clear air, energy independence and lower emissions myself. I just wish the government would let the free markets take care of themselves because in the end we will all benefit!
Mr. Lutz,
Timely statement, as a senior management representative of GM you ARE responsible to all manner of critique.
Reasoning, last time I checked GM was a PUBLICLY HELD company. Notability indeed has an associated cost!
Sir, your actions DO reflect on GM efforts in these trying times for transportation ware vendors.
Recommendation, less hyperbole and more GM facts …
Bob~
I haven’t hugged a tree lately, but you want me to rush out and do just that! Keep up the good work!
I love free speech. Call it as you see it.
Just keep talking over the single minded “Greenies” and “Political correctness police”. For some reason they just don’t seem to see the bigger picture of; lost lives, National security, financing of enemy states, etc…
Once again I have to wonder: Why would I want to buy a “green” car from a man who thinks “global warming is a crock;” isn’t that like buying a Corvette from a guy who hates fast cars, or buying a pickup truck from someone who thinks only rednecks should drive them?
And still waiting to read why we should buy a badge-engineered Diahatsu with a tacked-on Chevy logo, rather than a Honda or Toyota built in Indiana by Americans?
Bob,
Unfortunately we live in a world where youre opinion is considered more enlightened if you have a liberal view. Any dissenting opinon is attacked as offensive rather than debating facts. It has forced the US into political correctness at its finest.
The Toyota Prius hybrid factory in Sudbury, Ontario has caused acid rain around the plant has killed all vegitation. Somehow it maintains the perception of enviromentally friendly.
Mr. Lutz,
Thank you for not bowing to the pressure of the 2% lunatic fringe that insists everything we say and do must be politically correct. Sometimes the truth must be told, even if it hurts somebody’s feelings or runs contrary to their personal beliefs. Your opinions on global warming are just that, YOURS. The direction that GM is taking to address these serious issues are practical and responsible. If any of your detractors took the time and energy to actually study the problem, they’d realize they’re barking up the wrong tree. Two of the most abundant greenhouse gasses are water vapor and methane. One of the biggest producers of methane is cattle flatulence. I guess we’d better outlaw water, and start eating more steak. Keep making sense Mr. Lutz, someone out there has to.
Go get ‘em, Bob. Neither the public nor media are used to candor from our industry leaders. Too many years on defense.
Engergy independence should be a national goal, like going to the moon was back in the 1960’s.
Personally, as a car guy, I don’t like what it is doing to performance vehicles (why oh why did CAFE have to kill Pontiac’s RWD plans??) but it’s the right thing to do for the country.
We all have to be willing to sacrifice for the good of the nation. Unfortunately, much of the populace is too concerned about themselves to worry about doing what’s best for all. We’ve become a greedy, “me first” nation.
Bob,
Global Warming has become a religion that is more fundamentalist than any other out there. Disagree with the dogma and you are dragged and beaten in the streets. There are numerous climate scientists who know that man-made CO2 is not the only possible explanation for climate change. But like you, they are taken out to the woodshed and beaten into submission to the point where they say “why bother.” It’s a shame and a sham. You shouldn’t have to explain yourself or apologize for calling this debate what it is…a bloody jihad against anyone who disagrees with the elitist position on CO2. The hypocrisy of the so-called scientifically enlightened liberal establishment is shameful.
Mr. Lutz
We have to keep in mind that most people on the internet have nothing better to do with their lives than to sit there bashing others. For some reason they choose to bash more tward GM than other brands, now that is a crock of s**t. I agree with you that this global warming is stupid. There is tons of scientific proof that shows this is a normal cycle that happens over long periods of time. Come on people, listen to the scientists, not politicians! Keep up the great work Mr. Lutz, I can’t wait to drive one of the new ZR1s!
Uday said, “I am not sure what your comment was…”
Here is what Mr. Lutz is reported to have said: “Global warming is a “total crock of ****.” Then he added: “I’m a skeptic, not a denier. Having said that, my opinion doesn’t matter. (With the battery-driven Volt), “I’m motivated more by the desire to replace imported oil than by the CO2 (argument).”
Bob, you might be right. But I doubt it. Friends of mine who are PhD-level chemists and chemical engineers specializing in aerosols, VOCs and similar have followed the research (they’re fully qualified to read it all) and believe that Anthropogenic Global Warming – AGW – is a real phenomenon with serious consequences. But, sure, you might be right.
However, even if you are right, one of the principal elements of appeal of the Volt will be its CO2-free operation.
Who do you think is willing to shell out a lot of cash for such a car? Global Warming Deniers? Somehow, I don’t think so.
So, you’re alienating one of your principal target markets. That strikes me as not so smart.
Also, I’m led to doubt the sincerity of your interest in the program. You say that you and GM are dedicated to removing cars from the environmental equation becuase it’s the “right thing to do.” If AGW is a crock, what makes CO2-free vehicles “right?” If AGW is a crock, CO2-free vehicles are pointless, since most other pollutants have already been effectively managed out of vehicle exhaust.
Something doesn’t add up.
GM’s Bob Lutz Challenges Media on Past Global Warming Statement
A few weeks ago, we told you about Bob Lutz’s colorful denial of global warming . Now, on the GM FastLane
Bob:
In short, I´m with you.
Psst, Bob. Guess what? It always gets warmer after an ice age.
And it will probably continue to get warmer — at least until the next ice age comes along.
It’s always a new thing that the 2% fringe are on. South beach diet, trendy coffee shops and oh yes, Global Warming. Global warming is the most brilliant argument ever concieved by mankind to grab your money and land and ultimately your liberty. We all know theres an equal amount of scientists that will refute the evidence as ones that will site and try to prove Global warming to be true.
It’s good to protect the environment, GM does in many ways. But will someone tell me what the big reduction in pollution would be with an electric car using energy from a coal based powerstation?
When we go nuclear like the French and really reduce the amount of emissions from our power generators, then use electric cars, we will achieve a lower level of “Overall” pollution and that makes sense. It’s sort of like someone putting a toyota badge on a honda and trying to pass it off as something it’s not, the energy has to come from somewhere and why not drive our municipalities to go Nuclear and hold them accountable?
We’ve come too far to regress to the demands of the lunatic fringe!
As I see it, it’s pretty arrogant to think humans are capable of destroying the planet. I agree we’re pretty good at making messes, but the Earth was here long before we showed up and it will continue on long after we’re gone. Ask the dinosaurs how important they thought they were. Now we’re using them to power our cars.
On the other hand, I read a comment lately that said, regardless of the validity of global warming theories, the whole idea of climate change has resulted in many opportunities to make money. If one of those opportunities is hybrid and electric vehicles, then by all means build them. We know how the Y2K scare turned out, but I bet a lot of money was made selling generators and bottled water. Just be sure the meat department of the grocery store still stocks a few high-horsepower Corvettes for those of us who need our fix.
In response to “Charlie H”: While apparently none of them are your “PHD friends” there is legitimate debate among scientists as to the degree of human causes (if any) for global warming. With apologies to the Global Warming Kool-Aid Drinkers, we may simply be in a natural cycle of warming/cooling if viewed over a long enough period of time.
You write to Bob: “Something doesn’t add up… You say that you and GM are dedicated to removing cars from the environmental equation because it’s the ‘right thing to do.’ If AGW is a crock, what makes CO2-free vehicles right?”
Producing CO2-free vehicles is the right thing to do Charlie, if for no other reason then to appeal to potential buyers such as yourself. GM has in fact taken a leadership position in developing a wide range of eviro-friendly vehicles, as well as recognizing the value of helping to lessen our dependence on foreign producers of oil. If judged on performance rather than rhetoric, GM (and Bob Lutz) will prevail in the marketplace.
Bob,
I have recently gained a great deal of respect for you. GM’s unveilings of concepts has impressed the heck out of me. I hope you have received the message I sent you. I honestly believe that GM has the potential to turn the industry around. I think we are seeing that. And it is for that reason that I continue to submit my thoughts to GM and even at times play devil’s advocate. The blog pages are great for that. I feel it takes serious thought however to play the role of devil’s advocate. And if done properly the result is a better product and customer base for GM.
So once again I have to be devil’s advocate and say that I don’t beleive its possible (from an engineering standpoint) to remove the auto industry from the environmental equation. As long as cars are using energy and resources (to build) and occupying space on the highway, using tires etc.. then they are impacting the environment. We surely can play the energy game and move around some BTUs or KW*h’s but you can’t get rid of the fact that cars need energy. GM can and no doubt will go a long way to reduce energy usage and shift the method of production of said energy. But it will always be part of the environmental picture so long as energy is encapsulated in the environmental problem.
Having said that and making my point I want to tell GM to keep up the good work. I hope this forum continues to serve as a grounds for discussion and improvement for GM’s products.
Nate
Bob, I applaud your willingness to express your opinions. Especially on global warming. While others may not agree with them, I feel that it’s a very good thing when industry leaders are able to speak with such candor. I also applaud your efforts to electrify the automobile. Cars like the Volt are only the beginning, and are an extremely good start in the process. However I feel that GM, Ford and Chrysler need to do a bit more in combining their efforts as well as working with large companies such as Exxon/Mobil to show them that they can still make lots and lots of money if they moved away from petroleum products, and got on board with biofuels. Plastics can also be made from various plants as well. Until the companies which we now call “Big oil” see the profit potential and come on board, our energy independence may be a long time coming.
Mr. Lutz,
Good work and thanks for the personal involvement in the Volt program – I am sure it is a very exciting program for all of the people at GM who are fortunate enough to work on the car. My hope is that GM is thinking in terms of large production quantities for the Volt as I am certain it is going to be wildly successful, probably well beyond your estimates.
I read in another Blog some of the criticisms of what you had said, and I took the time to post a comment concerning the actions of GM and yourself personally, stating, in effect, that you, despite your statement, were doing more to help the environment with the Volt than any other person on Earth, and perhaps in history. That comment applies to all of the people at GM who are working on this project, and it is a reality that is lost among those who claim to be at the center of a movement to improve the environment, but have yet done nothing beyond talking.
I’m on the waiting list for the Volt (#6000 something,) but I would rather be on the waiting list for the Cadillac version. Think about it.
To the person who posted about global warming, as if every scientist agreed it was a problem, please consider this viewpoint. And about 10 more from different angles.
http://ibdeditorial.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=287279412587175
Bob Lutz,
I, too, have the same opinions as you do. The fact that you get criticized becaused you go against popular ignorant beliefs just shows how the American media is one sided and close minded. When one says that global warming is caused not by humans but by something else, one is assumed to be ignorant and misinformed. However, when people like Al Gore put out a documentary about global warming that is one sided, close minded, misinformed, and overall exaggerated, they are praised and win awards. People in America truly are stupid, to be frank.
Greg C,
If the point of CO2-free vehicles is, as you suggest, merely one of marketing vehicles to people like me, then for the project leader to say something I take seriously is a “crock,” is pretty poor marketing.
As for “legitimate debate,” there’s debate on the exact effects, but not much on the general effect. The underlying science is really pretty simple and, mostly, fairly old. I’d be delighted if you could show us a mechanism in the Earth’s atmosphere that will remove the heat that higher CO2 levels will trap.
My PhD-equipped friends are not research scientists, they work in manufacturing. If AGW is a “crock,” they have no reason to accept the theory. They don’t have grant money or careers at stake (and many Deniers have charged research scientists are distorting things to keep the money train running). Yet, they are familiar with the research and they do accept the general theory. Why?Maybe because it makes sense?
Matt,
You think it’s arrogant to believe we can screw up the planet. Our tracks are everywhere and in a way no other animals’s tracks can be. We make tools and, using them, we amplify our effect on the planet far beyond what any other animal can do. Nothing else makes tools or has fire. To presume that we’re just another part of the biosphere like any other Great Ape and have only a similar effect it… that’s foolish. Do other Great Apes dig hundreds or thousands of feet down and bring up carbon deposits that Nature buried eons ago? Do they live in 2,000 ft**2 houses? Do they strip-mine? Do they smelt aliminum, build jets from it and fly to Cancun on vacation?
Bob of Feb 22 at 3:20am,
There is no Prius factory in Sudbury, Ontario. If you’re going to endorse the piffle that the Deniers publish, you should do a more workmalike job of it.
You meant to bring up the issue of the old InCo nickel smelter in Sudbury, which went into operation and destroyed the area around Sudbury at least 40 years before the first Prius was built. But, for Denier purposes, since the current Prius does use nickel in its battery, it’s OK to claim the devasation is “caused” by the Prius. The fact that nickel is also a component of regular cars, knives, nickels (that’s why we call them that) and a gazillion other things can be readily ignored for purposes of AGW Denial.
Bob Lutz,
I reconsidered my earlier comments and I think I left some important things out…
After “Global Warming is a total crock,” you don’t get to say, “I’m a skeptic, not a denier” and get some kind of pass. A “skeptic” doesn’t say, “total crock.” A “skeptic” says, “I’m not convinced” and explains his objections (or just says, “that’s insufficient”). “Total crock” is what one says when one wants to demean and belittle those who take it seriously.
I am of the opinion that Bob should voice his personal opinions in a more tasteful manner given the consequences of comments GM’s image. There is a difference between saying “evidence is not conclusive” and “crock of s**”.
His comments / questions are fair and probably true. However this is a businesss impact point rather than a philosophical point.
GM is making great strides and any negative comments by its leaders makes the uphill climb even more difficult.
Go Volt !
-Uday
Bob,
You hit the nail on the head and told the truth about “Global Warming”. It is a crock and it’s a shame people are so willing to go along with this while others use it to dictate to others what our lifestyles should be.
Keep it up and never back down!
Mr. Lutz,
You are entitled to your opinion and beliefs. It appears that many others agree with your view that global warming “is a crock of s**t. What does dismay me however is that it’s the same kind of arrogance and attitude that lead many a customer to believe that GM management was full of s**t and didn’t know how to build automobiles that customers wanted. Believe what you may but your competitors will design and build vehicles that will address the “crock of S**t” long before GM does. Finally, you’d think that a senior GM executive would be a little more discrete in public.
Mr. Lutz,
I very much doubt you posted this in response to my insignificant request in another blog entry comment, but I feel I must thank you all the same. As many have said, here, Internet folks have nothing much better to do than type up stupid reponses to random comments made by people.
I would even venture to tell you to take the media explosion over your comment as a compliment, actually. It proves they are hinging on every word you (and the company) say. Unfortunately, these people just happen to be pessimists and cynics, too. Use this to your advantage. You are Maximum Bob, and whether you like it or not, somewhat of a hero in the Auto Industry. The Volt will be the Exclamation mark at the end of your very impressive Career. And I cannot imagine how more than a few people will ever be able to measure up to you, Bob.
So, once again – Thank you for addressing this, it’s more than many others would have done. Which is one more reason I have to be proud for driving a GM vehicle. I will continue to try and ‘convert’ people, just as you continue to converse with us customers.
A GM guy for life -
Joe
Bob, you rock! The new GM is about free spirits, open thinkers and challenging the status quo. GM could not have evolved into the great corporation that it is today without 100 years of encouraging its people to be the individuals. Bob, you are the epitome of GM – a free-spirited individual that is woven into a colorful tapestry that makes up a global corporation.
So, do what you do best – be fresh, mix it up, push the envelope… just be you.
T-Gib
Dear Mr. Lutz,
Damage control won’t save you or GM.
The reason GM’s market share goes down each year is because you and your cronies are out of touch!
The fact is, once someone switches from an American car to either Toyota or Honda, they (almost) never go back. You got to wonder why.
Hint: it’s not because Japanese cars are cheaper or that they spend more money on advertising.
Charlie H,
Since you singled me out, I’ll reply. In my comment, I said that we humans are “pretty good at making messes”. That was intended to be a humorous way of admitting to all the problems we do cause, be they oil spills, destruction of rain forests, or whatever. I’m sorry you didn’t pick up on that. You did a good job of explaining how we are different from the animals on the planet, and I agree with you that humans are greater than the animals. I also believe that humans are part of the creation and not the Creator, which puts us in our place. As I understand the popular view of global warming, our actions are supposed to result in melting of ice caps, rising of oceans, and destruction of the world as we know it. Those things may all happen, but yes, I think it’s arrogant to believe that we are able to do that on our own. Science can help us learn many things about our surroundings, but about the time we think we’re in control, natural events can put us in our place faster than we know what hit us. Hurricanes, tornados, and earthquakes were around long before we started building cars, and they are a humbling reminder of the forces we’re really dealing with.
Since this is supposed to be a blog about cars and the auto industry, I’d like to put us back on track by saying I find Mr. Lutz’s comments refreshing in this world of political correctness where you can’t say anything for fear of insulting someone. Whether it’s calling global warming a crock, or calling the new CAFE rules “just stupid”, Bob Lutz lets us know where he stands. Wishy washy executives will run a wishy washy company. GM’s starting to shake things up, and I’d like to see it continue. That includes building cars that measure performance in miles per gallon as well as those that measure it in horsepower and handling. There are plenty of people willing to buy both. Bob Lutz isn’t afraid to speak his mind, and that’s why he’s been able to turn things around. Thanks, Bob.
Just read this:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080221/COL14/802210312/1015/BUSINESS02
Can Toyota and Honda compete with this? …… No!
Mr. Lutz-
Your comments above exemplify why GM is failing as an automaker (see GM 2007 loss). If you were more educated about this topic, you would not have made the remarks, and certainly would not continue maintain a position not supported by science or logic .Your “head in the sand” aproach is the reason GM is always playing catch up to other manufacturers.
HP,
You seem to be confusing what many of us were saying, which in almost every case here was to simply agree with Bob that yes- he has the right just like anyone else to voice an opinion.
And to Charlie, First of all, the planet has already proven it’s remarkable ability to heal from catastrophic amounts of pollution. The best example I think that exists out there is the extinction of the dinosaurs. A huge meteorite basically blotted out the sun and killed almost everything on the planet and alerted the atmosphere and temperatures immediately. That was several hundred million years ago, which isn’t exactly that long ago in earth history. Bottom line- if man destroys the planet several times over, then we may not be here, but the earth will and very easily heal and obliterate any trace that humans once lived here… only to perhaps be discovered hundreds of millions of years later by another curious life form. My point being is that if global warming is being caused by humans, then we’re more than likely destroying ourselves versus the planet. It’s not the other way around.
Additionally, I think it worthy of note that a single and more importantly- natural volcanic eruption produces more pollution and carbon dioxide than 200 years worth of industrial pollution. I would be curious to see just how much of the equation humans really add to the grand total.
The stance that Mr Lutz is taking in my opinion speaks louder than his stated opinion. Many people talk about how BAD things are and how we MUST do something about it. Well here you have a 70+ year old man, who has been in the automotive industry all his life, and is now working on what many deem a truly revolutionary automobile that has the real potential to actually help solve some of the very problems you and others bring up.So what have YOU personally done to make a difference?
There’s a big difference between doing something about a problem versus identifying one.
Well said, Bob. Keep up the good work and keep calling it like you see it.
Dear Mr. Lutz,
The reaction of the ‘believers’ towards ’skeptics’, ‘heretics’ or ‘unbelievers’ is the same every time – to shout as loud as possible and ’shoot the messenger’. No surprise there at all. Best is to ask the questions and let the ‘believers’ talk among themselves.
There are legitimate objections raised by informed scientists to the hyperbole surrounding AGW, that are all worth the debate.
I’m on the fence myself and a couple of sites I regularly follow (I’m affiliated to neither) are http://www.junkscience.com and http://www.realclimate.org, to see passionate arguments on either side.
It is not my place to advise, but something along the lines of the attractiveness of alt fuel vehicles to alleviate energy security/diversity, balance of payments and reestablish GM’s technology leadership, would have been more in keeping with your elevated, leadership stature within the auto industry.
Good for you Sir
More people need to expose this lie. It is unfortunate that so many intelligent industry leaders are scared to admit the truth, that the global warming “enthusiast” are misguided and misinformed. Which is why the leaders of that movement refuse to debate the matter. Regards.
You are correct in your comments regarding global warming. A function of the sun’s cycles rather than anything man made. Thank you for sticking to your guns!!
Way to go! I wish politicians had the brains and/or guts to declare global warming a crock. But then it is politicians who have created the whole mess, not the scientists. The politicians see the money tree of selling (and controlling) carbon emissions. There is money to be made by all of these scoundrels here in the US, but especially at the UN
Bravo, Mr. Lutz.
The conceit of the Chicken Little whack-jobs who claim the sky is falling because of human activity have no conception of the scope and arrogance of their conceit.
I appreciate you calling ‘em as you see ‘em.
Mr. Lutz,
I applaud you for taking a stand against the anti-capitalist agenda of global warming.
30 years ago, it was global cooling that was on the cover of Time. Today, it is warming.
Bob, don’t justify your comments, they’re right on. Global warming is a pant load of crap. Those who follow the cult of global warming are anti-capitalists at heart and would love to see GM fail. Based on your comments, I may now make a GM vehicle my next car purchase. Don’t cave into these zealots. Thanks for your candor.
Amen. What is really sad is that
a big segment of the public is buying this gw crap hook line and sinker.
Bravo Mr. Lutz! Refreshing to see a “real” corp. exc. not cow tow to the politically motivated crowd. Your opinions are yours,and your job is to sell cars the public will wants. Keep up the good work.
GM (And Ford) have had opinions for 50 yrs. It was GM’s opinion that Toyota and Honda should do all the R & D with Hybrids. GM exes were wrong. Two foreign companies dominate those markets now.
GM bet on high performance cars with low MPG. They were wrong. Gas prices went up and people have bought newer vehicles with higher MPG.
GM and Ford not only do not dominate the auto industry, that even Pres Bush ignored their lobby against higher MPG.
Feel free to have your opinion.
Your company is a dinosaur. Your views on global warming will be proven wrong.
And BTW, reducing carbons in the air just might be healthy anyways, regardless if they reduce global warming.
Sorry Bob, but your personal viewpoint is actually a huge problem for GM, and in a very practical way. If you want to attract the smartest and most creative engineers and scientists to work on GM’s car development projects, you’re going to have to learn enough about the problem to understand and accept what they say about climate change. Denial of the conclusions of the scientific community in this area makes GM an undesirable place to work for those of us who have enough education to understand the situation. You’re not wanting to hire those ignorant and misinformed people who deny the problem, but the ones clever enough to do something about it. But right now they’re looking at Toyota and Honda and NREL as more interesting places to work.
YES!!! I do agree with Lutz a 100%. This “global warming” crap is nothing more than crooks like the Gores, Suzukis and the likes are milking for a VERY PROFITABLE, comfortable living. For sure 6.5 billion humans are polluting the earth, but “global warming” is a natural phenomena, started 10,000 years ago, ending the ice age, and will go on as long as the earth exist! go guys, hug a tree and……….
I’m a Ford guy, but I may just have to give the nod to GM next time I’m in the market for a truck.
Way to go Mr. Lutz!
The comments you made, and continue to defend show me, a consumer, that neither you or GM really cares anything about this planet, or the people inhabiting it. This worldview seems to be one of the causes for the obsolescence of the American car industry, as witnessed by the recent huge losses suffered by GM. Toyota gets it, Honda gets it. When will Detroit wake up? Probably when the factory gates are being chained shut.
Bob:
You’re right on about so-called global warming being a crock. You might not understand, though, that many of those who spew vitriol at you are not interested in honest debate, discussion, analysis of potential environmental problems. To them it is a politically correct agenda where disagreement is an incitement to hatred. The PC crowd conveniently disregard real scientific evidence and known facts (the Medieval warm period for one example) that contradicts and discounts the PC position. Global warming theory needs an honest and open, non-political debate to determine exactly what is going on in the environment and not a hate-filled diatribe from the PC liberals. Keep on telling it like it is.
Mr. Lutz,
Thank you for saying what more high profile execs need to say: what they think. And then differentiating that from what they think about their company and what it should be doing.
Good on ‘ya!!
Mr. Lutz,
Thank you for having the guts to call out global warming for what it is.
Great post.
“The Crock” talk was the first and only thing GM has done right in 40 years. Right on Lutz. Now just build a car as good as Honda and Toyota and I’ll buy it. You must realize that I must hear it from my friends on just how good the car is, not from an ad or Fisher or whatever. Build the friggin’ car and they’ll come.
Mr. Lutz,
Very well put. Thank you.
Mr Lutz, I think you’ve been the best think that’s happen to GM. Get that CTS coupe on and a reskin of the SRX with those Provoq clothes would make another winner. Get the Alpha platform moving with a Nomad for Chevy and I’ll be in heaven.
Dear Mr. Lutz,
THANK-YOU for challenging the establishment on the global warming hoax! NASA just released images and a report showing that the North Pole sea ice has returned to its average levels in 6 short months, and the South Pole sea ice is 1/3 LARGER than its average. Sunspot activity (or lack thereof) has been zero for longer than expected, possibly indicating the beginning of a 100-year mini ice age. These folks are going to wish humans could cause the planet to warm! Thanks again!
Bob,
I and many others agree with you! I am tired of the PC and Green crowds trying to control our every thought and action! Look at the mess with ethanol. Lets save the planet by using ethanol and the only result is the price of wheat goes through the roof! I guess we all feel better though. It’s just stupid! Your the best for having the guts to tell the truth!
Thanks,
MM
Welcome to the world of Internet! I think since you are a public voice of GM more than any other executive, you should be extra careful to keep your private and public discourse consistent.
Congratulations on some straight talk.
Three cheers for the viewpoint of Mr. Lutz. To even begin speaking on AGW, one must spend at least a year reading science articles on the web to found an understanding of global warming theory and then to discover how proponents of that alarmist view fail and are refuted by the cautious skeptics (who, by the way, orient the starting point of many of their articles upon the proponents’ allegedly scientific claims). Alternatively, as Mr. Lutz likely has, one can read the results of one’s research team focused on the merits and weaknesses of the articles. I was a believer until I had spent more than a year reading as much as I could pro and con. The conskis are the winners, providing a mountain of scientific reasoning and refutation that absolves industrial mankind with his minuscule climate influence by way of an even more minuscule influence of CO2 on climate evolution. It is not in our stars, but that we are underlings. Of the Sun, of our planet’s orbit, of oscillatory global winds and currents. See for yourself, at: http://www.junkscience.com/MSU_Temps/Warming_Look.html#UAH%20MSU
and focus on the mid-troposphere temperature histories by satellite and radiosonde monitoring. It is in that portion of the atmosphere that global warming is supposed to be most pronounced; yet the mid-troposphere temperature has been flat for 7 years, and over the last year has magically declined by approximately 0.5¬∞C. Two impossibilities were greenhouse-gas warming theory an accurate description of the climate process in play. While science, still in its infancy, can’t purport to know whether this cycle of post-ice age warming is entirely natural or not, it is quite clear that CO2 is not a climate driver, despite the IPCC-inflated estimates of climate sensitivity and CO2 forcing. Is it not a tell-tale sign that the IPCC has continuously, throughout its reporting history, reduced its initially catastrophic estimates for delta T, sea level rise, CO2 forcing, etc. as it has been faced, and faced down, by genuine scientific research highlighting the bureaucratically-alarmist exaggeration? And the surface temperature record, upon which His Highness (in more ways than one) Al Gore so maniacally depends, is fraught with mass monitoring site closures over the decades, non-compliant locations (due in great part to expanding urbanization and heat-island effect – Watts Up With That), as well as outdated min/max thermometer technology. And to boot, the southern hemisphere is actually cooling and has been doing so quite some extended time; thus, at worst, we have very moderate, likely natural, northern area hemispherical warming (NAHW!).
Recent history includes 3 previous “cataclysmic” climate scares – which panned out to be more of a human psychological tendency than a lasting, significant climate event. Al Gore said one must exaggerate the threat so as to give it more impetus. Clearly, he and a legion of green, warmly-funded scientists have given their best effort on behalf of that philosophy – despite its utter lacking in scientific foundation or respectable reason. So all the alarmist should consider cooling it, as the Earth is very soon to do itself, being a helpless subordinate of the Sun.
Bob,
I agree with you whole heartedly. This global warming hoax is just a way to allow the governments of the world to take more freedoms away from people, put more controls and regulations in their lives, reduce choices and to raise taxes. It is primarily driven by a bunch of “religious” people who worship the creation instead of the Creator. This leads to the responses they have — they attack peoples’ character but won’t debate the facts.
I work for Chrysler and miss having you as one of our leaders.
Keep up the good work and don’t let people tell you what to say and how to say it — it is so refreshing when someone actually speaks their mind!
Mr. Lutz,
My husband and I are looking for a new car. While we are not ‘tree huggers’ we find it unseemly that you are so dismissive of global warming. It is too much like cigarette executives who denied and denied that smoking could cause lung cancer.
Please be assured we will not be buying a GM car after your comments. With attitudes such as yours it is unsurprising that Americans are choosing other companies than yours.
I agree with Bob Lutz. I think global warming is a crock of ****. there is science on both sides of the issue, we don’t know if it is cyclical, we don’t know what causes it. The issue has become political bull****.
I agree with you on the science but more importantly admire your steadfastness in the face of opposition. Way to go!
Mr Lutz
I appreciated the refreshing honesty earlier, and I understood it was your view and not GM’s. Even better, I agree with your personal view. And I also think you hit the nail on the head here. It doesn’t matter what you personally believe about global warming. The fact is, plenty of people have been fooled, and are willing to pay big money so that they look righteous in front of their peers. For GM to not cater to that crowd would be foolish. Sure its annoying for the rest of us who see through the commercialization, the corruption, and the hypocrisy, but I can’t blame GM for taking advantage of it, especially if they are criticized by the media if they don’t. Obviously this whole thing has been fueled by the funding of the companies that have a vested interest in creating environmental hysteria. As long as you keep making cars for those of us who understand that, feel free to also make these so-called green cars.
Sir: You are a smug little man who should probably quit while he is ahead. GM will continue on its due course to the ash heap of history, with or without you.
Good to see someone telling it like it is. I’m tired of fellow Americans and other countries saying we’re destroying the earth. GM is building cars for all sorts of people. If ‘green’ is your thing then buy a GM hybrid. Unfortunately many people rely on the government to solve our problems when government is the problem. Market forces are the way to go and not politically correct congress people with their heads so far (well you know) telling us what to do.
Oh, and the ice is mysteriously back:
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/global_warming_or_cooling/2008/02/19/73798.html?s=sp&promo_code=4582-1
Charlie H
Do they live in 20,000 sq. ft. houses? Do they strip-mine? Do they smelt aliminum, build jets from it and fly to Cancun on vacation?” No… AlGore does!
Bob,
I completely agree with your “Crock…” comment about Global Warming. Your candor is refreshing. You are right about the progress GM has made to date and the exciting vehicles on the horizon. The Volt could change everything for GM, the consumer and the environment. GM is lucky to have a leader like you, Bob. Every car maker should have a business leader who loves cars pointing the way to the future.
Thank you.
Dan D
Bob,
God bless you, you are absolutely correct. Apparently Chicken Little is alive and well in the MSM and the Environmental Movement.
Bob,
I just read all the comments, and most of them are thinking in the same direction. Please do not bother for the handful people who just want to catch others words and publicize it. The whole world is with you. Keep your spirits high as we get energy from you.
Best Regards
Neelu
You go, Bob!
Come on Lutz, confess. Your crackpot faithbased hatred of climatology has set GM in exactly the wrong direction.
Come on over to a real environmental blog and defend yourself, if you dare.
Yeah, I’m calling you a coward and blaming you for destroying the US automotive manufacturing base. Toyota already has a plugin hybrid hypercar. With over 150 mpg.
Meet us on gristmill…
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/2/22/143252/110
Bring your posse no problem.
Just an addition : We should unshackle the American worker and lobby Congress to allow GM to compete in the smaller vehicle market. We should stop the foreign investment and tech-transfer that is hurting the US.
I’ll be surprised if this gets posted, as any and all critical comments have clearly been filtered – abusive or not.
I’d just like Bob to know that as his career enters its twilight’s twilight, this will be one of his last memorable public statements, and will be what he is remembered for. Helluva legacy. Even more unfortunate is that he uttered it just as we’re beginning to observe the beginning of most plainly destructive results of man-forced climate change.
Much credit goes to Bob for his outsized personal contribution to our world’s decline.
Right on! The whole global warming thing is indeed the biggest steaming pile ever. I’m so glad somebody like you has the balls to just say it like it is. It’s BS! I mean total BS! And the people who get suckered into it are so blind to reality it’s pathetic. I cannot wait for this era of ignorance to be behind us. Thanks Mr. Lutz for saying what you said! Gosh, I wish more people would just get a clue already.
Bob Lutz,
I, too, have the same opinions as you do. The fact that you get criticized becaused you go against popular ignorant beliefs just shows how the American media is one sided and close minded. When one says that global warming is caused not by humans but by something else, one is assumed to be ignorant and misinformed. However, when people like Al Gore put out a documentary about global warming that is one sided, close minded, misinformed, and overall exaggerated, they are praised and win awards. People in America truly are stupid, to be frank.
Crock – Good for you!! It is about time a businessman stood up against the PC %$#@(*&^.
This incident reminds me of the childhood story “The King has no clothes.” The truth often riles a blustering non thinker. (No apologies to Al Gore, the inventor of internet)
The warming’s being measured (albeit, the series is short). The increasing CO2 is being measured. We know that human CO2 production is of over 100x greater volume than postulated volcanic emissions, on average. There is a plausible mechanism linking these phenomena. What is your better theory?
Even if the CO2 is not causing the warming, the CO2 is increasing rapidly, and to levels that have not prevailed during industrial civilization or current geographic settlement patterns…
And none of this is really in dispute by anyone who bothers to look at the data.
Some people just seem to get bored or tired or feel ornery, and would rather talk about crockery. As many posters here have pointed out, that is their right. But it doesn’t sound very forward-looking, and perceptions matter in business…don’t they?
OMG! Crock of S**t! Brilliant! Just Brilliant!
I find it amazing that what we do here on Earth is causing global warming on the other planets in our solar system.
Yes, global warming does exist, within normal geological variations on this planet.
I don’t see how economically destroying the USA will alter increased solar activity and other natural processes that are causing the present global warming.
You’re right, Bob … global warming is a crock of sh*t.
Bob:
Your leadership is the crock not global warming. Are you really serious when you say your personal ideas and beliefs are not incorporated into how you behave at work? You have to be kidding me! All the employees who thought they were working for the good of the environment now “know” that their boss thinks it is all a crock! That does not affect your leadership? Come on.
For those of us old enough it sure sounds like 1970’s all over again. As the US Auto makers were saying no one wants small cars, the energy crisis was a “crock” and they would “go out of business if forced to put on emissions control”, Toyota and Honda were making small cars, making them reliable and making them energy efficient.
Then you and your cronies woke up and found that you had lost 30% of the market.
Sir, YOU and YOUR PEERS are DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE for destroying the US Auto industry. It has been under YOUR WATCH that new upstart companies have cleaned your clock. This is yet another example of the backward thinking of the US Auto industry.
Glad to hear there’s some straight thinkers at GM!! Way to go Mr. Lutz!
Global warming is a total scam designed to curry global political control by self-described environmental experts.
Thinking men everywhere know it’s a scam, that needs to be cut down by direct comments like yours. Keep up the great candor!
That said, who doesn’t want a cleaner environment anyway! GO CHEVY VOLT! I’m looking forward to that; I own 3 GM vehicles, but also do drive a Ford Escape Hybrid, which I would gladly sell to get a VOLT! How about some solar panels to go with that.
Keep up the great work!
“hoax of the century,” so described by Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., ranking member of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
FINALLY! Someone who is thinking clearly about this non-issue.
The debunking of the Mann “Hockey Stick” graph should be enough for anyone to know that something is fishy regarding this issue.
Consensus in science is not science, it’s politics.
Gorebal Warming is not an “opinion” or a “fact” it’s nothing more than politics at others expense.
Correlation is not causation and it would do some people well to understand science before opening their pie-hole.
You go Lutz! Don’t be intimidated by these ecoterrorist-human hater types, they’re punks.
BTW- question the motives of those who seek to silence you or seek to be offended by your comments- they are frauds who are threatened of being unmasked as the charlatans they are and want to silence those who reveal their sham along with their personal self-interest and personal agenda on this issue.
Mr. Lutz,
As a VP for one of the American big 3, I have to admit that I am not all that shocked to hear that one of its leaders holds this view.
Let’s set aside the fact of whether or not GW is occuring because it quite honestly is irrelevant at this point.
What is relevant is that a large portion (not 2%) of consumers are looking for leadership from your industry, and you have summed it up really nicely.
If there is a crock of ****, you are holding it, and it is called the U.S. auto fleet.
My proof? How many factories are you closing? How many people are you planning to layoff? … and why are you having to do so.
Look around you and you will see that Japanese, Korean, and yes.. Chinese cars.. are being created to be efficient, light, and fuel efficient… and consumers are buying them.
the 2% now is the Corvette owners, not the Prius, and perhaps if GM got their head around that at the leadership level, they would put out a car that the market would pay for … perhaps a premium for.
personal opinion or not, we have been given a glimpse of the current thought leadership , and more than anything I appreciate that.
At least stockholders can make a fair decision now.
Bob,
Way to go! Finally someone who matters states it like it is. Every scientist with an ounce of integrity knows that “Global Warming” is a political and now even a religious movement, NOT a scientific reality. The reason GM is coming back (TWO cars on Car and Driver’s 10 Best? Awesome!). The reason why GM has come back is dogged determination like yours that says we’re not playing second to the Japanese or Germans and we CAN BEAT them!
Mr Lutz,
Before giving the appearance of belittling others who have a different opinion, maybe you should explore ways to overcome the record $39B loss at GM. Your kind of thinking by GM execs in the 70s is exactly what led to GM in this state today.
When I think about all that has happened with the US auto industry, only one thing comes to mind, the Executive Management of the Big 3 let everyone down. And it is due such brash thinking of yours (compare to making cars that dont last too long so people have to buy more often) is what let them down. But you need to be aware that this affects millions of workers who are dependent on the industry and have to go through needless suffering so that you can get your demeaning opinions out in public.
Next time you want to play with the futures and fortunes of all those who work and toil for your kind to make millions in bonuses, give it a rest, smoke a cigar, and let those fumes out elsewhere.
Bob,
I have been saying the same thing for months on end. The facts are the facts and they continue to lead to climate change but not global warming. I would not want the alarmists on my jury, there would be no looking at the facts, just watching another movie and becoming a believing robot. This year already is a big disappointment to the alarmists because NASA is already saying this year will not be a record “hot” year. Now they have gone into depression. By the way, I have to say that I love my country. I always have, through good and bad times and will until I die. I would also like to mention that I would die for my country, and nearly did.
I’m glad I’ve made the choice not to own a GM vehicle for over 15 years.
GM was a good company. Roger Smith and the rest of the bean-counters and yes; even you Bob, have left a bad taste in the world’s mouth.
GM most definately is a crock of sh*****.
Bob,
You are correct, GW *is* a crock.
It seems the ones ripping you aren’t old enough to remember the 70’s, when cars were huge, they belched raw gasoline and got horrible gas mileage…
What did the Deciders of Opinion fret about at that time?
GLOBAL COOLING.
It’s a trendy thing to frighten people into turning to the Mommy Government for help. this fear mongering is one reason I don’t own a tv.
And to think that these people who attack you actually think that the science is settled is dumbfounding.
SCIENCE IS NEVER SETTLED. Just ask Niels Bohr, look him up.
All good things and best of luck turning GM around.
Regards.
Mr. Lutz – Thanks for the courage to speak your mind. It’s good to push for more efficiency, less waste and less CO2/noxious emissions from our autos and every other aspect of our lives. Most humans know this without being told. They also want to have jobs, food and shelter and to see their offspring do a little better than they did for themselves. The vast majority of Americans have no use for the zealotry of eco-Puritanism. We all need to speak up and drown out the noisy fringe in our society and across the water.
I am all for getting off foreign oil, but this anthropogenic global warming is “a crock” Hope that isn’t considered plagarism. What casues all weather on Earth? The Sun!! There is so little data on the true workings/temperature fluctuations of our sun. Just like our climate, it is always in a state of flux. How about all those huge solar flares a couple years ago? Think the changes in the sun leading up to them and after them will impact our weather here? Based on sunspot analysis, sounds like global cooling may beon the way.
Where I live the ice was once a mile thick, where I live was once a tropical paradise. Venus, Mars and even Pluto has shown evidence of warming. Was that anthropogenic? I’m all for taking care of the planet. Solar and wind power the way to go. For those that say ethanol, do you know what a huge byproduct of ethanol is? CO2!!! Takes a lot of energy to make it. You know what one of the major reasons our economy is tanking? The cost of food! So much is based on the price of corn that has sky rocketed over the past few years. We will go down as the greatest nation on Earth to burn up it’s food supply to try and stop a natural occuring process. Kyoto? Carbon tax? Yeah, India and China exempt? Putin the environmentalist? Sounds like a lot of people stand to make a lot of money in that bureaucratic BS! selling pollution credits.
We all heard about the massive chunks of ice breaking off Antarctica a couple years ago. Funny how we don’t hear about how it is now 30% larger than the historical average. The ice broke off because it is GROWING!
thanks bob for having the courage to stand up to the completely fictional boogey man spook story of global warming that’s intentions were invented to round up and rally all the everyday socialists behind a fraudulent lie where every good socialists goal is to ultimately destroy the free market capitalist engine. i thank you for being a non capitulating hero in the fight against the lie of global warming.
mike in a relatively cool phoenix
ps the big yellow one is the sun, that’s the cause if any of (cue menacing announcer voice)”global warming” but socialist wont go after that, no human moral to ruin and bring down to the lowest common denominator.
Bravo Mr. Lutz! Your comment about the latest “liberal” fake crisis (in the 1970s it was “global cooling-forzen -earth-by-the-80’s”, in the 80s “acid rain”, “deforrestation”, “save-the-rain-forrest”, 90s “ozone depletion”) is the same as that held by the overwhelming majority.
Is concern for our environment a good idea. You bet it is! Is an irrational movement based on feelings vice considering all the facts a good idea? No.
Very very few “liberal-proponents” of the “global warming” craze are being honest about the entire situation (which indicates a lack of complete honesty, full comprehension and knowledge, and nothing but a political agenda to hype). For example 30-40 years ago – the auto industry of the USA lead the way (globally) in technological innovations that produced the cleanest engine-exhaust emissions in the world. Fact is – today’s air quality in the USA is much cleaner than it was then, with more autovehicles on the roads than ever, and much cleaner than any other nation on earth (honest “global warming alarmists” who have ever traveled to any other nations must admit to themseleves and all that this is fact). Do the “global warming” fanatics recognize or acknowledge this fact. No. Why not?
“Global warming” alarmists do not even admit that science “by consensus” is not science -that upon which their latest holy grail of “climate change” is based. It is in fact – an inconvenient consensus and at the same time a convenient act of blatant propaganda and refusal to even participate in a full-range debate on this subject -that allows these fear mongers to get away with what is in reality nothing but a political agenda (which is anti-capitalist, pro-socialists, tyrannical central government dictatorship by micro-managing controlling-maniacs, anti-USA, massive theft of the people via more unaccountable taxation, …).
Another inconvenient fact that these people willfully ignore is that GM and others of the USA auto industry have lead the way – for decades – and continue to do so now – in lowering all harmful combustion-engine emissions.
Mr. Lutz and GM – keep up your good works by producing products that most Americans like and want – that are also – environmentally clean while providing work for millions and millions of people world-wide and ignore the hype of the political movement disguised as “concern for the environment”.
I grew up in Detroit in the 1950s. My dad’s best friend was VP for sales of Chrysler Corp. In the late ’50s when Detroit automobile products became larger, my father suggested to his best friend that automobiles of the ’30s were better sized. In his opinion, cars were becoming too large for routine transportation. As a boy very interested in cars, I remember the conversation well. My dad’s best friend explained that the labor costs were the same to build a small car as a large car and there was only about $50 difference in materials cost. Nevertheless, the public was willing to pay more for large cars. There was more profit in larger cars. It was a business decision by Detroit auto makers to emphasize larger cars and leave the small car market to foreign makers. Detroit more or less gave that market away. Besides, it would saddle foreign companies with the lower profit sector.
For several reasons, including but not limited to cheaper fuel, longer driving distances, lack of public transportation, and lower population density, the American market favored (and still does) larger automobiles. Europe was the only foreign competition in the 1950s. In the 1960s Japanese makers came into the market with more small cars. Both of these foreign regions had more crowded roads and higher fuel taxes. They needed small cars, almost the opposite market to America. On top of those disadvantages for American manufacturers, there was, and is, a political climate in foreign regions that dictate against American products by charging punitive import duties, plus behind the scenes manipulations against American companies. There was really a conspiracy deep within foreign markets against American automobiles. Very little has changed to this day except we have people in our own country who truly hate business and they have successfully done grievous harm to us.
If the Ralph Naders of the world had left the American auto manufacturers alone, they would have continued to make corporate decisions based on market forces. The American automobile companies would have continued to be wildly profitable. The employees would have continued receiving good health and retirement benefits. Yes, Detroit would have continued to build larger cars with little attention to the European or Japanese markets. Those Americans who wished to do so could have purchased smaller foreign cars. Detroit would not care because the small car market is less profitable. All would have been happiness. But the jealous socialists Joan Claybrooks, Ralph Naders, and Al Gores of the world could not stand seeing business success. It is nothing but green eyed jealously. And guess who suffers? The American worker, that’s who!
Now we are living in a new world due to the changing petroleum market. Every barrel of oil we buy out of the Middle East has a military cost to the American public of about $7 a barrel because we must protect the transportation system. In addition to protecting the oil transportation system for America, our military is protecting it for the rest of the world too. This is the main reason that President Bush is visiting Africa, because we plan to shift somewhat to African Oil imports in the next 10years. As anyone who watches the news can see, terrorists are moving to Africa because there is a conscious decision on the part of Al Queda to attack the West through asymmetrical methods in Africa, just as in the Middle East. There is more complexity to this, but it is not rocket science. Unfortunately, our leaders have not taken the time and effort to educate the American public about these trends. To do so, might go against another religion, Globalization and Multiculturalism. It is not working. We already allowed a bunch of foreigners to bleed out Chrysler at American expense. Is the same planned for GM? I hope the corporate people have better sense than to let that happen again.
For pete’s sake people, take Lutz with a grain of salt. if you haven’t noticed by now, Bob is an old curmudgeon that speaks his mind.
I think it is easy for people that do not like American automobile manufacturers to use what Lutz says as an excuse for more bashing.
In my honest opinion – that cantankerous old fart is responsible for turning GM around. Personally, I enjoy what he says and love the fact that he doesn’t pander himself to the media.
Keep speaking your mind Bob. Don’t let the “greenies” steal your voice because unfortunately most level headed americans that think the same as you aren’t allowed a voice. Global Warming is a CROCK.
Fifty years ago when I first got interested in cars, GM had 56% of the US auto market.
They now have considerably less market share.
In between times we have had financial disaster after financial disaster and reorganization after reorganization. All to no avail.
My view of GM, reinforced by the history of the last half century, is that this is a company going backwards as fast as the management bureaucracy will let it. I am not particularly happy about that. It’s been disheartening to watch an American company coming in last in the race for the hearts, minds and wallets of the American consumer, while their more progressive rivals are so far down the road that GM management can’t even see them, let alone catch up.
The big losers in this story of GM management, with their heads firmly placed in the sand, aren’t the series of overpaid executives parroting the bureaucratic group think over the years, but the workers who’ve had their economic well being thrown away by those who were suppose to be their bosses, who were suppose to know better.
The big losers have been the towns, cities and counties devastated by the decimation of their tax bases brought on by the poor management decisions of GM.
The big losers have be you and me, as wealth has been take out of the America away from our shores never to return.
I wish it weren’t so, I wish GM was the American version of Honda or Toyota, but it’s not and probably never will be if Mr. Lutz’s comments are any indication of the mindset of GM management and I’m sure it is.
It is the nature of bureaucracies to protect themselves first and then get on with the business at hand second. Breaking that cycle is difficult. The result in the case of GM has been the history of the last fifty years. Mr Lutz’s comments are to be expected placed in the context of that history. Unfortunately he isn’t the person to turn the ship around, maybe that person doesn’t exist, who knows.
The past is prologue as Mr Lutz’s comments and GM’s continued decline so aptly prove.
Bob,
You are right that global warming is a crock. Keep speaking the truth. The rest of the U.S. and world are behaving as brainwashed, close minded robots. Remember how CFC’s were destroying the ozone? The molecular weight of CFC’s is over 100, air is about 29. CFC’s cannot get into the atmosphere other than shooting them with a rocket. CFC’s destroying the ozone is about a logical as lead balloons disrupting migratory bird patterns. Notice how the ozone crisis has disappeared? Obviously the propoganda machine for that fell apart, due to our lack of understanding.
Global warming is so unscientific I could scream; it is a belief system. No tested models (just computer simulations that are wrought with tons of assumptions and predispositions.)
Look up the “green house” gases in the atmosphere and the respective percentages. The biggest component of green house gases is water vapor. We have one hundred years of temperature data (plus or minus) out of the earths age. We don’t understand the energy cycle the sun goes through, the natural cycles of the oceans, the natural cycles of the plants. People are blinding following an idea based on agendas.
Look at some of the biggest proponents of the global warming. They say it is happening but DO NOTHING ABOUT IT PERSONALLY. See Hollywood, politicians, musicians, etc etc. If they really believed it, they would live it themselves and not expect someone else to do it. It is the same hypocritical living as Osama Bin Laden. If it is the best to be a martyr, why isn’t he first in line?
Add it all up, and you have what you aptly described, A CROCK.
We forget that we are all entitled to our opinions. And the fact that GM is doing more for environmental car and truck production now is a sign that we can our own opinions on global warming yet work to make the world a more sustainable place. Great job Bob! Now get those G8s over here!
Eric
Bob, you are right. Global warming is a crock! Bravo!
Congratulations. You are one of the few leaders of industry willing to tell the truth about global warming.
Data from Britain’s Climate Research Unit show the following:
Earth warmed about 0.8 degress in the 20th century
Warming peaked in 1998.
2007 was 0.143 degrees cooler than 1998.
2007 was cooler than 2006,2005,2004,2003,2002 and 2001.
During the last 10 years CO2 rose 5% with no net warming.
Dec 2007 was cooler than Dec 1987. – 20 years with CO2 rising 10% and no net warming.
Latest GISS data show Jan 2008 is 0.28 degrees cooler even than Dec 2007.Earth is cooling fast.
The IPCC anthropogenic warming paradigm is flawed to the point of fraudulence.
Solar studies suggest that the earth may be entering a 20 – 40 year cooling period.This would be be a far greater threat to humanity tham a little warming.We may well need to increase CO2 emissions because while CO2 has little effect on temperature ( the forcing equation is logarithmic) increasing CO2 would increase crop production in the least environmentally harmful way.There are abundant scientific papers supporting the above positions.I would be happy to provide Bob with the references. Please publicize these facts whenever you can – Thanks
Unenlightened arrogance like this, which places profits before the interests of the nation and the world, is the reason why Toyota is number one and GM is going down the toilet.
Oh, yeah, I forgot. GM is committed to the environment and is building environmentally friendly vehicles.
That, Mr. Lutz is the biggest crock of ****.
Frankly, I’m not surprised at all that you said this Bob. But I am surprised that you don’t have GM’s marketing department banging down your door. After all, they spend tons of money hyping the “green-ness” of your cars and you contradict them in one short, tactless phrase. If I were them I’d be more than a little pissed. You’re making their job of convincing people that GM cares at all about the environment much more difficult.
Dear Mr. Lutz,
Thank you for having the guts to stand up to the scam of human caused global warming. Billions are being spent on trying to stop the cyclical affect of the sun instead of on adapting to the changes or on so many other more important things that we humans can affect like education, poverty, medical advancements, etc. We should still be conservation minded by not being wasteful, but lets focus on what we can do and not pour money into programs and to dictatorial governments that to nothing to benefit mankind. Keep speaking out. Someone has to.
Thank you for your candor, Mr. Lutz. The idea that a slight change in the temperature of the Earth is caused by a gas that humans are created to expel with every breath they take is utterly ridiculous. It does not stand up to scientific experimentation, which is why green fundamentalists must vilify people such as you in the press.
More people need to stand up and tell the environmental movement to shut it. The goal of the green movement is control over human life, not about the environment.
Keep it up.
Sir – Keep posting your opinions on the subject. There is no conflict between environmental protection, improved fuel economy and the view that “GW” is a “crock”. It is a sorry state when so many executives feel the need to get on the GW bandwagon with Al Gore rather than providing an honest assessment. There are quite a few of us in the scientific community who do not agree with the “consensus” but rather see a great deal of contradictory information and maintain our healthy scientific skepticism. It is nice to see someone in the business community standing up to the political correctness of this situation that is so negatively impacting the research and science that must be done to really understand climate and the environment. I applaud you.
I’m with you Bob! And I was going to go with another Toyota, but this leads me to think maybe GM management could be clear-minded, strong, fearless, adult and serious – so now I’m eager to think again about GM product. Thanks.
Mr. Lutz,
Thank you for standing firm in your beliefs on ‘global warming’.
Global Warmings ‘Inconvenient Truth’ #1 It’s Consensus of the Cyclically Challenged.
#2 It’s not man made.
Bob-
If you – and presumably other GM execs – believe that global warming is a “crock,” then isn’t the company’s effort to develop green technology really an effort to capitalize on a market trend (e.g. make money) and fend off regulators, rather than a genuine concern for the future of the planet? See, e.g., the E.V.
Also, as the Vice Chairman of a huge, visible company, what you say does matter.
Many of us work for the auto industry or are car enthusiasts. But just reading these comments, one can see how much old school groupthink and denial still exist in our industry. GM has been advertising heavily and developing some great new products, to try to foster a greener image. Senior management needs to not undermine that with off the cuff remarks that are easily misinterpreted and spread all over the internet. Are we really doing enough? For at least 10 years we’ve been in denial, skewing our mix to guzzling sport utes in order to satisfy “what our customers wanted.” Yes we need to build those vehicles, but they need to get better and consume fewer resources. And they need to be part of a total, small to large product line mix which GM is only now really making competitive. Wouldn’t it have been great if GM had been the first one out with a Prius? We could all have gone with pride in front of our neighbors who buy Toyotas and Hondas and show what we’ve done. They buy those vehicles because as a whole, they are more socially responsible, as well as high in quality. We need to appeal to those markets as well as the more “testosterone driven” ones. It’s not news that we have been losing market share as more and more people want more economical and responsible transportation. Let’s work on the entire mix. I can’t wait to own a GM hybrid that gains 10% to 40% in fuel economy, without breaking my pocketbook. I plan to buy one, a new Malibu, Vue, or hopefully Acadia crossover, when I need my next new car. We’ve had an Acadia for a year now and I love it; great job executing that vehicle. However it could be better; it still only gets all around, average 19.5 mpg. It could probably be 500 pounds lighter, and have smaller lighter wheels for less inertia and rolling resistance. Keep up the good work, but I hope as an organization we really keep economy and sustainability top among our values, and maintain that attitude internally and in our public image.
Bob, Thank you for adding you voice to those who take the time to honestly research this subjct and then have the courage to speak out in opposition to the conventional wisdom. The sun is what really controls earth’s temperature and right now and for the near term is actually in a cooling phase. So accordingly the earth will be cooling as well. Giving in to “chicken little” thinking will destroy our economy. Thank you again for lending the weight of your voice to those of us who have no “bully pulpit” My deepest regards sir.
Dear Mr. Lutz,
I recently read a quote that sums up what we all are going though in this current day and age:
“Political correctness is tyranny with manners.”
- Charlton Heston (1924-)
Can you spell, “Nine-teen-eighty-four”? Double-speak, indeed.
I’m writing to back you up on the global warming issue.
My father, Mr. John F. Pope, was an expert on the environment. In his life he was approached by professors, editors, public officials and Forestry Department heads to speak about ‘Global Warming’.
What was his Ph.D? Repeated exposure to the environment itself, one cork boot at a time.
In his 76 year lifetime (which, unfortunately came to an end 2 years ago) he walked tens of thousands of miles of the forests of Oregon. A natural scientist, with an IQ in the genius band, he studied every bit of ground he walked on – what lived there, what didn’t and HOW it all worked together.
On the subject of global warming, he studied everything he could get his hands on and had countless conversations with ‘experts’ on both sides of the global warming ‘crock,’ as you so eloquently put it.
How did my dad come in such close contact with the environment? He was a logger.
Yes, an “evil logger”. We used to laugh about that after seeing a Dick Tracy comic where the villain was “The Evil Logger.” What propaganda.
You’ve had a long life, Mr. Lutz. Have you ever met an “evil logger”? Well, provided he didn’t have too many Schlitz Malt Liquor’s packed away? lol
Nor have I. Just hard working men who wanted to provide for their families and to supply lumber for people to have shelter and for the most natural of the naturalists to have their very own, 10-foot-high, high beam ceilings in their multi-million dollar homes.
“The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don’t have it.”
- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
My point in telling you this is that there are small groups of experts who have been speaking out against this notion of global warming for the last 20 – 25 years. They speak out against the foreboding warnings about global warming, even though they feel the self-righteous wrath of the self-appointed “politically correct”.
So welcome to the club, Sir. We’re glad to have you.
If I may, I’ll leave you with one more quote.
“Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo.”
- H. G. Wells (1866-1946)
Please continue your good work in the maelstrom.
I agree with Uday’s comments. I don’t disagree with Mr. Lutz’s comments about global warming, but it’s a bit disconcerting that a GM executive would make a comment in such a way that would draw attention to him and the company in a negative light.
It’s not a “freedom of speech” issue, as someone implied. This is a pet peeve of mine. The government is not getting involved and telling Mr. Lutz what he can and cannot say.
If the general public want to criticize him, that’s their right and their free speech.
That said, words do have consequences and I’m afraid that Mr. Lutz saying “crock of s***” makes the company look bad and he should, with his experience, no better.
If he were in politics, he could say whatever he wants. But, he’s a highly paid executive of a public company, and an important one at that.
Sometimes, you gotta know when to keep your mouth shut.
Thank you, Mr. Lutz. My current and next car will be a GM. If we made a purposful, global attempt to raise the temperature of this planet, we couldn’t do it. To think that after millions of years of belching volcanoes our tiny output of CO2 can change the climate of this planet is the peak of arrogance.
Thanks again,
John M. Memoli
Mr. Lutz,
Thank you for your courageous “crock” declaration! Obviously, few people realize that the National Science Foundation formally invalidated the IPCCs “high temperature claims”, or, that atmospheric CO2 increases result from (lagging by 800 years), rather than cause, global warming. Given the world’s hunger & poverty problems, it’s especially tragic that this political fraud paints CO2 as undesirable, rather than the lifeblood of food production and a critical nutrient which once helped the Vikings to farm Greenland, when it wasn’t so icy.
Please continue to promote the easily researched truth about this globalist tax swindle, despite the Kool Aid drinkers.
I love free speech, even free moronic speech. You qualify, Bob, babe.
Mr. Lutz:
Like it or not, you are the most visible face of GM to the general public. The face you presented does not help the corporation you so enthusiastically claim to support. I also suspect it bears little relationship to the truth. Through your irresponsible comments on a subject about which I question your credentials, you have given comfort to those whose concern for the future extends no further than their own lives.
I cannot claim any real expertise on the subject, but I’ll wager I know more about it than the average “global warming hoax” proponent. And not one of the several such people I have talked with has given me so much as inkling how they think we can avoid global warming when we:
1. dump signficant amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere;
2. reduce the biosphere’s ability to remove such gases from the atmosphere while simultaneously decreasing the albedo of the earth’s surface.
Perhaps you could explain that to me so that I too could realize that global warming is a “crock” invented by a bunch of kooky left wing nutcases. Until you, or someone does, I shall continue too regard global warming as the greatest threat to the survival of humanity.
What don’t you understand?
1) Carbon dioxide absorbs energy.
2) We are releasing carbon dioxide through burning lots of fossil fuels.
3) There is now more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than at any time in the last 1 million years and it is increasing rapidly.
4) The surface of the Earth is warming and this is a risk to us and especially our children.
These are easily demonstrable facts.
Bob,
Let’s forget for a moment whether global warming is ‘real’ or not. It does seem a bit tactless to have made a statement that could alienate your potential customers, no matter how few, no matter how misguided you think they are.
And ‘ragweed?’ Sure, why not alienate the internet community while you’re at it.
These are negative remarks, Bob, and you could’ve avoided making them altogether. Is this what you call doing “what makes the most business sense for GM?” You know that your remarks made Reuters today, don’t you? Glad I don’t own GM stock.
I will say, you seem to be in close touch with your inner blowhard.
Without a retraction of your global warming comment and a statement that you now understand the seriousness of the global warming risk, for the sake of my children, I cannot consider buying GM products.
Bob, you are right on. “Man made global warming” is a scam. Maybe if all the man made GW crowd held their breaths we could reduce CO2 emissions.
Bob,
By forming a “big picture” of GM, I, as a concerned consumer, have always seen GM as a dinosaur of a company, desperately holding on to its market share with ridiculous products like the Suburban. Now that you have expressed your opinion on global warming, its clear that GM is only interested in its public image and not actually helping to save the environment.
You antiquated view on the world is what made the American industrial sector the joke of the world. We need people with a genuine progressive view of the world, not your finite, ignorant, fact denying, unscientific, imbecilic view. You are why America is falling behind.
I don’t buy anything or select certain companies because they are “green”. i buy what and from whom has what i want
In 1948 I was given stock in GM. It did well; I loved those special Xmas dividends. I sold it shortly after riding in a 240Z which was perfectly built and cheap as–pardon the expression–shit. Proved to be a great car, car company, and a great move on my part. Bob, you are much like those at GM who preceded you—big pay, big jerk.
Dear Mr. Lutz,
I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of so-called global warming. While we should be good stewards of our planet and its resources, I agree with those who see it as a ploy by some to make a buck with something that doesn’t even exist: “carbon credits”, and by the political elite to control our liberty (which is fading fast).
I may not agree with you on many issues, but you have hit the nail precisely on the head with this issue and I applaud the fact that someone out there in corporate land can actually think for themselves!
“Global warming is a “total crock of ****.” Finally someone with enough guts to tell it like it is. Thank you Bob Lutz!!!
I drove Ford trucks all my life but now because Bob has the fortitude to tell the truth about this “Global Warming Lie”, I’ll be buying GM’s for now on. Thanks, Bob
http://www.junkscience.com/
Only when GM cars are low cost safe and run on junk mail and car brochures will we believe that the personal beliefs of GM directors and management about stuff like global warming and their financial positions in the energy and fuel industries don’t affect the kinds of cars they build.
What really is a crock is that you claim to want to take GM out of the picture when you put things out like the escalade. GM’s has a serious lack of leadership when it revolves around user studies and focus groups. You want to know why your sales are sinking, just look to the lack of leadership on serious issues that some believe to be important. It’s true that we shouldn’t care what you think, but you want to know what people have against the brand, just look to irresponsible comments from management and their actions of blaming GMs bad designs and initiatives on the unions. I suggest a serious rebranding effort.
Mr Lutz, thank you for your voice of sanity in an insane discussion.
Those who believe in the “RELIGION” of global warming will shout down and attack anyone who does not believe in their religion. It is a belief structure, it is not science!
As soon as the global warming true believers can explain to me what caused the warming from the LAST (of many) ice age, then I will maybe believe that they have a CLUE of what they are talking about!
Until then, they can’t tell us what will happen 5 DAYS from now!
Having said that, kudos to you for continuing to develop and advance new technologies and methods of making our cars run!
With all due respect Mr. Lutz, especially given your impeccable credentials as a corporate car enthusiast, I think your publicly stated views have an influence on internal GM decision-making as well as how the company is viewed by consumers. The truth is GM has been a laggard in the development of hybrid and auto diesel technologies, and your comments will do nothing to change public opinions. Consumers in CA perceive (and reward) Toyota, Honda and BMW as the leaders in alternative engine technology. Which is my perception too, despite all the good changes you have made at GM during the past 5 years. Your actions have consequences: take some responsibility.
Good Job Bob!
Don’t let a “consensus of opinion” dictate what we in America should think! We did not make this planet and we couldn’t ruin it if we wanted to! “Green” is a code word for regulation, taxation and liberalism! We won’t go there not now not ever. Kudos to you!
Wow, good going. I’ve been planning my 2009-model purchase and was really looking at the Camaro.
Now I guess I’ll just stick with a Crossfire like I had planned.
You’re a real turd, aren’t you? Keep shooting your mouth off.
I agree with your right to an opinion.
I also agree that the anthropogenic global warming theory is a crock and unsubstantiated by science–consensus is not science.
Alex
Mr. Lutz: Keep on with the good work!!! There may be global warming, (although I’m not convinced of that) but why it’s warming is the big question. The planet has been cooling and warming for thousands of years.
Mr. Lutz,
Thank God that a major corp executive hasn’t drank the “green cool-aid” based on junk science. This “climate change” excrement is a result of a new world religion.
Building more efficent vehicles simply amounts to common sense in today’s market as well as being a good stewart of the earth…. but Global Warming?.. that’s a crock of sh*t! Thank you for speeking out.
My next new vehicle will be a GM vehicle.
Bob,
My next vehicle is likely to be a GM. I’ve owned Ford proucts for the last thirty years but your comment comes across like a breath of fresh air.
Bob,
Whether you agree with the scientific community or not regarding global warming – you are entitled to free speech and your own opinion. However, since being seen as “green” is one of GM’s biggest PR goals you should at least be savvy enough to restrain your public opinion on the subject. After all, you are GM’s most vocal and respected public mouth piece.
I must say that I am disappointed that you have shown such disregard to a subject so important to many GM customers.
John
Bob,
I believe that you have a right to your own beliefs. However, when your beliefs cause people to doubt your employer’s dedication to the idea of “greener” cars. A comment like that only causes harms to projects like the VOLT because consumers feel that you and GM only half-heartedly support the goal. This may be wrong, but that’s the perspective we get.
You think climate change is a Crock? Are you so foolish as to believe that climate is static? Sir, you may be the real problem here.
Charlie H said “…Friends of mine who are PhD-level chemists and chemical engineers specializing in aerosols, VOCs and similar have followed the research (they’re fully qualified to read it all) and believe that Anthropogenic Global Warming – AGW – is a real phenomenon with serious consequences. But, sure, you might be right.”
Charlie,
Real scientists say global warming is a trillion dollar gold mine for the hoaxers like Al Gore who squanders carbon based energy as if this were the 1930’s.
If there were a consensus of scientists who agree that human caused global warming is real, why do the majority of scientists disagree along with the general population?
If your “friends with PhD’s” are qualified to read the articles, ask them about the very real possibility of global cooling as a result of decreased solar activity.
Build and sell what the market place demands.
Give’m Hell Bob!
The PR battle on Global Warming is lost in Canada But hopefully their is hope still in USA.I would suggest leading Corporations should Arrange for leading scientists to debate this issue on TV or even buy space in Newspapers to get “Facts” out.Cost spent would be far less than trying to reduce Co2.
I’m all for better operating costs but not for some organization or government telling me size of vehicle i can operate.
Energy Independence Now!
No more Oil Wars!
Stop funding the terrorists!
Drill in Anwar.
Build more nuclear power plants
Use More coal.
Use more natural gas
Turn trash into energy
Double the efficiency of windmills and solar cells.
If France can do nuclear power so can we.
If Brazil can do biomass/ethanol power so can we.
If Australia can do LNG power so can we.
Domestically produced energy will end recession and spur the economy.
I think you should be dismissed as the crank that you are.
I totally agree with you. I am happy to see people posting supporting you. It seems evident to me that the science does not support man made global warming. It is also evident that the people pushing global warming are the same ones that are benefiting financially from it.
Mr Lutz is a perfect representative of the “Hummer mentality” of yesteryear that will continue to drag GM sales down and lead to more downsizing that gets blamed on everything except their own outdated worldview. In their world tough guys don’t care about the planet. Great model, that. Thank goodness such perspectives are no longer relevant (as GM is fast becoming).Mr Lutz is a perfect representative of the “Hummer mentality” of yesteryear that will continue to drag GM sales down and lead to more downsizing that gets blamed on everything except their own outdated worldview. In their world tough guys don’t care about the planet. Great model, that. Thank goodness such perspectives are no longer relevant (as GM is fast becoming).
Mr. Lutz,
Thank you for your courage to speak out against the “so called global warming”. This is a stupid thing started by a stupid man(Al Gore). This is not even a reasonable theory. Hundreds of good scientist have also had the courage to speak out on this subject. I choose to believe you and those brave scientist rather than a known bumbling idiot who will say anything for attention (Al Gore).
Thanks again and keep up the good work.
J Brown Clearwater, FL
Your unwillingness to look to scientific fact illustrates GM’s failure to produce cars that increase your market share. For years I have watched what was once America’s greatest company sink into third rate status because of the arrogance of its managers.
You deserve your loses, both financial and market share.
You wanna know why GM is being killed by Toyota et al?
Look at the bright side of getting out of the oil based energy economy, it’s not all gloom and doom. Indeed, there is huge money to be made.
The rest of the idiots posting here I can understand commenting the way they do becaues they are obviously uneducated morons. You sir, should know better by now.
Bob,
It is so nice to hear from someone who is not willing to drink the Kool-Aid and to tell it like it is.
If I choose to purchase a vehicle that gets 8mpg, then in this free country of ours I should be able too.
However, it is unfortunate that the politicians continue to neglect the “power” demands of our nation. We need to go Nuclear ASAP to keep up with the demands. It’s not rocket science, just follow the money and do the math.
Mr. Lutz,
FINALLY someone has the courage to come out and say what a total scam “Global Warming” is, as it is presented to us by the guy who says he invented the internet. These so-called Global Warming nuts don’t follow an ideology but a “religion”. And it’s one where they want to control our lives. Thank you sir for speaking out. I would like all American industry to strive towards alternative energy technology, not because of the “Global Warming” scam but because of the benefit of our national energy policy.
Steve
In regards to Mr. Lutz’s comments; I will now be buying a GM product as fast as I can; something I haven’t done in ten years.Global warming is the biggest scam since Y2K.To hear an enlightened individual actually voice it, is fantastic.
Don’t cave to the wackos.
Rudy Lenhardt
Fargo, ND
So the media hates Lutz? As the words of Lutz: what a crock of ****! Let’s be honest about Lutz and all the other old farts of the American auto industry–they have paid dearly for their snob approach when dealing with American’s. As foreign automakers took the lead the American automaker’s entrenched and ignored the facts of high fuel cost and the need for energy efficient vehicle’s–it was ignored. Soon the oil will run out and who is taking the lead: Japan, Korea, and China. But these old overpaid executive’s at GM hold to the philosophy if is made by GM, Ford,or whoever, it’s good for America and no questions asked. I think Lutz is a crock of whatever.
Mr. Lutz,
Although I might describe the “truth” of Global Warming with slightly different terms, I applaud your willingness to voice your opinion and point out the insanity of it all. Of course, your decisions on product development need to respond to the market as you see it, but the same should hold true for the production and delivery of energy to drive these products. Also, there is a whole lot more to the environmental equation than simple MPG’s. If the politicians and global worming crowd just let the energy market sort it all out, we’d be a lot better off. Here’s to the internal combustion engine!
Mark
Mr. Lutz,
You are correct. Thanks for speaking the truth. Global Warming is a crock and a hoax. Only if we had more people like you in your position that would speak truth. Thanks for your opinion and honesty.
Mr. Lutz,
Could not agree more! Thank you for speaking out on this global warming fraud.
For all you members of the Church of Global Warming…
explain to all the rest of us what CAUSED the earth to warm up after the last ice age. And all the ice ages before that!
Then maybe we will believe that you have a CLUE of what you are talking about.
Until then, you will be exposed for the frauds that you are….simply wanting money and political power.
Thank goodness that Mr Lutz has had the courage to speak up.
For Jacques,
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
These GW people are dogmatic and pushy with little understanding of science or freedom. I like CEOs who stand strong! We need more Howard Roark types. Since the issue of GW is omnipresent, I recommend Geologist Bob Carter’s lecture on the matter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOLkze-9GcI
poetryman69 sums it up for me! Give us choice! Plugin hybrids can be useful America has the best minds in technology,bring them forward! A safe electric car with 250 mile range and ultrafast charging thru nanotech! Why does it cost $40 million to get a safe certified car on the road?
Perhaps you should talk about matters with which you have some familiarity and experience, instead of just exposing your ignorance about matters you obviously don’t understand, Mr. Lutz.
Start making GM a great company again. I’ve been a customer (Chevy Malibu) and I’d like to be one again, but if you keep pushing the junk on the American public that you seem to enjoy, you can continue your decline.
Your “offhand commant” has as much validity as your claims about the quality and value of GM cars.
Go back to building great cars that sell well (and, yes, don’t foul our atmosphere), THEN, maybe, you’ll earn a platform to rant about things you know nothing about.
Right on, Mr. Lutz. Keep calling them as you see them! The human-induced global warming argument just won’t hold water. Calling it a “crock” is timid language in my view.
Stick to your guns and do not back down from the “man-made” global warming cultists. The planet is warming, just as it has cooled, and will cycle again in the future. You beliefs do not have to coincide with GM because they are just that, YOUR comments. The loud-mouthed minority try and railroad every free thinker out there, stick tou your guns.
I agree, global warming is a crock of ****. Every 20 years the “scientists” changer their tune from global warming to the next ice age. It’s called a cycle, and all the tree huggers need to get a life and solve the real issues facing society.
FWIW, Bob, you’re exactly right.
And the “electrification” of the automobile may or may not be beneficial. The environmental costs of the additional manufacturing, chemicals used, metals mined, etc., for the batteries and other electrical subsystems may outweigh the costs of using, for instance, diesel engines run on biodiesel.
Well, Bob, you are right about one thing – your opinion doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that you and the rest of the executives at GM have chosen to build low quality, poorly designed cars for the majority of my life. (I am 45) I will admit that your design work has improved in the last decade, but your engineering is still ten years behind Japan, Germany, France, the UK and Sweden. what is really a crock of S#@* is your fake devotion to increased mileage. I currently drive a 13 year old car that gets 30 in the city and 40 on the highway. Name ONE GM model that can match that. You can’t. If I were a consumer in the EU, I would have about thirty models to chose from that get better mileage than I get now. When you get off your high horse and build a car that gets better than 45 city, give me a call. Till then, your a crock of s@#*.
Mr. Lutz,
If the “facts” of any scientific phenomenon, including global warming, can be spun in a way that confirms existence OR non-existence, then obviously the facts are insufficient to prove either.
I’m surprised that you took a position on an issue that is outside of your field of expertise. Global environmental prediction is a very complex equation with an unknown number of variables interacting in an unknown number of ways. I doubt anyone has a handle on it.
When computer models are capable of accurately predicting the weather anyplace on the Earth months ahead of time, THEN I’ll start listening to global warming theories. Until then, it’s nothing more than a political tool.
Perhaps that’s what you meant…
Mr. Lutz,
Thank you for speaking out. Good for you. I totally agree that the global warming (marketing scheme)thing is just a huge myth. Lastly, to all the Eco-fear mongors. I’ll take my corn with some butter and salt after I get back from the store with my V8 SUV. Thanks.
Thank you for not dropping to your knees as the global warming nuts wish.
Just as some of the posters here, I too have Ph.D. friends from various science disciplines and by no means is there consensus on the issue. Judging from my group of friends, it seems the more directly involved they are with climate studies the less they adhere to the manmade global warming mantra (expect for some who in public will not state their opposition for fear of retribution in their careers).
In fact, since more and more scientists are seriously considering the possibly that we really are on the verge of global cooling; maybe we should all be trying to expand our carbon footprints to offset it. Mr. Lutz, please start cranking out more old time GTO’s and Firebirds–lets stop global cooling while we still have a chance to prevent the glaciers from crushing NYC.
Bob, the global warming situation is in fact a truth but the cause of it is not exhaust fumes from burning fossil fuels, although it probably does influence it on a very, very small scale and not something that would change our fate with any real significance. What is changing the planetary temp is the SUN. The SUN’s output is the highest it’s been in 1,000 years. Other planets throughout the solar system are heating up as well with only one influence to explain the rise – the SUN. A .036% increase in output does not sound like much but try a .5% output increase and you can kiss the earth as we know it good bye and there is nothing we can do about it. The real reason for all of this global warming reduction initiative is to control successful economies by hampering them with regulations while allowing other non successful economies a false benefit and boost. You should beat everyone to market with a new and improved H2 that has a space shuttle like heat shield that will be needed when the SUN starts spewing out mega solar flares, one after the another.
Mr. Lutz,
Why doesn’t GM put a two-mode hybrid system in a small sedan and have it get 50+ MPG? Why isn’t there a flex-fuel Aveo? Why was the EV-1 kiboshed? Why does it seem that GM *only* wants to raise the fuel economy floor (which is no doubt a worthy goal) but has made few strides yet in pushing the ceiling higher?
I sincerely hope that the Volt is released and becomes the greatest success in the history of automobiles, and solves all environmental and sociopolitical issues related to oil and gasoline. I hope it comes out and proves me and every other doubter and skeptic out there wrong.
However, Mr. Lutz, given GM’s recent history regarding fuel economy, you will not be cut any slack until GM really puts out something that pushes the envelope. You are a major figure at one of the most prominent American companies. This kind of scrutiny should be expected. You certainly have a right to express and defend your opinions, just as others have a right to analyze and criticize your opinions.
I wish you luck, for more than just your sake.
Sincerely,
PDK and a lot of other people who want to see a truly great, American hybrid car
It is my strong OPINION that “Global Warming” is a bad term. I prefer to see it referred to as “Global Climate Change” because frankly, warming one area (or even if you could just turn the sun up a notch or two and warm the whole world) would have different effects on different parts of the world. Change things a bit more, and the gulf stream could slow down or stop. Anyways, some people believe in climate change, some don’t. But when the majority of scientists seem to think that it at least needs careful watching and is a cause for concern, and I see Lutz post this drivel…. I was looking forward to the Volt and the “new” GM, but really it looks like same ol, same ol if Lutz has his way. And for those that don’t believe in climate change, what about peak oil? (Or for those that aren’t willing to actually look into it, and just deny it out of hand because its more “scientist mumbo jumbo”: Cletus, I’m looking at you…) What about the concept that china, india, and other countries may cause oil prices to skyrocket… that in itself is a good enough reason for me to want an electric car… even if it is just for my day to day commute and errands. On long trips, I’ll still take the buick. (GM! BUILD A PLUG IN BUICK HYBRID! smaller V6, bigger electric motor, 30 mile all electric range
Dear Mr. Lutz,
I admire your honesty and boldness. I do not have the skills to discern whether Global Warming is true or not, however, I am certain that reducing our dependency on foreign oil and thus reducing our trade deficit and external debt are a true priority.
There are a whole bunch of people out there who have no idea how hard it is to engineer and build a car from scratch- let alone an alternative energy vehicle.Being an engineer myself, I can understand how hard it is. You guys have done a wonderful job in improving the fit, finish and reliability of your vehicles. And the strides you have made towards better fuel economy and alternative energy are also quite significant. Mr. Lutz, keep selling good cars and one day every American will awaken to a new GM.
Great job!
Are you serious?
Are you freaking serious?!
To all you Bob Lutz loving exhaust pipe suckers:
Go jump in the middle of the road!
Apparently, Global Warming should be called something different because you people who side/agree with Bob Lutz/GM are missing the point that what this is should be called is Massive Global Pollution.
Pollution!!! That’s what causes every thing else… the warming… the melting… the cancer… the war!
I have to disagree about the Volt. GM is going to kill the creativity in this market, just like a hundred years ago when the side-shuffle to internal combustion happened with battery and electric technology. (”Internal Combustion” by Edwin Black). Big conglomerate savior = Big empty promise. If the Volt represents anything, it is the copycat ideology behind GM to pull bureaucratic-like politico mischief in bandwagoning on popular movements while trying to dismiss its history and greenwash its reputation. People, I hope you don’t fall for GM, because just like any real (American) “Revolution,” the powers that be are always far away from reality…
GM’s been around for 100 years now. Since 1908, this company has done nothing more than monopolize an American Dream. Can you imagine what would you be capable of doing if you had 100 years to work on Tesla Motors? The Aeronautics Industry, literally launched in 1903 by the Wright Brothers, has made it to Space! And that was over 40 years ago! I have no respect for GM. Tesla Motors was that one giant leap for the automotive industry and now the “Boards that be” are pulling another caper over innovation and invention. I’m sorry to say but Nikola Tesla himself stood for everything contrarian to selling-out to Big Business. And Edison despised Tesla mainly for not focusing first on money. Elon Musk Beware! The question for anyone reading this is: Are You a Tesla or an Edison?
The Volt may finally shock GM’s business model and resuscitate an industry that has been dwindling since the 70’s. This economy has suffered enough when dreams are aborted and crushed like tin cans because something like the EV1 represented an abomination to blue-blooded white-collar arm-chair imperial-capitalists…
Yes, I do agree with what Mr. Lutz is saying. Whether global warming is a real phenomenon or not is irrelevant. The fact is that oil is a finite resource, and that the reserves that do exist are predominately found in regions of the world with political struggles.
Oil has given us a massive technological boom, however what it has done thus far has enabled us to be in a position where we can go forward without it. The technology exists to proceed on a carbon-free energy path, and we should take it for the simple reason that it is best for our future growth as a species. Global warming is not the only output of the burning of fossil fuels. Air pollution from burning oil and coal is a proven cause of health issues in all major cities, and shifting away from those fuel sources is the best step forward, economically and socially.
Some people get caught up throwing their words around, when the real issue is not global warming.
Hey – Lutz – you are NO putz!
I’m on your side – keep telling it like it is – and to hell with the Global Warming FREAKS!
You sound just like the editors of Car and Driver. Totally ignoring the fact that horsepower is worthless when you cannot go faster than 90 mph. Totally ignoring real science just so you can play with your toys. Totally ignoring the reality that fossil fuels and the atmosphere are finite entities. You are a CAR NUT – not an atmospheric scientist with credentials.
The Chinese and Indians are going to eat you alive.
Yeah, keep making asinine statements like that and then keep wondering why you’re company is in the shitter.
I love how GM claims it’s on the forefront of providing consumers with environmentally friendly and fuel efficient vehicles. If that were the case, your sales wouldn’t be in the toilet and a lot more American factory workers would be employed.
It was interesting to read all of the different comments…. one thought kept going through my mind though…Back in Nicolaus Copernicus’ time when most folks thought that the earth was the center of the universe, it made no difference to the universe what the people on a small planet believed. I would say that it is exactly the same with global warming, it really makes no difference what we might believe or not believe about global warming.
What must be painfully obvious to anyone living on this earth is that human beings have altered and had a profound impact on every corner of this island home. Is it such a big leap to see that we might also have had an impact on the climate?
Mr. Lutz
I want to thank you for having the courage to speak out against what I consider to be the largest scam ever. I believe that this is an issue that is being used by scientist to get funding, the media to sell air time, politicans to get elected, over zelous enviromentalists, our enemies abroad, and many others who want to ruin our economy, and take away our freedoms one piece at a time.
To ignore the fact that our planet’s inperfect orbit around our sun is to to ignore ones own self worth.
To ignore the countless iceages and warming spells throughout history is to ignore the science that they claim we are ignorant of.
To believe that a scientists can predict what the tempature will be in ten years when they can’t predict the next day is ludicris.
Thank you for saying what many of are thinking but afraid to say.
EB
Hey Bob!
Maybe a bit too much time at the country club bar? Might be a fine idea to pick up a few scientific journals and read!
I’ll buy european, not the “Re-Volting.” Too many memories of GM junk, which is reconfirmed by the deadhead comments!
Unbelievable. Looks like a lot of GM employees / exec families / members of Exxon have been posting a lot of cheerleading. I’ll never buy a GM now Bob Lutz. GM’s management and autos are a total crock of sh1t.
Mr. Lutz:
I think your comments reflected the sentiments of the “silent majority” and I appreciated your candor.
I have been a long time GM customer (currently own a Blazer & Trailblazer) and will continue to be as long as you continue to offer the consumer the choices we desire. The free-market should determine these things, not government mandates, Hollywood celebrity or Learjet Liberals who want me to drive a Yugo while they get around in private jets.
Thank you for saying what so many will not say, but inwardly know.
Dear Mr. Lutz,
Thank you for speaking up. Anthropogenic warming is complete nonsense and I’m glad you are one of the few public figures with the guts to speak up.
It is not a coincidence that the greatest advancement in mankind’s quality of life…wealth, health, life expectancy, occurred with thw developement of the internal combustion engine.
Best of luck.
Keep it up.
For all of you so keen on global warming, I ask you to consider the following question:
If we’re the cause of global warming, then why are all the other planets in our solar system getting warmer as well? The info is, I believe, freely available from NASA and other sources. Global warming is happening. It’s happened before according to geologists, and it’ll happen again. We certainly aren’t helping, but we are not the cause. I seriously doubt that we’ll move away from the internal combustion engine anytime soon, but I am glad that GM is looking for other fuels for it to run on, and other ways to use it.
Emissions are really there to try to reduce or eliminate smog and acid rain. Two very bad things. The key though is not really more controls on automobiles, but controls on manufacturing plants. An old style plant with little if any emissions controls can belch out more pollution in a month than all the cars in any given large city can in a year. This is where to direct your ire. Cars and trucks really don’t pollute much anymore.
We need more people such as yourself willing to speak out against the Greenists. Global warming? We have but only one place to look for the reason. That big bright ball of energy at the center of our solar system. Solar cycle 23 was one of the least active on record and aas we head into solar cycle 24, scientists expect one of the most active which could result in global cooling. But you don’t hear many people willing to talk about this or taking the time to do the research.
Bob,
Thank you so much for saying what many of us without voices know–there is no such thing as man-made global warming!! Al Gore invented the internet too!! Given ‘em hell, Bob!! Bravo–more people should have the balls to say what you did!
I love you Bob!
You have the guts to say what every other exec who has his hands in the political cookie jar won’t. That’s why I’m a firm believer in you and GM.
Bob Lutz, might one say, unplugged? Thanks for your honesty. I could not agree more.
Bob,
After retire from GM, you should go and run for president of the United States. I think you are more honest than any of the politicians out there. This whole being politically correct thing is a crock of doo-doo. But for now, keep doing what you are doing and put GM back on track. It is heading in the right direction. I am actually liking a lot of the new models coming from GM. Anyways, keep out the good work. I’ll be looking forward to the new Camaro when it hits the showrooms. P.S. Please have the interior designers revise the interior of the Camaro, it’s really not attractive at all.
I am with you it may be happening. We humans can not slow or accelerate it as most seem to believe. We are mere ants on a bread crumb of a planet and the whole dictates more as to what happens here than what most would like to think they can control.
Mr. Lutz,
I know it’s terribly unlikely that anybody will read this (there are already nearly 200 comments here), but I want to get my two cents in anyway.
There’s a lot of talk about freedom of speech and freedom to have one’s own opinions. That’s all fine, well, and good. Nobody supports the Bill of Rights more than I do. However, you’re not entitled to your own facts. That’s called truthiness.
A lot of people (including the current President of the United States) have said “let’s wait until the science is in.” Well, the science on global warming is in. If Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth didn’t convey that, maybe this two-minute-long video will:
The Fox is Wrong: Global Warming by Brave New Films.
(As an aside, the frequent criticisms of Al Gore are totally off base. Mr. Gore purchases carbon offsets for his petroleum use. He uses hybrid vehicles. His home is extremely energy-efficient and is supplied almost exclusively by renewable energy. Look it up.)
The biggest problem here is this: yes, you are entitled to your opinions. However, when public figures make absurd statements like “global warming is a crock” or advocate for irrational positions like intelligent design, they lose credibility in the reality-based community.
So, by all means, please continue to work towards better fortunes for General Motors. Please also find some way to get Bumblebee to market sooner. But at the same time, please take some time to look at the information on global warming for yourself and reconsider your position. And lastly, the next time that GM considers more layoffs, how about trimming executive pay first?
Lutz, say what you want…you’re still a huge douchebag. Your cars are total sh*t too. So is your companies business plan for the next few years. Can’t see what the public wants with your heads so far up your a$$ i suppose.
Tony Hunt
P.S. Did I mention you’re a douchebag?
In short – You’re going down with your polluted ship – as if global warming is the only issue – I like fresh air, as do most people, and have been driving a hybrid for 7 years -bought one when you, in your great wisdom, were laughing at high mileage – low emission vehicles; producing SUVs only with the bottom line in mind. And what a mind, look at you now. What a visionary NOT.
Your automobiles support Osama bin Laden more than they support our country – burning more fuel, bought in Saudi Arabia. I average 42 mpg and my car seats 5.
Thank you Mr. Lutz, Just when I thought corporate America had lost it’s guts you surprise me. Please continue to say what you know to be the truth, the lunatic fringe will not win the global warming/climate change/ whatever the idiots believe today war. The climate will take care of them for us by continung to do what it has done for billions of years, change.
Bob,
Before today, I didn’t know Bob Lutz from Adam. Now, after finding a link on Drudgereport.com and following it, I find myself to be a big Bob Lutz fan!!!!
Keep speaking your mind Bob. That is what makes America… America!
Now…any relation To Bobby Lutz, Men’s B-ball coach at Charlotte? jk
I lived in Toledo, Ohio for fifteen years. Your comments, and the tomfoolery of GM’s near-sighted management, are why I weep for the future of Detroit and my former place of residence. Soon, the U.S. will be like all other countries in the world, we’ll all drive cars from Japan and Europe. It’s a pity, because I would love to buy American. Unfortunately, I drive a Honda when I’d rather drive a Chevy – if only they made a car I want.
Way to go Bob!!! Finally an auto exec willing to tell the truth. Man-made global warming is b.s. I think that most auto execs know but only Bob Lutz is willing to say it. He should be rewarded.
Al Gore won the Nobel Prize for alerting us to the global climate warming. I believe that global climate warming is chiefly caused by so many people around the world using firewood, charcoal, cow dung, farm burnings, trash burning, etc. It is all about priorities for using fossil fuel. Firewood is the most offensive because it is so close to other people and it is not even regulated for pollution emissions at all. About electric cars, people seems to forget that they are paying their electricity bills based on tiered rates. For example, the first 300 kilowatts they use in any month cycle is charged at the lowest cost, then the next tier , lets say between 300 to 500 kilowatts will be charged two cents extra each kilowatt. The third tier usually jumped a lot in kilowatt/hour price like ten cents more each kilowatthour than the first two tiers. If he buy an electric car and plug it in his home, he is liable to pay at the highest tier like twenty cents or more extra per kilowatt hour. I assume that it can easily cost about ten bucks to fully charge an electric car with a puny range of 50 miles. Have you given this any thought? Maybe electric cars are a crock of shit , too..
This is all b.s.
Stop filtering the comments so they all look positive. This is the exact type of thing that makes this article unworthy of true commentary worth.
READ THE FINE PRINT!
————————
To protect against spam, off-topic and abusive comments, all comments are reviewed before being posted to the blog. Please limit your comments to two on each topic and don’t use all caps. Also, please note that some comments related to specific ownership issues are forwarded to customer assistance rather than posted here.
For those unfamiliar with the scientific method, this link might help you understand the debunking process of The Hockey Stick along with the myth of Gorebal Warming:
http://www.uoguelph.ca/~rmckitri/research/trc.html
First, Mr. Lutz’s comments do represent the company because he represents the company. As a senior representative he says what the company thinks. Too bad for him. As for the The Volt- it will represent (with a production line of 60k) barely 1% of sales. It sounds great but Toyota will beat GM again.
Like other dinosaur companies who aren’t thinking ahead GM will find themselves in the same position asthe bug on the windshield; ‘What’s my ass doing in front of my face’.
Even though there are 100 Denier comments on this thread one has only to follow the science to get answers. Science is not political spin or denier rants. It’s just facts. WE have to deal with it not try and explain it away.
GM comes to the taxpayers for billions of dollars to subsidize inefficiencies, and GM constantly fights against increases in mandated fuel economy. All on a lark, really- a promise GM will be getting better. It is impossible for us to trust you when you reveal that you are, in fact, vile and revolting trash.
Mr Lutz,
Thank you for calling out this nonsense about “Global Warming” which is really nothing more than an ideology that scientists must subscribe to in order to get funding for their research or to make tenure.
GM is back thanks to you and please continue to launch those missiles at the German and Japanese carmakers.
While you’re at it and since you’re taking a bunch of flak now anyway, why don’t you launch a missile at those clowns at the UAW. They’ve just about destroyed the Big3 with their unrealistic wage/benefit demands.
Kudos to you Mr. Lutz. Stand with courage and keep driving forward.
We Love You Bob for standing up and being honest about this! Thank you for not being afraid to express what you think!
And thanks to all of you people up here that have thought this through! Too many people “feel” their way through life relying only on their emotions. Its great to know that we have a voice!
My wife and I are going out to buy a GM car today to show our support for GM, and we will remain with GM from now on.
Yes: the human causation part of the global warming issue is a crock and we know this in part because the evidence for parallel global climate change on other planets including Mars and Pluto is as strong as anything we have for change on earth – and there are no American SUVs on those planets.
However actions taken by lawmakers on the basis of mistaken beliefs have real consequences – starting, in GM’s case, with the new CAFE standards.
Here’s a suggestion on that issue: produce, for each vehicle Americans want to buy, a matching high mileage vehicle for export to second and third world economies.
The two key issues here: whether such a vehicle counts toward fleet averages, and what it would look like, are very closely related. Make the thing important to the national economy, make it fit overt green beliefs, sell it with the American vehicle (while contracting a broker to re-sell it overseas), and the combination of a 80 MPG replacement for a world war II era jeep with a 12 MPG H2 produces a 46PMG global fleet average.
The orginal GPv weighed 2,160 pounds, had a 60 HP engine, a heavy duty transmission, and four wheel drive. It went just about everywhere, hauled just about anything (including an optional Willy’s trailer), hit top speeds of 60 MPH, came with a removable canvas top, and perfectly matches both roads and loads in most of the under developed world today.
There are economic opportunities in designing a modernized GPv – because the fewer and more sophisticated the components, the bigger the American manufacturing advantage.
I’d look, therefore, at using some leading edge technologies like a pistonless diesel generator and motors integrated into the wheels in part because these offer weight reductions and in part because they offer reliability improvements, but mainly because manufacturing quality dominates labor cost in making these – meaning that third world companies cannot effectively copy the product.
There are big potential gains here: a multi-billion dollar foreign market; freeing the American car maker to make what American consumers want; and the long term positive consequences of putting a cheap, powerful, development tool with an American flag on it into the hands of the entrepreneurial classes in second and third world countries.
All that – and global emissions averaging makes it a global environmental solution: meaning that the liberal facists behind the CAFE standards won’t have a complaint to scream from.
Bob, I will not speak for you or think either. There seem to be plenty here willing to do so.
I don’t know if there is or isn’t global warming. I haven’t been convinced. A few zealots imposing their view are pushing me away from any support of their way or no way style of thinking.
Who said that “You are entitled to your opinion no matter how wrong it is”? Apparently that doesn’t apply if you haven’t been “convinced” or “misled” by the fad and fashionabilty of embracing global warming as a threat.
“Real” Americans have an opinion. I have more fear of those who just go with the flow or let a celebrity think for them.
Well, it’s a little tough to believe that one separates his strong views about global warming and emissions from his job at an automotive company. I mean, if I believe that God is dead and just happen to be a Roman Catholic Priest, I’m betting that my parishioners would be pretty worried.
This is more reason, if any was needed, why I have purchased nothing but Toyotas, Hondas, and Subarus since 1993. GM is about as smart as the current White House administration. I will be glad when they fall completely apart and are replaced by someone who understands more than just what they have done in the past.
Finally someone shows some common sense in an automaker.Now all we have to do is convince you to run for President.
Mr. Lutz:
The issue is one of tone, not hype, and flippancy…disrespect. God forbid that we request, nay even expect, that someone who purports to have been behind/responsible for/overseeing the kind of environmental progress you lay claim to have an ounce of conviction in the cause itself?
It would, at the very least, suggest that it is only the market, not any larger drive, that motivates these projects–and that’s what makes the less extremist, more rational among us take issue with your remarks.
As I read through all these posts, I can’t help but think about how the vocal minority drives the fate of the silent majority. Green is in right now. It probably will be for quite some time. That means GM and every other automaker needs to cater to that market in order to turn a profit. The thing is, the green people are only part of the market. Of course, the fuel efficient vehicle market goes beyond the green people. I’d wager that most of the people interested in fuel efficient vehicles have that interest because of their pocketbooks (which is another form of “green” issue, I guess). As gas prices go up, more people want to save money on fuel. GM and the other domestics are behind the curve on this, but at least GM is catching up fast. Should they have predicted this market change earlier? Sure, but the current GM leadership is pushing as hard as they can for fuel efficiency and the changes are becoming more apparent daily.
There is also a market for performance cars. For all the people who live to save the planet, there are corresponding folks who live and breath horsepower and handling. As a motorhead, I’m all geeked up over the new Camaro and Corvette ZR1. I currently have two Corvettes (1986 & 1996) in my garage, and I know that many performance car owners still want to buy those toys even though they will not be used for daily transportation. I also have a Chevy crew cab diesel pickup because I need something to pull my car trailer for when I drag my Corvettes to autocross events. What do I drive to work every day? A MINI Cooper S in the winter (31 mpg) and a Kawasaki Ninja 650R in the summer (55 mpg). I love performance vehicles, but since I live off an engineer’s salary and support a family, I still have budget limits. Fuel savings is good. My daily driver choices give a good compromise between affordability and entertainment. When I bought my MINI in 2003, GM didn’t have anything similar that appealed to me. Now they have the Solstice & Sky turbos and the Cobalt SS and HHR SS models, all performance 4-cylinders. Would I have bought one of them instead? No, because a MINI is a MINI, but at least it shows the evolution of GM.
The other car nuts I hang out with are concerned that the current environmental movement will push us all into soulless hybrids. I’ve read a statistic that AutoWeek magazine readers own an average of six vehicles. I’m not sure what their subscriber numbers are, but obviously these car nuts buy new vehicles too. My father and step mother still want their full size trucks. The wife of the local fruit market owner wants a “big ‘ole truck” for hauling their new baby around. My one brother needs a 3/4 ton truck for his plowing and grading business. My other brother and my sister want fuel efficient family cars. I want a semi-hot rod Cadillac CTS wagon with a manual transmission for my growing family.
GM needs to build cars for all of these people, not because of any political movement, but because they need to make money. None of the automakers is in business to save the planet. All of them are in business to make money. The Japanese and Korean automakers have the upper hand in small cars, and GM should have been able to adjust faster. Yet why is Toyota trying so hard to sell huge Tundra and Sequoia trucks? Why is Hyundai coming out with a new V8 engine? Money. They know what they’re good at, but they want more because they’re in the business to make money, just like GM.
Many of the people in this country hear about global warming, terrorism, etc. on TV and then go on about their lives. They need a vehicle, and they buy whatever meets their needs or trips their trigger. Then they hear about an old curmudgeon auto executive speaking his mind, and they chuckle because they know it will rile up a bunch of people who take things way too seriously. Bob? Yeah, he’s one of us.
no more GM for me. thanks bob
Bob Lutz is a real man because he has the courage to stand up to the media. CO2 is not pollution. Otherwise, we all pollute as we breathe… and trees breathe pollution!
Too many exes at Corporations tow the global warming.
Courage means doing the right thing when it is hard. Bob Lutz has courage.
Your crock comment was correct. Global warming
is cyclical resulting from variation of Earth’s orbit and the Sun’s output. Human activity is negligible.
This kind of attitude by the CEO of an American car manufacturer is exactly the kind of thinking that has kept American cars lagging in sales and advanced foreign manufactured cars. What on earth is wrong, Mr. Lutz, with building cleaner, more efficient vehicles? As we experience more days when the air quality is bad and and a hundred Nobel prize winners say we are warming our earth, this kind of thinking is antiquated. What happened to the America of innovation and cutting edge technology? You, Mr. Lutz, should be part of the cure, not the problem. Your comment is not good PR for GM, either.
–FYI I’ve purchased several Oldsmobiles in my lifetime because they are quality cars, but am going to look outside the GM line next time I’m in the market.
Dear Mr. Lutz,
Whether or not your un-substantiated, un-scientific suggestion that global warming is a crock is beside the point.
The real story here is that, once again, an extremely well-paid GM exec is making poor decisions that will continue to degrade the US auto industry and diminish job opportunities and security of its workers. You will come out of this fine, with your bonuses, severance packages, stock options.
Meanwhile, the oil prices go higher, consumers will buy smaller more efficient cars (50-60 MPG, not 25!), and more GM plants will close and put thousands more Americans out of work.
If nobody else was being harmed, I’d admire your spirit and respect your right to hold an iconoclastic opinion. Since you are mainly hurting others while collecting your millions, your arrogance disgusts me.
It always amazes me to see so many people acknowledge another’s right to speak their mind, as if this right can no longer be taken for granted.
Here’s my permission. The flag-waving, truck-driving yahoos who are in abundance here have my go-ahead to pay just as much for energy as they wish, and to poo-poo science as well.
But Bob, if you think pandering to this vocal group is going to float GM’s boat, you’d better take another look at the parking lot. So far, it isn’t working for you.
Good for you Mr. Lutz.
While no one is suggesting to dump toxic waste into waterways, etc. this new form of “religion” matched with “political correctness” is overwhelming all form of common sense. 99.9% of those buying into this nonsense are doing nothing personally to “help the earth.” Do as they say, not as they do. The so-called Inconvenient Truth was nothing more than a Convenient Lie. We need to do more to lessen our dependence on muslim oil, but to believe that the earth we live on can’t handle us is nothing more than a handful of mindless chicken littles.
Now get that Camaro to market!
Mr. Lutz, many readers such as myself have not read your Blog on your Global Warming. Instead, millions worldwide such as myself get thier news from reliable sources such as Reuters. I was appaled to see this article this morning:
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN2237297620080222
And your poor choice of words “total crock of s—,” describing your personal opinion. What a grand way to tarnish the efforts of GM who has for years been labeled as one of the worlds largest manufacturers of Gas Guzzlers and is working so valiantly to reverse that image.
With all the effort that GM is currently doing right now, those few poorly chosen words from the most important exec of GM should be viewed as borderline offensive not by the ecology minded but by the very people working for you at GM, the ones working hard to make GM a more globally responsible company.
If you cannot see that as a main public representative of GM, that your personal views and comments have no bearing on GM’s commitment to build environmentally friendly vehicles, that that in itself is a crock and you hold no concept nor value on how your personal comments are read throught the automotive community and viewed by past, current and future GM product owners.
Shame on you Mr. Lutz.
Thanks Bob for telling it like it is. We have people like Al Gore who will destroy our nations economy with this global warming nonsense and if we made having a large carbon footprint a crime Al would be doing life at Pelican Bay Prison. He doesn’t pracice what he preaches. Don’t back down, stick to your guns, Frank.
Mr Lutz:
Your attitude demonstrates why GM lost untold billions of dollars last year: GM execs are simply out of touch with the world and the American consumer. You continue to push oversized SUVs on us that get 8 MPG. You try to skirt the CAFE rules using the “Flexfuel” (ethanol) loop-hole. You develop the Volt in a half hearted attempt to get “those darn enviros” off your back. The attitude in the US is changing and GM is 5 years behind. It’s more than global warming, it’s being fed up with $100/week being spent on gasoline. And it’s that most of that $100 goes to places in the world that would love to see all Americans dead.
Maybe it’s time GM hired someone that was more in touch with reality and the modern consumer (my generation). It might save your company a few more hundred billion dollars.
I’ve been buying foreign vehicles for many years due to workmanship issues. I tip my hat to Bob Lutz and anyone who recognizes global warming as the crock that it is, so I’ll be at least test driving a GM vehicle.
Mr. Lutz,
You are the face of GM. Of course our view of GM’s product development is skewed by how you express yourself! So next time you feel like saying something, maybe you should think first, how will this influence people’s perceptions of the company I’m supposed to represent?
Its too bad Bob Lutz doesn’t spend more time designing GM cars and less time blogging. The last time I checked GM isn’t winning any design competions for their vehicles.
Lutz’s comments were enlightening and reflect the attitude of the leadership of the company. There’s a reason GM sales are dropping and more and more people are buying from Toyota or Honda. Better quality. And that better quality probably arises from the fact that the companies are managed by competent people, not loud mouths who pretent to understand things they really don’t. Lutz is a relic from the past. GM needs to adapt or it’s going bankrupt itself with its own short sightedness.
I’d like to know what your credentials are for claiming that global warming is a hoax, Mr. Lutz. Are you yourself a scientist? Exactly what empirical evidence has led you to believe that we are not harming the earth at all? Have you done any scientific measurements or calculations on your own? Has anyone you know done this?
I can say what my credentials are – virtually every scientist on the entire planet. You know, the gentlemen who have dedicated their entire lives to the pursuit of the advancement of the human race. The people who have made true impacts in our world and sought to protect us from the dangers we place on ourselves. Indeed, many of the luxuries you and I enjoy every day would not be possible without these people.
The interesting fact here, and one most people choose to ignore, is the reality of these stances. Scientists don’t get paid by lobbyists to follow what their money wants. Scientists don’t work off the interests of what will make them the most money. Scientists pursue truth, and unless we’re talking to one of your “scientists” then we can assume that what they all agree on is true – that global warming is indeed truth.
Are you honestly implying that the entirety of the scientific community, not only limited to its employees but its enthusiasts (including a Nobel peace prize winning ex-Vice President, not to mention the man who beat George Bush in the popular vote in 2000 for the Presidential race) would fashion such a hoax for their own amusement? Since when do scientists have billboards, ad space on websites, or commercials on television? Since when do they have marketing departments and people whose sole jobs are to put a good spin on the bad things they do?
Isn’t that the things that your company has? Surely you realize that the scientific community does not have enough power or marketing potential to make the world “buy in” to something that’s not true. However, your company can and has. For those who are interested in seeing GM’s track record regarding the environment, feel free to watch “Who Killed the Electric Car?”. Indeed, your company would be the one that bought the licensing for the first electric engines with your only goal being to lock them up and destroy every electric car you made. Who’s the one running the hoax here?
However, if you’d like we can get down to the facts. How do you explain the fact that, for the first time in the history of the world, wine-making is now not only possible but booming in England? How do you explain how France’s winery business (by far the dominant in the market) is slowly dwindling, with many attributing all of it to very subtle changes in climate? Surely, this must be a hoax and England/France must be lining its pockets through…global warming lobbyists? Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?
I suppose you are welcome to keep your “ideas” (if they even are your own), but let’s keep the facts in mind – GM is a company that wants to make money, and they are going to say and do what makes them money. A company that previously covered up its own electric car technology is, a decade later, touting its power when the market has many more people interested in buying “green” technology. Is it any surprise that your company would cater to the environment-friendly market now that it’s large enough to take a chunk out of your profits?
Fortunately for all of us, scientists don’t change their views or marketing based on what people want. No one asked them to claim global warming exists, and ten years ago no one cared. They did it because it was the right thing to do, and that’s something that your company only does when it’s profitable.
Maybe the doomsday folks would have been happier if you had said you were going to sell carbon offsets to go along with the price of the vehicles GM sells. Hey! What an idea! Offer carbon offsets as an option for the greenie weenies. Can I get a percentage for this idea?
This is an amazing econsystem of self-congratulating drivel.
The markets (auto and stock) have been telling Lutz and the rest of the GM management team don’t know what they’re doing for many years. These are the guys who spend more time and money lobbying congress over CAFE standards than they do designing cars the vast majority of Americans want to own and drive. Capitalism is working. GM has been on the losing end for decades. Who are the anti-capitalists?
Bob, Your pathetic attempt to justify your comments are typical of “your type”. You DO beleive global warming is a crock. Make sure you make a copy of your comments, save them in a safe place so your great grandchildren can read them. I am sure they are going to be real proud of you.
Thanks Bob Lutz
Simple and observable truth.
You are responsible to the company and stockholders to make cars that make a profit.
Ahhh….but that is a problem isn’t it…making money the old fashioned way also makes you an evil man…at least that’s how the “takers” in modern society sees hard earned profits!
Global warming caused by humanity is a hoax!
Climate and temperature cycles are facts of history and of pure science.
Funny, but this movement is driven by known liars and “do anything for money” groups:
1. Weather forecasters
2. Politicians
3. So-called scientists seeking grants and saying whatever they need to say, as long as the checks keep coming
Enough said as to why I ONLY buy GM cars!!
Go, Bob, Go!!
Joe
Hi Mr. Lutz,
You are right about Global Warming. Just remember that one man’s crock of **** is another man’s fertilizer. Follow the money. Al Gore is making a bundle on that crock. Who else is profiting from Global Hysteria, oops, I mean Global Warming?
It is amazing how gullible people like “Allen” and others are up here. They know nothing but what they are told by the far left agenda! It is simply amazing to me! They ignore ALL of the other scientists that have studied the same data and believe something different.
What was the stupidest quote up here again? Oh yes, it was: “Fortunately for all of us, scientists don’t change their views or marketing based on what people want”
Yeah? LOL!
If you believe that I have a bridge I’d like to sell you. Scientists have agendas too! Anything for more grants!
If you would broaden your reading material you would know that. And you would know the history of scientists that have been bought and sold through the ages.
They are fallible men and women that have made many more mistakes than otherwise. But still you will place your faith in science no differently than others do God.
30 years ago we faced Global cooling. Now we face global warming! What will it be next? The science of climate change is so new that we barely understand it yet! But you would change everything as we know it to make you sleep better at night!
It seems that people like Allen and others up here are afraid to sleep at night for fear the sun may not rise in the morning.
They are free to be emotional about anything they want to, but it is too bad they no longer know how to think for themselves.
It is sad.
Thank you. It is about time someone said something becuase we are all swimming in Green Goo. The Prius Cars are not as green as everyone things they are. The emmisions to mine the minerals, make the battery and then dispose of the batteries is just as polluting as the gas cars. But then we are so used to moving the problems to another area and in 50 years when our land fills are all full of batteries what then?
Ah, quite the candid, innocent comments, perhaps made after a torrid meeting at one of the mighty, in-your-face-record-earnings oil companies in Texas?
Nah… Mr Lutz, you put in your time, 40 years with GM, time to hit the fishing rods full time and let a younger generation apply the sort of innovations, internet-age advancements that are necessary to try to regain the lost market to, hm, Toyota and Honda.
Finally, you are right, you have a right to your own opinions, and that’s why I have my right to avoid all GM products and to recommend to all my relatives and acquaintances to stay away from yours, the 2004 GM I bought, that was also another CROCK I’m happy to say I got rid of, but it burned me down!
Just one more reason never to purchase one of your croc of %^&* cars.
I have to agree with what you said and am actually proud to hear someone from your position (you know, someone who actually knows what they are talking about?) is saying about the farce of man made global warming and properly identifying it as pure politics.
You have a very sound and reasoned argument and it makes me glad to drive your products.
Thank you for not bowing to the extreme left in this and other countries. And thank you for what you are doing in our ailing automotive industry.
Mr. Lutz – thanks for speaking your mind even if it is not the politically correct thing to say in your position. I have been documenting the science involved with global warming at http://www.appinsys.com/GlobalWarming and the empirical science does not support the AGW theory.
It just shows your focus on going green is mere marketing and will never be fully accepted because the true intentions are as thin as a napkin from a hot dog stand.
The most American thing I or anyone else can do is to buy a Toyota Prius.
Mr. Lutz, Thank You for telling it like it is, unfortunately there are too many in this country who “cannot handle the truth!” to paraphrase the famous movie line.
Even scientists who supported “Global Warming” are revising the name to “Climate Change”. The Earth’s climates changes all of the time and has experienced a “Warming Period” and “Mini-Ice Age” in the past 950 years and we are currently in the middle of a 300 year “warming” period so no surprises here.
As for excess carbon dioxide, bring it on, Algae loves it and will supply our needed clean burning alternative fuels from it.
Funny how nobody talks about GM’s partner in Ethanol production that answers the problems of corn based fuel and will clean up landfills in the process.
Mr. Lutz,
I again congradulate you on saying what needed to be said. I even wrote an article about for the college newspaper. But as for taking the cars and trucks out of the enviromental equation, well, I dont agree with that. I think were we are right now isnt all that bad. Its the 3rd world countries with little or no emission standards we should worry about. They keep getting bigger, so no matter what we do emissions wise, what they do will affect us. Why dont you stand up to the EPA and tell them to knock that 35 mpg crap off? Im doing what I can, but Im only small voice is a big hall.
Mr. Lutz, I fogot to thank you for guiding GM’s Volt program and supporting GM’s efforts in all areas of Alternative Fuels, Hybrid Development and MPG improvement technologies like Direct Injection, AFM and soon HCCI.
GM is the ONLY automaker that is actively spending time and money developing every possible solution the our future energy and environmental problems. Other automakers rest on past success and are doing nothing in many of the areas that GM is the leader in.
Keep up the great work and please speak your mind, I am tired of being “fed a line” from “talking heads” of other corporations and politicians.
We are facing serious challenges in the future but they can be dealt with if we address them head on, not by trying to be PC. We will only triumph over these problems when we stop yelling at each other and get to work on solutions – and solutions do exist to our energy and C02 “challenges”.
Bob,
You say that “My opinions on the subject – like anyone’s – are immaterial.” I must disagree. GM, by making you one of their VPs, has both made you their spokesperson. In doing so, they have said that they value your opinion. But if you are espousing an opinion that global warming is a crock, you are sending mixed messages to the very people that you want to sell “green” vehicles to. If you don’t want to be a spokesperson for GM – then quit your job.
Either that, or shut up & get with the program.
You correctly state that you have a right to your beliefs. Well I have the right to buy whatever vehicle I like and will now not be buying the GM minivan I was looking at and will purchase another company’s model instead.
The future of my children and of this planet is more important to me than corporate profits and your opinion.
I also notice that this blog’s comments are edited and there seems to be a high amount of postive comments and a lot less of the negative. I will be surprised if this post is allowed.
John Neal
Keep up the good work at GM Bob.
I don’t know how much you have read about “Global Warming” but you obviously have good instincts, at a minimum.
Mr. Lutz, I have to say that I did not know that there were so many people on the internet unaware of what GM has been doing for the last few years.
1. GM has made millions of vehicles capable of running on E-85 and has partnered with a company with Lab Tested and confirmed technology that can make ethanol from non-food based bio-mass and will help clean up land fills.
2. GM has a working Hydrogen Fuel Cell AVAILABLE for public trials TODAY, so this promising technology will be developed to its potential and at minimum will be used for some form of power generation.
3. GM has a low cost mild BAS hybrid available in the VUE, Aura and Malibu that gets real world MPG rivaling “full Hybrids” in many driving situations.
4. GM has a “Full Hybrid” (Two-Mode) Full size SUV for sale today and Full size Pickup, Midsize SUV (VUE and Acadia) and Cars (Aura) in the pipeline and this is a superior system capable of towing and boosting highway MPG.
5. GM is pushing the envelope in developing Lithium battery technology to enable vehicles like the Volt, as well as extending the range of existing BAS and Full Hybrids.
6. GM has introduced AFM technology to it’s 3900 V6 and several V8 engines that improve real world MPG on the vehicles that use them.
7. GM makes the highest real world MPG V6 powered full size car (Impala) on the market (30-35 MPG).
8. GM has a working HCCI (gives Diesel MPG while running on Gasoline with lower emissions)prototype running and is expected to be one of the first manufacturers to introduce it.
9. GM has introduced (2) Direct injected Gasoline engines to the Market (2.0L Turbo Solstice GXP and 3.6L V6 Cadillac CTS) that deliver the same (or very similar) MPG for a noticable performance gain, and this will enable GM to introduce small highly efficient engines across it’s entire line to better comply with CAFE.
10. GM has a world class lineup of Turbo-Diesel engines that have saved millions of gallons of fuel and reduced CO2 levels in Europe for years.
And that is not even a full list!!!!
For the GM bashers out there, at least give GM credit for trying to come up with solutions. Because you can do some looking around an you will not find any other auto manufacturer who has done more.
My next vehicle WILL be a GM car because Mr. Lutz’s comments about global warming. We need more executives like him to stand up to the global warming nut jobs.
wmDavis:
My opinion is well-informed, being as how I’ve read a great deal of material from both sides of the debate. I am not some ridiculous left-wing nutcase that believes anything I hear, nor am I someone “afraid to sleep at night for fear the sun may not rise in the morning”.
On the contrary, I am much the opposite. I enjoy my life and everything about it, which is why I’d like to keep it that way. As such, I’d like to put myself in your shoes for a moment and argue a bit on your platform if that’s all right.
Let’s start out with assuming that global warming turns out to be a hoax in..say, thirty years? Well then, I ask you – what harm will we have done by “buying in” to such a hoax? In pursuing cleaner and more cost-effective vehicles, we will have accomplished:
- Lowering costs across the board for all vehicle drivers by slowly reducing our dependence on the ever-inflating oil, a fossil fuel that will eventually no longer exist regardless of how much we whine and moan.
- Due to reducing our dependence on oil, will also reduce our necessity of influence on the Middle East. While I’m not going to open a whole different can of worms discussing foreign policy (in the interests of staying on topic), I can say that a vast majority of our problem in the Middle East right now is our necessity for oil and it would vastly improve how the world sees us and help fight the “war on terror” far effectively than the status quo does, which is hopefully something even Republicans agree with.
- Creating cleaner air by reducing the amount of harmful emissions, doing everything from reducing headaches and breathing problems to likely reducing the chances of various types of cancer and increasing life expectancy.
That is only looking at oil itself. If we look at what going “green” does overall, we see positives across the board. We see costs of living going down little by little through using things that are, simply, more effective. Even a couple compact fluorescent light bulbs reduce costs on your energy bill every month through more efficient use of energy. Think of it has “miles per gallon” for a light bulb, or a toaster, or an oven. All of those things that save energy, little by little, add up to costing YOU less money to operate and to live. Who is honestly against reducing their monthly bills? The end result here, ignoring every environmental effect, is that it costs you less money and puts more money in your pocket for you to do whatever you want with.
Exactly what negative is there to doing things more efficiently? What is the negative about driving a 40MPG car versus an 11MPG one? Even if you don’t buy into the entire “green” agenda (which, I don’t either), it SAVES MONEY. Is there something fundamentally evil about that?
Now, let’s look at the polar opposite here – what do we have to lose if global warming is not a myth? We have everything to lose. The simple fact of the matter is that if global warming is real and we continue the path we on, it’s pretty plainly the end of the human race. Our own extinction. Is that chance itself not even worth giving some thought to? Even if it’s a “theory”, we must remember that the potential nuclear power has for destroying our world is also a “theory” that we’ve never proven true. However, I don’t think you or I are about to test that theory.
Even if you entirely ignore the environmental pleas or scientists or any left-wing or right-wing agenda, the fact of the matter is that there really is no negative about doing things more effectively and saving yourself more money in the process. I’d hope we can all agree on that.
Mr. Lutz, I forgot to mention the most important “project” GM has worked on the last few years – the Hybrid Buses.
I find it quite ironic that a company that many people love to bash about being “out of touch” with fuel/environmental issues is the same company who makes one of the most efficient PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION vehicles on the planet.
Here is the “poster child” of the environental movement “public transportation” and GM makes these buses even though it could and no doubt has resulted in someone not buying a GM (or any mfg) car because of the efficient Hybrid Bus.
All of you GM bashers out there were aware of this – right?
Great, it seems you’ve gained the approval and the recognition of the Anti-Global-Warming-Bubbas and a wave of approval from the Conspiracy Theory Nutcases.
Enviable demographics, there.
Meanwhile, a German company, Loremo AG, is putting together a 157 mpg production vehicle and “Auto X-Prize” entry, the turbodiesel Loremo LS, which will be available in 2009.
Maybe if GM didn’t think Global Warming was a “crock,” they could have an engineering team put together a winning Auto X-Prize entry over the weekend…?
Thank you Mr. Lutz for your honesty. Like you I also believe that Global Warming is a crock.
I just picked up on this firestorm. As a retired auto professional having had 30 yrs with a Japanese car maker that builds cars in America, too, I watched over the years as GM lost market share year after year. First it was passenger cars then trucks. But don’t tell me that GM is this great ‘do-gooder’ car maker trying to do what’s right as they continue to build useless 3/4 ton, 300+HP SUV’s that, for the most part, never leave the pavement. Cadillac Escalade is a case in point and the Hummer has got to be the dumbest…..And for all those that discount the peer reviewed science on climate change and talk of scientists that have done studies discounting human caused global warming that have been reviewed and published in professional journals, please name them so we can check it out. Otherwise, don’t waste the words or my time. And I know that Toyota’s Prius has its detractors, but think about their best sellers, the Camry, and Corolla, both of which are bullet proof, get great fuel economy, and had much to do with GM’s problems competing in the passenger car business. And I did not even mention Honda’s Civic and Accord. Trucks and SUV’s may have saved GM, Ford, etc. but their impact on the environment will be long lived.
And last, I wonder how many of the pro Lutz crowd are GM employees?
Cheers. My driver is an 02 Subaru WRX that gets 28MPH when I’m driving conservatively.
You are not just any person – but rather, the head of one of the major polluters in our country. Are you entitled to opinions? Sure. But, global warming is not an opinion. It is a fact. You need to pick up a dictionary and look up the word opinion. Here is an example of an opinion to get you started – you are a bag of wind.
Mr. Lutz,
I agree with you that your opinions are your own and I happen to share them. But what I really would like to say is to thank you for all the hard work you have put forth at General Motors. Your passion for the automobile industry and your vision that you see it in the coming years has truly made me even more proud to say that General Motors has, is and will always be my favorite car company. I am absolutely impressed with the new products you have greenlit and the ones already introduced. Since I was young I always questioned my dad as to why General Motors doesn’t bring some of their foreign subsidaries’ products to the United States and sure enough thats what happened in recent years. It took General Motors a long time to find you to tell them that this is what they should have been doing all along. So, with that I thank you once again for GM’s turnaround and I hope General Motors regains it’s lead as the World’s Largest Automaker. Peace.
-Mark-
Bob,
More power to you for expressing your opinion on climate change. Go Bob!
I’m really glad that there are folks in the US auto industry who know more about the science than the 2,500 climate scientist kooks who make up the IPCC, the International Panel on Climate Change. I saw online recently that Al Gore implanted a chip behind each of their brains, so that when they tell us that we have less than a decade to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases if we wish to avoid temperature increases of 5-8 degrees in the lifetime of my seven year old, they are actually being controlled by a joystick that lives in the HQ of the Gore Global Conspiracy Company. Because of course the only reason he cares about global warming is to get rich, right? Unlike you – you’re not vested up to the gills with the stock of a soon-to-be worthless company, are you? And if it says so on the internet it must be correct – right?
I look forward to the takeover. Of GM, that is. Before Toyota finally makes an offer to buy your almost-bankrupt company before it is sold to a private equity firm to break up its assets, you can cash in. At least Toyota knows a longterm trend when it sees one……..
by the way, it would look a lot better for GM if you employed a spell-check system in this space. What the hell has happened to the American educational system, please tell me?
Bob, in a world of mindless main stream media weenies, you are John Wayne.
America needs more Patriots like you.
Keep it up. Tell the truth.
I have to laugh, all I hear is Gobal Warming yet where I live we have had the coldest and most snow then in many years.
You cannot blame cars when during 1920s – 1930s when many areas in the world were dust bowls or cities 2,000 years ago ended up in the oceans or the several known mini ice ages.
Interesting is all the goofy smog rules state of Ca has done and areas like LA are no cleaner then they were back in the 1970s.
Makes no difference what a nameplate like GM does as other countries like a China or India smog output has tripled and more to come.
In mid 1970s my 1977 Corvette with only 180 HP could not even get 10 MPG yet my 1999 Corvette gets 25 plus MPG even at it’s present 500 HP and it is super clean and passed smog tests.
I have proven time and time again car gets better MPG at 75 MPH then at 55 MPH. Others have found the same results.
When I go home for a visit that is 5,000 miles round trip. Try driving the Grapevine, Donners Pass or Pikes Pike with a dinky 4 cylinder engine
Or as proof why we need to have Amercian V8 sizes I have a 1999 GMC Serria pickup to trailer my race Corvette on a open trailer. The powertrain is only 4.8 liters and I am lucky to even get through those same mountains
Our American engines have a different need, we do not live on a island and requires the cylinder volume to make the proper torque for our driving needs.
GM is making a mistake as they did in rolling over for the new EPA and CAFE changes.
It seems to me GM is stating Japan was right all along, ditch the V8s, be lucky if new engines are larger then 3.8 liters and boost the heck out of them.
Far better ways to have clean gas burning engines with higher MPG by reducing car’s weight and leaving the history of of American V8s alone.
Lastly I found it funny to see Toyota using a GM pickup to trailer their own race pickup trucks to events.
Kinda says GM do not drink the cool-aid and fight for your 100 years of V8 engines and tell people like Al Gore he has no clue to weather changes when even today weathermen cannot tell us if it will rain or snow 4 hours from now much less have history of weather cycles 50 years ago.
Just think if people quit chopping down all the worlds trees or plants how much cleaner the air would be.
Dear Bob,
Thanks for your comment on Global Warming. It was refreshing to hear. Hopefully, it jars others from regurgitating one-sided arguments. Science is not consensus.
I got a kick out of reading the dismay shown by the GW true-beleivers at the volume of your support on this blog. If so many posters disagree with the GW position then there must be a conspiracy to silence the GW believers’ comments. Funny stuff.
Bob,
It is so refreshing to see an executive of a big company that hasn’t been castrated! I want to commend you on your courage to tell it like it is and to not knuckle under the PC tyranny that’s taken hold of our country. You should know that you are not alone in thinking that the whole man-made global warming hysteria is a crock at so many levels. Millions of us feel the same and stand with you.
Keep telling it like it is – we desperately need leaders like you!!!
PS – I’m in the market for a new car, I wasn’t considering GM cars before this, now I am.
And by the way, I think the Volt is a great idea because it’ll save MONEY!
Dear Bob -
You no sell PHEV.
Me no buyee GMAC.
It’s that simple.
Jay
History will make a demon of Lutz.
To suggest that denying the importance of global warming has nothing to do with the decisions of a GM executive is like suggesting that denying the holocaust would have nothing to do with the decisions of a German politician. The auto and oil lobbies have kept fuel standards up to the detriment of us all. They have resulted in each of us needing heftier vehicles to protect our safety. They have drained us financially, been the cause of tens of thousands of lung cancer cases, and now we are all aware, those sam fuel standards could seriously harm the prospects of civilization. Mr. Lutz, your brash manner may in the end be your end. No one with your views should have your power. You should be fired.
Bob,
I picked up this story off Drudge, so I am kind of a drive-by of sorts. Not even really a GM fan. But that may change now.
I tend to agree with you about the “crock of #$” part”. I find it rather appealing when I see someone actually stand up to all this lunacy. Energy efficiency should remain a top priority in transportation, but not because of the so called global warming alarm. 4 and 5 dollar gasoline will drive the direction of all automakers and we all realize at that threshold, the overly-expensive method of running personal vehicles on alternate fuels will become attractive. The real goal here is to lose our dependencies…. financing our enemies economies and take away their political leverage of holding it hostage (we are starting to see this happen quite often).
Bob, ultimately, you are in place to make shareholders happy. Most of us understand and appreciate that. Lets keep pushing for alternative fuels for other reasons than the global warming fad. GM could stand to become a pioneer and we all know you, as a company, have more resources than most to dive into this still unsolved problem. Those of us who face the realities know we may not be able to achieve these things anytime real soon, but if we can find ways to supplement oil and gradually reduce our consumption, we are winning the game 3 yards per play… and we all know this is the most realistic approach to the problem and quite possibly, the most profitable for automakers.
Best regards
for 40 years in the auto industry bob lutz has shown that he is really out of touch with the wide customer base in the u.s.
Mr. Lutz,
You are obviously a man of courage. Global warming due to man’s activity is indeed a crock of s***. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence does not not accept “doomsday” proclamations, but instead investigates on his own. I did, and what I found was that Global Warming due to Man’s activity is a crock of s**. Please keep up the good fight!
Dear Mr. Lutz,
Thank you for your correct opinion on global warming. We will waste billions of dollars and still not be able to turn solar flares off and on with the flip of a switch. We need more people like you expressing their views on this crock. Thirty years ago we were all going to freeze to death in an instant ice age
Bravo, Mr. Lutz! Someone with a molecule of sense who isn’t falling for all the “global warming caused by man” nonsense.
Thank you!
Bob Lutz has made a GM man out of me. It is about time someone had the courage to state the truth about global warming. Way to go Bob!
Mr. Lutz, I applaud you for standing up and speaking your mind. Global Warming is the biggest hoax in history, and we need more people to look at the facts and speak up for the truth. I admire you for speaking your opinion, offhanded or not, and stood by it. I only wish more people would have that courage.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you for standing up as a voice of reason in US industry and decrying the sham of global warming.
Mr. Lutz: It is clear that the vast weight of serious and educated scientific opinion says that global warming is real. A great many ignorant people believe that their “opinions,” unsupported by any reading or effort to become educated on a given topic, is as valid as the opinions of subject matter experts or those who have expended the effort to become informed enough to analyze assertions critically and in an educated way. Sure, everybody is entitled to an opinion, no matter how empty and lacking in foundation. The problem with yours is that it will be taken seriously by the uninformed because of your position at GM. The only logical response to your statement is to buy equivalent products from companies whose representatives’ publicly expressed opinions do not undermine their environmental missions.
If it weren’t for global warming we would be in the ice age. I am wondering are the turbo flex fuel cars going to come out. Or do I have to buy them from the competition who will be first. I live in area with E85, gm only has boring flex fuel cars. Whats up with that. I would rather buy e85 and pay more for food than have any more of my money go to Iraq. Also what was up with the 4 cyl supercharged. Did marketing just want to make sure that young people really wanted turbos especially with small awd cars preferably 2 door. Is GM really that out of touch with cars. Did they not understand that the bolt on market buyers want at least a 400hp capable bottom ends in a 250hp car. Or was the supercharged 4 cyl brought out because of the “chase out the young engineers mentality at GM”, so the older engineers can say only superchargers. Then later call the younger engineers stupid with out giving them a chance. I am glad there is companies that want to invest in the young and take in there ideas while GM tells them get lost. So the future of GM will not be secured for the younger generation. You can tell by GM’s product they need a more diverse work force from people who grew up in areas that don’t only by “Big 3 cars”.
Has anyone noticed how hateful the majority of negative comments are? I believe these comments are based in emotions and not in fact or science. There are millions of people willing to accept without question whatever information the media decides to release to them. There are two sides to this story and everyone has a right to their opinion. Global Warming, Climate Change, Evolution, whatever you want to call it will always happen with or without the presence of mankind. So take a minute and thank GOD you are here to experience it. By the way I believe it’s cyclic. This rock we call home is around four billion years old, with an estimated five billion years to go, I’m sure more changes are on the way.
I think all of the car companies are full of excessive management that is out of touch with the consumer. Some of these folks have migrated into the maritime business… I’ve witnessed the cluelessness first hand.
Purge management and get the remaining salaries to something reasonable. There are plenty of stupid decisions made in every vehicle designed and management needs to be punished.
IMHO – this blog is as much an extension of GM’s marketing efforts as it is Mr Lutz’s most closely held “private” views.
The market has spoken (for many years); GM (and Ford for that matter) worry too much about short-term financial results. As a result this once excellent company has under achieved for far too long.
I truely hope that Mr Lutz does in fact have the correct long-term vision and that GM’s shareholders, board of directors and unions will allow him to do what’s needed.
GM needs a fresh approach, for all of our sakes, I hope that Mr Lutz will make this work.
The global warming sceptics may be correct – however, there is a lot more evidence that man-made global warming is the #1 issue for this century.
Thank you Mr. Lutz for speaking the truth about global warming. The wackos (aka Gore) and insane about making us believe that the earth is warming because we are driving cars. BS! Keep saying the truth. Few of our corporate leaders are willing to speak the truth.
Mr. Lutz, global warming is here wether you like it or not. Ask the polar bears. What is the cause of it, who knows. However I see you have been in the auto industry for 40 years. I see our America’s auto industry has missed every opportunity to do something positive. Whether gas saving vehicles or green cars. Maybe you should resign and let new blood in. Especially GM. I do buy nothing but, however I called GM about 6 months ago twice, on my dime and never got a returned call. From GM headquarters or my dealer to buy a new car. So I bought a VW beetle. I am now looking for another car and GM may lose my choice again. Must be nice to piss of your loyal customers. I had enough of being treated bad, especially when I have bought 9 new cars in the last 20 years.
Hi Bob
I just read about you telling the truth about global warming. I haven’t had a GM car for years. But as soon as I can afford a new car I’m going to be buying one of yours. Keep telling the truth and pushing the envelop with your new cars. I love the up coming CTSV.
Bob, It took some savy to put those words together although I feel it did not help the PR for our company. Yes, we have had global warming shoved down our throats for years now, but will this statement add to the already negative thoughts of the consumer to which we are trying to attract. As the company and unions are trying to rough out deals with each other to stop the bleeding, we need more positive ad campaigns and start knocking the bull that foreign auto makers are shoving down the publics throat. Their gas mileage is a “crock”, their quality is a “crock”… let’s reveal to the public what they really are on a worldwide scale. Time to get nasty and tell everyone “WE” are the “BEST”. This is a manufacturing war.
Believe it or not, you can hug a tree AND believe in the forward-thinking and environmentally-friendly path of GM in the next 100 years.
General Motors will continue to lead the industry in new ideas, concepts and solutions as they have for their first 100 years.
Keep up the good work and honest remarks, Mr. Lutz.
Bob you were right on in your comments.
There is no human caused global warming, it’s just a govt. tax and control scheme.
There are good reasons to make more fuel efficient cars, namely if you don’t you will go out of business…but the reasons are economic, not environmental propaganda..
Keep up the good work.
Whether humans are causing global warming or not, oil WILL eventually run out, and I really can’t see how anyone can logically argue that its bad to try to pump less crap into the atmosphere, or to pursue alternate energy sources that could make our country less energy dependent on other nations. I find that common sense is relatively uncommon.
Thank you Bob! Thank you for being honest and standing up to the Man-Made Global Warming crowd. CO2 has nothing to do with promoting warming, never has. CO2 follows temperatrure increases everytime this planet goes through its warming cycles. I hear more actors, politicians and UN groups spouting global warming but I only hear and read from climate scientists about how it’s a farce.
Thanks Bob.
No Thanks for you Bob.
You want people to focus on how the company is doing, rather than your personal opinion on Global Warming? Sure, lets take a look at a company that didn’t invest in an electric car in the 70s. Lets take a look at a company that is laying more people off then ever before. Lets take a look at a company whose head was so far up its own behind, that it killed itself by failing to respond to consumers.
The days when GM could push around the consumer are long over. Rather than paying attention, you kept on screwing the same dead horse. But did you take the heat? No, the factory workers that believed in you did. Got any honesty for the workers in Minnesota and other states where you announced massive layoffs? How about stopping pay raises to you and the executives that helped kill a main stay of the American economy.
For that you have my thanks and the thanks of every GM worker laid off or forced into retirement with a crock-of-shit retirement package.
While you have a right to express your own beliefs, such views are undoubtedly influencing your design decisions.
As evidence of this, one simply has to look at how far GM trails the other auto makers in clean engine technologies.
Therefore, it is my right to vote with my dollars and not purchase a GM car until Mr. Lutz leaves.
True believers evidently are not content that corporations respond to customer demands; corporate executives must also “believe”.
As one of those who believes that the proposition that carbon emissions cause global warming is unproven and is an intellectual fad, I thank you for your honesty.
Best regards.
Mr. Lutz, you are one of the bravest men in America. God bless you for your unapologetic honesty!
Mr. Lutz,
Thank you for having the courage to state your opinion and stand by it unapologetically. It takes courage as social pressure and, for companies like GM, economic pressure is brought to bear against any criticism of the suspect science, computer models, and fuzzy logic that have produced the dogma of “man-made global warming leading to catastrophic global consequences.” It’s a farce, predominantly leftist in origin, and demands that more people of public stature resist the efforts of the movement that will curtail American prosperity and greatness for years, perhaps even irreparably. Bravo to you and GM for standing up. With that kind of strength, my next auto may well be a GM.
I am sure no sane person on the face of this earth wants global warming and the effects and consequences that go with it. The issue here isn’t Bob or what he said. The issue here is what being politically correct has done to this great nation of ours. We are forgetting that one of the great freedoms of being an American is the right to speak freely. It’s true that someone in Bob’s position should watch what he says in public, because it does reflect on GM whether it’s good or bad. However, I can’t say he is doing better or worse than some of the great leaders of the world. Case in point, look at our current president, and his counterpart in Iran. I am sure they both mean to do good for their respective nations and people, but somehow, they keep on missing the point. The bottom line here is not so much in what we say that matters, but what we do.
Chief,
As a past participant on the committee that wrote the GM Environmental Principles–was in environmental engineering in GM for 22 years–my heart breaks to read such junk science be taken up by the media as gospel. Truth tellers are always castigated, but that doesn’t mean they should stand silent. In fact, we need more vocal truth tellers speaking out about this junk–to help counter the monster that the environmentalism movement has become.
Jim N. (:}
Bob,
Finally a top American company pushing back on the new religion of Global Warming! Al Gore and his venture capital partner’s heads are spinning. Thanks for not falling into the trap of the Global Warming preachers. Also its great that GM is making logical decisions to build automotive products based upon conservation and minimal environmental impact instead of building them to parlay profits to Al Gore.
I have a 2001 GMC Yukon and live in the mountains of Colorado. This trusted vehicle has met major weather and road hazards with optimal performance and safety. Guess what I will be buying soon? Another one!
Now if GM would pull the plug on the homosexual sponsorships. GM would be a company about great products and not of sponsoring agendas.
” My opinions on the subject – like anyone’s – are immaterial.”
Nice leadership quality. No wonder GM is in the toilet.
Lutz’s comment seems to be the best thing to come out of GM in a long time. Sounds like GM is worth another look. Thanks for having the guts to say what reasonable people are thinking.
GM may be moving in the right direction, but it is in spite of not because of idiots like Lutz. Anyone who thinks his personal opinions do not influence his corporate decisions (resisting better fuel economy for example) is in fantasy land. Lutz, like the rest at GM, don’t give two cents about building better cars – it is all about money. If they are building better cars – it’s because the junk they used to build would not sell.
Like many on this blog, Bob’s candid comments make me want to stand up and cheer. Global warming hysteria has reached a level of religious fervor I have never before seen in my 60 years. I hope other executives will now have the courage to weigh in on this issue before the global warming steamroller deals a severe blow to our energy industry.
Thank you Bob. You are excatly right………It is a “crock of S_ _ T” that man has anything to do with GOREBAL Warming. FACT: C02 is approximately 4% of all greenhouse gasses and water vapor is 95% of all greehouse gasses and man’s contribution to C02 is .117% If mans contribution was totally eliminated the result
is insignificant. FACT: Global temperature is controlled primarily by the Sun….!!!
Hi, Thanks for the blogging and since you have comments open, I’ll comment, too!
1. You can have your beliefs but by themselves they warrant no automatic respect nor correctness. (Just as mine.) You want to waive off criticism of your comment as invalid because it’s your opinion? That seems a crock to me. It would not work with racism, sexism, or an opinion that all your employees should wear purple beanies — because it’s your opinion.
2. You’re in a position that one would reasonably expect to have minimal abilities in logic and thought. You did not support your opinion with either.
3. By any unbiased view the Earth is warming. Further extrapolation also shows there is reasonable evidence that it is man made. Because it has been made a conservative talking point doesn’t make it invalid. “Nevertheless, it moves.”
4. And to your discussion of GM doing the right things? Really? Then why since Roger Smith has the market share been declining? Show me where you’ve made the turn? With Volt? That’s in the future. With Suburbans? GM doesn’t even have the sense to keep a suitable market presence in all segments thus allowing openings. But maybe I’m too harsh. VEGAs all around!
“An offhand comment” ?!! What you made was a fool of yourself (and GM)!
Good Work…it always scares them when someone 1) speaks their mind and, 2) tells the truth…they’re not used to either…I know a “crock” when I see and hear it…keep up the good work…
Virginia Beach, Va
Hey, Bob!
Start paying attention to the PRODUCT and the STOCK PRICE. While you’ve been poring over the climate statistics, Toyota has become the biggest seller in this country and around the world.
We know the Malibu’s nice. Good job. But the old Saturn was nice when it came out and then you guys did nothing to up your game.
SHUT UP and DO YOUR JOB, idiot.
Love, you loyal Stockholder
Bob,
Don’t let a few losers with thin skin bring you down. The following article is evidence that you are correct.
P.S. Don’t tell Al Gore.
Keep up the great work!!
http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/global_warming_or_cooling/2008/02/19/73798.html
Given the executive level that Bob Lutz holds, one would think that he would be aware of the impact that injudicious statements hold. It is obvious that his time has come and gone, and that given his age and failure to produce any real winners in the market, it is time for him to go. Of course, given statements like that of global warming, it reinforces my view that no-one is truly useless, they can serve as horible examples to others. Time to go Bob.
Well, that settles me. I’ll be buying a Toyota Yaris rather than a Chevy Aveo.
I have owned only GM Products since I got my drivers lic 16 years ago. The first car I bought was a 1986 Chevy Celebrity, next came a 1992 Chevy Caviler, next was a 1994 Pontiac Grand AM 4 door(I was ran over by a tractor tralier on I 81 and walked away from the accident without a scratch on me), bought another 1994 Grand AM 2 door and ran it til I hit 130,000 miles and then I traded it in for a 2004 Grand AM lease — My lease ends tomorrow and I have decided to turn in the lease and look into buying a Toyota (it kills me because my family has always been a GM buying family). Thank God Toyota makes most of their cars in the USA now because I can justify my purchase.
So today I was online and came accross these comments you made denying Global Warming. I don’t care if it exists or not but here is the way I see it — it can’t be healthy for us to breath polluted air! GM, Ford, Dodge, basically, all American Automakers have spent allot of money and energy fighting since the 1980’s fighting against better fuel mileage standards and now that has caught up to you!
I will be turing in my Grand AM and not buying a GM product!
Thanks for making my decision easier!
Former Chevy loyalist
David
Dear person who posted “Now if GM would pull the plug on the homosexual sponsorships.”
GM has the right to sell its cars to all, even gays (and red necks). Some say that gays and red necks are opposite sides of the same coin. I’m not sure what this means – probably that we’re all humans, Americans, car buyers, or something like that.
Lots of opinions being expressed here – that’s what free speach is all about.
Many of the opinions expressed here are entertaining. However, I hope that GM bases its product plans of the opinions of experts. The vast majority of experts are in agreement on global warming (that man made CO2 and other GHGs are the cause).
Mr Lutz, your PR department needs a break – please keep your “crock” opinions to yourself.
The world’s leading car company is smart to have a blog like this.
I hope that you turn GM around – we all need it.
Mr. Lutz – someone is creating a website just for you. Please stay tuned…
http://www.crock.com/
If everyone would just shut up and give the Left more taxes, control and global wealth re-distribution, they could make the globe’s weather just right. No more hurricanes, big snakes, droughts, endangered species… But noooooo! You people have to go be deniers!
Bob said ” General Motors is dedicated to the removal of cars and trucks from the environmental equation, period. And, believe it or don’t: So am I! It’s the right thing to do, for us, for you and, yes, for the planet.”
Who knew that it was GM strategic planning to purposefully lose market share, especially in North America? You’re certainly well on your way to remove GM cars and trucks from the planet. Way to go Bob and Bo – it looks like you’re winning! Cost reduction and volume reduction is going hand in hand and you both are to be congratulated for your tenacity in staying the course.
I’d ask these environmental air heads if the auto industry is causing global warming, How come a thousand years before the invention of the automobile England had vineyards that rivaled France’s? Of course that is only important when people realize Englands climate is too cold for that now.
Bob, AMEN ! Don’t stop being Bob Lutz, just don’t stop !
Long live GM!
Bob – the way you and the unions handled last year’s 2-day strike was commendable. Well done!
The Volt is the right idea.
“Crock” comments are not what GM needs right now.
Signed,
“A loyal employee and shareholder”
It seems that the fundamental beliefs come down to this: if you still believe in America, have pride in your country and pride in yourself, you will undoubtedly stand behind Bob Lutz and GM now more than ever. They are building some amazing cars now, with world class quality and fit and finish the likes we’ve never seen from them (those of you who doubt that, go test drive a 2008 Malibu or CTS – you’ll swear you were driving a Honda or Lexus).
Those who drink the cup of Gore, follow the mad scientists who conjure up global warming “facts”, and just bash and bash and bash the American spirit for political gain, you sicken me. You sicken me and you are ruining our great country. Bunch of socialist hippie freaks.
I swear the 1960’s weakened this nation more than I ever thought.
And don’t think I’m some grizzly 60 year old retired veteran (no offense Bob)or some rich CEO…… I’m just a 30 year old, middle class kid who makes an average salary and wants to drive cool cars for the rest of my life and not have to be forced into driving souless econobox hybrids that you can blow over with a feather.
When I buy my 2009 Camaro with a V8 and a 6 speed stick, I would just love to take it to Capitol Hill, wait for Nancy Pellosi to walk out, drive in circles around her making a cloud of tire and exhaust smoke, and yell out “Here’s to your CAFE….. stick that in your pipe and smoke it!”
Mr. Lutz,
I love that you spoke your mind and voiced your opinion on this matter. I am sick of the media jamming the global warming doomsday down my throat. I don’t mind if someone has an opinion that differs from mine, but how dare they attack you for sharing your opinion. It is so hypocritical of the people making these statements. It’s ok to speak your mind, as long as it’s what they are saying. Well not me, and I’m glad not you. I am under the same impression you are. I like to think we could breath cleaner air and be less dependent on oil. I also feel that global warming has nothing to do with what man does, and also think it’s a bunch of S***. It’s pretty cold where I am, and I just heard that the record high on this date (78 degrees) was set back in the 1800’s. Who did they blame then? I’m glad you are with GM. I currently own a Monte Carlo and can’t speak highly enough about it. My work vehicle is a Grand Prix and I feel the same way about that. I know for a fact the next vehicle I purchase will be a GM Product. I’m just glad I will be buying it from a company that is run by a human, not a robot. Thank you for strengthening my already high opion of GM.
I looked at many comments. I see a lot of opinions, but no facts. Just because there is a “concensus” of scientists that believe man is causing global warming doesn’t mean it’s true. Ya’ gotta PROVE it. NOBODY HAS!!! Contrary to a few posts, God created this world about 6000 years ago in such an intricate way that it is quite funny to think that there are people who believe man can destroy it. THAT is what defies common sense. When you GW advocates have some REAL evidence (not opinions) that man is the cause…I will listen. It’s just like the fairy tale of evolution…no evidence for that either. You people are funny!!
Mr. Lutz, something occurred to me as I read through some of the comments, in spite of what you think about global warming (which is now climate change) YOU DID SOMETHING about it and put the Volt program into high gear which will result in a real world REDUCTION of emissions and our use of fossil fuels.
To me ACTION speaks louder than words, perhaps if some of the posters would pull themselves away from the computer and get to work on a solution instead of talking about it – some progress can be made.
Mr. Lutz, thanks again for DOING SOMETHING instead of just talking and pointing fingers, as these posts show there is no shortage of opinions – now if we only had that many real world answers.
Thank you and thanks to the hard working engineers on the Volt program for making a CAR not a MOVIE.
I think this is a marketing thing–if you can’t sell your vehicles on merit, you can sell them on politics?
Memo: the Rush Limbaugh/Toby Keith piss-on-the-liberals truck buyers can’t pull GM out of it’s 35 year slide. You already have a lot of them.
I thought for a little while that GM had evolved toward a truly environmentally-conscious company. Now I know it’s a crock of s…. I will keep buying European and Japanese cars. At least they get it. And by the way Bob… they’re eating your lunch.
One more thing, Bob. Dick Cheney just called and said he doesn’t speak for the United States. I think he read you’re post!
Bob, you keep it up. Don’t give in to the Al Gore’s of the world who are trying to scare people with this global warming “snow job”. Raising the CAFE levels will not change the temp. of the planet. Until we as a people come up with a system or product that can keep our economy running as oil does we must drill for more oil and build more refineries. We are now importing GAS. The president could come out and say all cars must run on ethanol and that would not work. Who would pay for the transfer of all the old cars?,and we can’t GROW enough “food” to run on ethanol only.In the short term our world is an oil economy. Until another source of fuel comes along that is cheaper and can be delivered to ALL Americans oil is what drives America. Not all Americans have 1.9 Kids. A little hybrid is not the answer to move the product or the people of this country. I have 7 kids and when GM can no longer make a Van I can Drive than America has Taken my choice away.
Lou
Mr Lutz,
Can you imagine a senior exec at Toyota saying global warming is a total crock of shit? They’re a bit more careful about insulting the intelligence of their customers. I think your outlook has EVERYTHING to with where GMC is headed.That’s why your company is bleeding from every orifice.
mr Neal,
”
The future of my children and of this planet is more important to me than corporate profits and your opinion.”
If you *really* care about your children you would first care about the truth.
When the political correctness police shut down differences of opinion, the first casualty is the truth. Mr Lutz spoke more truth than you can find in the whole fictional Gore movie or in much of the overhyped IPCC reports. Somone needs to say that the emperor has no clothes.
it is indisputable that there are holes in the AGW theory.
Let me note just two facts: 1. Global temps have cooled by .6C in just one year. 2007 was the coldest year in a decade and 2008 is starting even colder. This cooling is greater than the total warming from the 1970s to today, and was not predicted by *any* of the global models that predict “global warming”.
If they cannot predict this large one-year change, then the models lack the necessary precision to be useful guides.
2. All of the models curiously rely on a 3-5X feedback factor via water vapor. Yet studies of precipitation level changes show that the models are off by a factor of 3X wrt modeling preciption changes. what does this mean? it means that the phrase “crock of 8888″ could be applied to precipitation estimates and resulting water vapor feedback. Climate scientists acknowledge that cloud cover feedback is not well understood.
Just as with the cancer scares of the 1970s thru 1990s, the ALAR scares and other scares, we will find years down the road that AGW was 1 part truth and 4 parts hype. The resulting climate changes from CO2 exists but its impact is much less than the fearmongerers like Gore and Hansen would have you believe.
Mr Lutz has both a right to his opinion, and may in fact be the one right on this after all.
I have hated Bob Lutz since reading about him in David Halberstam’s The Reckoning. The good news about all of this is Lutz’s comments, although specifically made to get back the typically Republican voting, NASCAR watching, Joe Six-Pack, will hasten the demise of GM. It’s a company that is broken and all we can say is good riddance.
Here that GM employees? That’s the sound of buyers driving to other dealers.
Mr. Lutz,
I am going to find a GM product to buy in the near future thanks to your recent comments about Internet Al’s latest invention Global Warming. I have not considered a GM product in many years after a bad experience with a 97 Tahoe I purchased for my wife. However, I am not writting to complain I want to praise you for speaking up boldly and telling the truth about the steaming pile AKA Global Warming invented by our mutual friend Internet Al. I currently drive an 03 Hemi Dodge 4×4 and was ready to trade it in towards a new Tundra. But, I am so grateful for a man of your position speaking up about Global lying/warming that I am going to get a GMC or Chevy 4X4 instead. Your new GM/Lutz fan.
Steve
What worries me is not global warming (?) but the National Debt (9 trillion plus!).
To everyone kissing Bob’s butt about all of GM’s great new products:
GM has been losing market share for decades. It’s continuing to lose market share. Not just in the U.S., but also and especially the rest of the world. GM doesn’t make a single vehicle that is the best in its class. That includes the Malibu.
Even the people who want to buy a truck or SUV have better options than GM vehicles.
“Mr. Lutz, global warming is here wether you like it or not. Ask the polar bears. …Posted by: MJ on February 25, 2008 11:49 AM”
See, MJ, this is the type of sound-byte mentality that is indicative of the near cult-like following of those who believe that CO2 = global warming = death, destruction, and the end of the world.
Sad, really. IF you were better read, you would understand that ACTUAL polar bear populations are actually increasing. Alas, I we all see that you’ve fallen for the ruse.
To the individual asking for sources of those who are not fully indoctrinated and green-washed and actually *gasp* question Anthropomorphic Global Warming (YES, there ARE scientists), simply do some looking or follow a few of the links in this very long string of responses. There are several competing hypotheses that may explain the current warming cycle better than the simpleton thinking that CO2 is some sort of pollutant.
If you question whether any or many of those who aren’t considered PRO – AGW ‘qualified’ to ‘understand’ this complicated topic and must dumb it down for all of us or present credentials for you to attack, please keep in mind that their main leader, Mr. Albert Gore, graduated with a liberal arts degree, and while he is not a real scientist, he plays one on TV.
Mr. Gore is actually a politician, a slick producer, grew up inside the beltway, and has no idea what it is really like to grow up on a farm. We all know how to tell if a politician is lying.
His Nobel PEACE Prize was not for science, economics, or anything remotely technical or scientific – it was the PEACE price.
His over-consuming household and lifestyle cannot be ‘bought off’. This technique is a guilt-alleviator, and nothing else. It is not duplicatable, and if the situation is as dire as Gore and everyone is wringing their hands about, the going rate of ~$25/ton is far too cheap. Try closer to $150/ton as a real cost.
Also, please note that until it was brought out in public about his exorbitant lifestyle, Mr. Gore’s mansion and grounds were NOT anywhere near using alternative energy. It was only after his utility bills, easily forty to fifty times a normal household, were published, that suddenly he was looking into solar energy and coverting his house to geothermal. He has fooled many, but not all of us.
“Whether humans are causing global warming or not, oil WILL eventually run out, …
Posted by: Ted on February 25, 2008 12:46 PM”
Ted – not in our lifetimes. Not in our kid’s or grandkid’s lifetimes. We WILL run out of cheaply-obtainable mideast oil at some point, but proven reserves in alternate and harder to get supplies will keep us in oil nearly indefinitely.
Please note that this is NOT a reason to do nothing to change our propulsion technology, just pointing out that people love to try and boil this down to simple factoids that are as accurate as the “duck’s quack not echoing” urban legends.
The very fact that CHEAP oil supplies will dwindle is EXACTLY why we need to be pursuing weaning ourselves off of foreign oil.
As for global warming – you bet, it sure exists. We are (DUH!) in an inter-glacial period. Means we are ‘between ice ages’. The globe is warming, but it sure is not accelerating uncontrollably. The truth is, in the past, CO2 levels have been many times higher than now, but our climate has not tracked with those levels, and remained in a remarkably stable zone for eons. Remember, too, that the organisms that created our oil and coal were, at one point in the distant past, firmly part of the carbon cycle of this planet.
Mr Lutz: I only wish you had stated that “Anthropomorphic Global Warming is a Crock of Sh!t”. Other than that, good for you for pointing out that not everyone is following the AGW bandwagon like a herd of media-catatonic sheep. AGW (aka CO2 induced, greenhouse gas runaway Global Warming) is a subject that is FAR from fact. In fact, if you look at the data as a whole, the only thing you can conclude is that the mechanism of CO2 causing runaway global warming is at best a very shaky, unproven HYPOTHESIS.
Thank you, also, for the upcoming Volt and e-Flex powertrain technology in general. I look forward to this as a significant step in the future of the automotive and transportation industry.
Now, why the heck can’t I get a small, three- or four-cylinder turbodiesel Saturn Astra in the US, when very good 1.3-1.6 liter turbo-diesels are available in many Opel products in Europe and Australia????
Perhaps you could add a blog topic on explaining this to others like myself.
bob, gm’s problem continues to be lack of common sense and brainpower. i give gm 5 years tops.keep slapping on those cheap gold colored chevey logos on all your crap. makes a 40k car look like a toy. toyota and honda are gonna eat ya pal. gm needs to go away.
why does chevy make every car in it’s lineup (except ‘vette)look so damn tacky with those oversized gold cheap chevy emblems that look like they were thrown on from 20 feet away by someone with a bad arm. the fact that they are still doing something so blatantly stupid means lutz should have been fired a long time ago. not that it matters. gm is going down, and most deservedly so. the only questions are: how fast, how soon and how hard ?!
This blog in itself is not an appropriate way to discuss the issues at hand – I would suggest allowing users to post their opinions on the subject here, rather than filering them out. To whomsoever may be reviewing this – there are larger things at stake here than your job. Please allow this post to get through. Should my post make it through; if anyone is really interested in dealing with this problem, please contact me to discuss your opinions on how to let people discuss this. I am a 19 year old concerned college student at UMASS Dartmouth. My name is Nate.
Mr. Lutz – I am happy to see that GM has rational people at it’s highest level. There is no doubt the anti-capitalist “global warming” hoax is just that. Follow the money – Al Gore sure has become wealthy promoting this hoax. And even if it were true – there is nothing we can do about it. Making me buy a car that produces 30% less CO2 at a 50% increase in price only makes my buying power less AND does nothing to help/hurt the environment. I drive a suburban and was looking at something else – I will buy one more just because of your comment!
K Browns
Austin, Texas
Here is the truth about global warming — and actually all you need to know.
Those are geological and astronomical facts, and there is very little we can do about them. We should certainly want to reduce the amount of pollution we pump into the atmosphere, but controlling global warming is largely out of our hands and beyond our control.
Mr Lutz,
You are right on the money! Global Warming is a crock. It is a money transfer scam plain and simple. The UN has been trying by different means and methods for decades to introduce their “rob the productive to support the unproductive” program. They have finally found something that has caught the imagination of the citizenry and actually has many of these brain-dead idiots screaming for carbon credits. “The Great Global Warming Swindle” and “Apocalypse? NO!” completely dismantle this politically driven agenda.
You are also right about saying that going green is the right thing to do whether Global Warming is a fraud or not. If any good comes from this linacy it will be that we do have to treat this planet better.
So what are people criticizing?
Get a life and do some actual research to see the reality between the JUNK SCIENCE that is fueling the global warming hysteria.
337 comments on the spinning of global warming, LOL.
Where is the insider information on new products that was supposed to be the reason for this blog?
While I’m not getting into the GW arguments, I was struck by the question from “Non-Anthropomorphic Global Warming Believer” at 8:06 AM, 2/26:
“Now why the heck can’t I get a small, 3-or-4 cylinder turbodiesel Saturn Astra in the US when very good 1.3-1.6 liter turbo-diesels are available in many Opel products in Europe and Austrailia?”
I know the answer, “It’s too hard to make them meet US air quality standards.” Even so, how about “good 1.3-1.6 liter turbo, or non-turbo come to that, gas engines available in many Opel products in Europe and Australia?” Plus, Honda, Subaru, et al will be here in 2009 with diesel cars. Supposedly the Subaru Forester/Legacy will get 49 mpg on diesel, per this week’s Autoweek.
When GM builds a car that gets mileage equal to a Prius, I will buy one. Until then, the old 95 Impala just keeps chugging along.
Global warming is a crock. It is nice to hear other opinions, good for you Mr Lutz. It is funny how no one is allowed an opinion unless it agrees with these liberal goons.There are more people and scientist who don’t believe in this global warming than do. I wonder what happened to the ice age of the 50’s oh we are in it now I think. The scientist were wrong before and they are wrong again.It is a Global, political and finacial program to scare these people into power
I just want to drop a note in support of Mr. Luntz’s comment that global warming is a crock and the biggest hoax ever.
Three cheers for Bob Lutz! My opinion is that global warming is crock as well. If not that then certainly man-made global warming is. But the reason so many people are upset at Mr. Lutz’s opinion is because global warming has become their religion. Remember the reaction to the Mohammad cartoons? It’s the same thing. Dis someone’s deeply held religious beliefs and they usually come unglued. BTW, I’m *very* interested in the Volt — not because it could “save the planet” (if it does, that’s just icing on the cake) — but because it might play a role in lessening our dependence on oil from terrorist sponsoring nations and it might just save me some green in the process! Now if we could just do something about those damned labor unions so GM could build it cheaper than Toyota…
Rick : You should have fired Bob after making a negative campaign. Wonder why GM will loose more market share in coming years. This is pathatic and insulting the scientist communities all across the world. Shame on you & shame on GM board of directors & decision makers….
I love the appeal to “capitalism.” The number of people enriched by the activities of Bob Lutz…is Bob Lutz. The stock price is what, a quarter of what it used to be?
Oh, feel free to punish the liberals by buying a Chevy. Toyota (and Honda and Nissan and Volkswagen and Hyundai…) will continue to enjoy our better performing, slower depreciating, more fuel efficient and much more reliable cars.
Oh, and the premium you pay for a Prius? Happily for them, they quickly make it up on the fast depreciation on competing GM vehicles. My neighbor could probably get 75% of his purchase price on his year old Prius. How much could you sell your year old Aveo for?
New numbers are in! The earth is getting cooler, not hotter.
Bod was right on by making that statement.
http://www.dailytech.com/Temperature+Monitors+Report+Worldwide+Global+Cooling/article10866.htm
So if the earth is getting colder does that mean that we should be producing more CO2’s so the earth get warmer??
Using the same junk science that Global Warming alarmists use, that would be the only conclusion one could possibly come to.
Mr. Lutz,
You certainly have a right to say whatever you want. But quess what. We also have a right to not buy your cars – ever again. Words matter.
Global Warming is a scientific fact, despite a whole lot of popular denial and despite Bob Lutz’s ill-informed, absurd personal views. As for Lutz and GM, Americans need to ask what mentality cancelled an electric car that was already ready for prime time in 2000. The same mentality that pretends that getting to 35mpg by 2030 is progress, while GMs own European subsidiaries are marketing first class family saloons in Europe that alreadt get 50+mpg. The same mentality that just made one of the biggest annual losses in US corporate history, measured again in the tens of billions of dollars. The same senior management mentality that Bob Lutz let drop to journalists. What a loser! The future belongs to those who take their head out of the sand and see whats happening… not to cowards who pretend Global Warming doesnt even exist. If GM is serious Lutz has to go.
It’s not a hoax that Toyota and Honda are cleaning up when it comes to new car sales.
It’s not a hoax that CO2 level are rising.
It’s not a hoax that GM used to be #1.
It’s not an hoax that the world is running out of oil.
It’s not a hoax that Bob Lutz needs to be better informed.
So where’s the hoax?
The only crock of sh*t I see mentioned here is the domestic auto industry. Really, when was the last time you all put out a reliable car?
Both sides of the climate change discussion would do well to review the following website:
http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=6229
While our collective opinions make for a fun blog, let’s deal with the facts.
The fact that someone who obviously doesn’t even understand basic science could be in charge of GM says a lot about the position that your company is in right now, don’t you think?
Misleading argument 1: The Earth’s climate is always changing and this is nothing to do with humans.
Misleading argument 2: Carbon dioxide only makes up a small part of the atmosphere and so cannot be responsible for global warming.
Misleading argument 3: Rises in the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are the result of increased temperatures, not the other way round.
Misleading argument 4: Observations of temperatures taken by weather balloons and satellites do not support the theory of global warming.
Misleading argument 5: Computer models which predict the future climate are unreliable and based on a series of assumptions.
Misleading argument 6: It’s all to do with the Sun – for example, there is a strong link between increased temperatures on Earth with the number of sunspots on the Sun.
Misleading argument 7: The climate is actually affected by cosmic rays.
Misleading argument 8: The scale of the negative effects of climate change is often overstated and there is no need for urgent action.
Source: http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=6229
I am truly amazed at the number of supporting comments submitted with regard to Mr. Lutz’s “crock of **** remarks. They decry those with opposing beliefs and accuse them of blindingly buying into the hype. There are ample amounts of hype on both sides of this issue and it appears that his supporters are also buying into hype as well albeit an opposing version. There is science to support both sides of the argument and only time will truly reveal the truth. In the meantime I will be reminded of Mr. Lutz’s comments every time a GM commercial runs espousing it’s commitment to developing, marketing and selling greener, fuel efficient vehicles. Way to go John Wayne, ooops I mean Mr. Lutz you’ve made quite an impression on my family members, and me.
For all of you that said things like “when was the last time you guys had a winning design” or “start building good cars and I will switch from Honda to Chevy”, go buy the last 2 months of Car & Driver, Motor Trend, Automobile, Road & Track, etc. Watch Motorweek. Look up Chevy Malibu, Buick Enclave, Cadillac CTS, Pontiac G8, GMC Yukon hybrid, Saturn Astra. And see how the reviews have been. Talk is cheap, research and educated opinions are more expensive.
Wow! This is an awsome blog guys!! I just love candid honesty about situations which affect the entire future of life on Earth. Anyway, few questions…
1. I am very interested in this view that global warming is a “Crock of Shit”. I would love to hear the basis for your view on this matter as it seems to conflict with most of those silly scientists who are supposedly experts in this field. Please inform me what you have had the pleasure to learn in your studies of global environmental, social, and economic issues know that those crackpot “scientists” have not.
2. I also would like your opinion of exactly how business does or does not rely on nature. Do businesses really need things like clean air, clean water, functioning ecosystems, stable atmosphere, like those weird global warming enthusiasts say we do?
3. Please inform me why I should consider buying a car from your company. I would also like you to phrase the answer in terms of how you as a person represents GM and how your company with your and your own personal beliefs will benefit my children in creating a cleaner, healthier and brighter future.
4. Most importantly. I would love to hear your opinion of the book the “Ecology of Commerce” by Paul Hawkins. If you have not read it, I feel that you may not be qualified to be leading a major company in this century.
I look forward to hearing your response. Thank you so much for your time, in responding to my questions. I will certainly take your answers into account when I consider buying my next car.
Bob: A crock it is! This is the 80/20 rule – the 80% of the idiots out there have nothing positive to do other than attacking the good the other 20% actually do for them. Wait until the wave turns, and soon the Global Warming crusade becomes the Global Cooling mission… I wonder what targets they will pick. I bet the usual ones and a few more at random.
Mr Lutz certainly has the courage to speak his mind.
However, this doesn’t mean that man-made climate change isn’t happening.
It would be great if this discussion was based on facts and not along the lines of:
1. Left vs Right
2. facts vs opinions
3. American vs Japanese
4. emotional vs logical
5. gay vs red neck
6. angry vs calm
…recently both Rush Limbaugh and Fox News reported that last year was so much cooler than previous years that it contravenes any evidence of Global Warming (or Climate Change, if you prefer.)
Except that’s expressly not true.
As reported by Phil Plait at Bad Astronomy:
“The latest round was brought to my attention from DarkSyde, a science blogger at DailyKos. In an article he put up last night, he notes that an online mag called Daily Tech has a blogger who is claiming that last year was cooler than average… which contradicts a study by NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies that shows that last year was among the hottest on record.”
Which one is right? Duh. NASA.
The Daily Tech columnist evidently confused a below-average January temperature for an entire year’s worth.
The bottom line is that people want it now. This includes performance, appeal, and even environmental improvements. The “want it now” philosophy is in every aspect of our culture. The facts are that the technology to accomplish these things is not yet available. People need to learn to also look at the practical viewpoint as well. What good would bankrupting the industry to meet environmental standards do? The industry needs to be healthy to be able to spend those R&D dollars which in turn change technology.
I believe in what you’re doing at GM. I follow many of your projects. I bought a GTO and loved it. That car actually saved my life.
Like anything else the media can spin it and destroy it before it has a chance. Keep up the good work and bring us performance, environmentalism and economy in the future.
I really don’t care if it’s too hot or too old. Those of you who wish to fall into a further state of depresion in your life by worrying about things far beyond your control, go right ahead.
I’ll continue to live my life how I want. If I want to open my windows and run the furnace or air conditioner in my house, I’ll do it. If I want to drive a gas hog, I’ll do it. Cause in the end, you can’t take your money with you, and you don’t know the difference whatever the earth is doing when you’re six feet under.
Global Warming? New Data Shows Ice Is Back
If global warming gets any worse we’ll all freeze to death.
http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/global_warming_or_cooling/2008/02/19/73798.html
Is http://www.newsmax.com a hoax website or something? They have strong opinions and no facts.
NASA’s data shows that the polar ice caps are melting.
Who would you rather trust, newsmax or NASA? (This is not a trick question.)
- http://www.nasa.gov/lb/vision/earth/environment/danger_point.html
NASA and Columbia University Earth Institute research finds that human-made greenhouse gases have brought the Earth’s climate close to critical tipping points, with potentially dangerous consequences for the planet.
Mr Lutz,
Of course you have a right to your own opinion – as uneducated as it may be. It is a shame you are in a position of influence in the automotive sector. Your industry needs leaders who recognize the transition to a sustainable business model is already underway. Fossil fuels are finite and already in decline and our planet is warming faster than at any point in human history – this is fact, not liberal rhetoric or a “crock”. If you want more financial results like the latest ones, keep producing all them trucks!
Greg
Joe D
Unfortunately people concerned with how poorly the environment is being treated do tend to “fall into a state of depression”. They get on their soap boxes and preach doom and gloom which regrettably pushes people like you to “…open the windows and run the furnace..” You’re right; you and your actions may very well be insignificant in the big environmental picture but someone like Bob Lutz is anything but insignificant.
GW is a hot button and for a person in Bob Lutz’s position to press it just amps up the Joe D’s of the world to say “Hell yeah man, F’ it I’m goin’ balls out ’till I drop” making it that much harder to educate the public on sensible behaviors and simple conservation. You don’t have to be a visionary or environmentalist wacko to understand that accepting the fact that if we lower our consumption of internal combustion we will be in a much stronger position to maintain our unbelievably high standard of living for a very long time.
It’s not asking for political correctness that he not speak his opinion on GW; it’s asking him to understand that to achieve the goal of a cleaner environment and energy independence, making those comments slows the cause. On second thought, he does understand this, and chooses to do it anyway.
You (most of you) need to get out more. Go visit northern Canada, alps, southern South America if you doubt global warming exists. Those denying/fighting the need for better MPG/CAFE #s are the same fools who said requiring seat belts, padded dashboards, 5 mph bumpers, air bags, emissions standards was going to kill the car biz. It is the lack of foresight and judgement that killed the USA car biz. Same as what has been happening in Washington DC the last 7 years. Bankrupt policies leads to bankruptcy.
Dear Bob
Thanks so much for speaking your mind. In a world of pc sugar coated bs, you speak truth to power. I am sick of the junk science behind global warming/climate change. The past winter has been one of the coldest on record. Tell the people in China or Milwaukee or Detroit about the global warming they have suffered this year.
This issue is way too important to just cave into these environmental wackos.
Keep up the good work.
This just in…
Climate Skeptics Seize on Cold Spell
By ANDREW C. REVKIN,The New York Times
Posted: 2008-03-01 23:04:49
Filed Under: Science News
(March 1) – The world has seen some extraordinary winter conditions in both hemispheres over the past year: snow in Johannesburg last June and in Baghdad in January, Arctic sea ice returning with a vengeance after a record retreat last summer, paralyzing blizzards in China, and a sharp drop in the globe’s average temperature.
So maybe Bob is just offering his personal crock pot opinion, but what if he’s right? GM, keep them trucks comin. Bob, it’s time to turn back on the rear wheel drive Impala. Put some money back IN the product and give Bo a one way ticket to WalMart since he loves it there so much.
It’s a good thing that the Earth is flat. That allows us to grow forever, drive forever, and consume ever greater amounts of resources. Accepting limits – or the PC “theory” that the Earth is spherical – would be bad for business. That’s why it’s good to have leaders like Mr. Lutz who are members of the Flat Earth Society.
World Temperatures according to the Hadley Center for Climate Prediction. Note the steep drop over the last year.Twelve-month long drop in world temperatures wipes out a century of warming
Over the past year, anecdotal evidence for a cooling planet has exploded. China has its coldest winter in 100 years. Baghdad sees its first snow in all recorded history. North America has the most snowcover in 50 years, with places like Wisconsin the highest since record-keeping began. Record levels of Antarctic sea ice, record cold in Minnesota, Texas, Florida, Mexico, Australia, Iran, Greece, South Africa, Greenland, Argentina, Chile — the list goes on and on.
http://www.dailytech.com/Temperature+Monitors+Report+Widescale+Global+Cooling/article10866.htm
Mr. Lutz,
You say:
“My thoughts on what has or hasn’t been the cause of climate change have nothing to do with the decisions I make to advance the cause of General Motors.”
That’s exactly the problem.
Your job, you say, is to do what’s best for GM’s business.
But in this case, your idea of what’s best for GM’s business appears to have been to fight higher mileage standards. And that, of course, is why GM is doing so well today.
Had you been concerned about global warming — which is happening, is human-caused, and is the result of the normal use of your products — you would have been spending money on R&D toward developing models that are more efficient, rather than on buying politicians (George Bush, for one) who will fight any increase in fuel economy tooth and nail, then perhaps the Japanese wouldn’t be beating the pants off of your once-proud American company, and you wouldn’t be laying off American workers in the tens of thousands.
You spent, what, twenty years (at least), convincing your wokers that environmentalists were their enemy. When in fact, it is doing business like a Lutz, with willful disregard for the fate of humanity, that has thrown American jobs in the toilet.
Talk about a crock of shit.
one less gm customer for you.
I am impressed by the sound logical agreements but this Global Warming now Climate change issue but it is Politicized and will increase taxes on all hydrocarbons and everything that uses oil be prepared for higher taxes!. Both State and Federal.
Bill Zimmer,
I can find no such claim at the Hadley Centre (”steep drop over the last year”).
FYI, this is what NASA has found for the most recent full year:
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/2007/
“The year 2007 tied for second warmest in the period of instrumental data, behind the record warmth of 2005, in the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) analysis. 2007 tied 1998, which had leapt a remarkable 0.2¬∞C above the prior record with the help of the “El Ni√±o of the century”. The unusual warmth in 2007 is noteworthy because it occurs at a time when solar irradiance is at a minimum and the equatorial Pacific Ocean is in the cool phase of its natural El Ni√±o-La Ni√±a cycle.”
has anyone read the Michael Criton (is this the correct spelling) book State of Fear? While his focus is not totally on Global Warming, it is talked around. The point the book makes is that for some reason, Americans need something to be afraid of, something that the government can rescue us from through legislation,taxation and the like. Communism, nuclear distruction, in the 70’s, global cooling (by the way with the same data used to support global warming today)were all things to fear. Since many of he old threats have beem minimized or eliminated, we need something new to be protected from,or rescued from, and who better to do it than our universities and politicians. Seems that as long as we fear something, we can be subject to manipulation. While I don’t entirely subscribe to the notion in the book, it does provide in interesting perspective.
GLOBAL WARMING FACT… Really.
After all the coverage of the global warming conference in warm and Sunny Bali, were all flew in private jets and then had to park them At a near by island. I would like to know why we see no coverage of the conference of scientists this week in New York who have the opposite position of the “so called” consensus.
Who should we trust: NASA data or Mr Lutz’s opinion?
“Global warming stopped in 1998,” has become a recent mantra of those who wish to deny the reality of human-caused global warming. The continued rapid increase of the five-year running mean temperature exposes this assertion as nonsense. In reality, global temperature jumped two standard deviations above the trend line in 1998 because the “El Ni√±o of the century” coincided with the calendar year, but there has been no lessening of the underlying warming trend.
Source: http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/2007/
There is a clear attempt to establish truth not by scientific methods but by perpetual repetition.”
- Richard S. Lindzen, Ph.D. Professor of Meteorology, MIT
http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/n oel-sheppard/2007/11/12/global-temperature-chart-not-gore-s-movie
The earth was warmer 1100 B.C. and again 1300 A.D.
Sorry Mr.Lutz,but Charlie H.just hit the nail on the head !
Are the world’s ice caps melting because of climate change, or are the reports just a lot of scare mongering by the advocates of the global warming theory?
Scare mongering appears to be the case, according to reports from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that reveal that almost all the allegedly “lost” ice has come back. A NOAA report shows that ice levels which had shrunk from 5 million square miles in January 2007 to just 1.5 million square miles in October, are almost back to their original levels.
Moreover, a Feb. 18 report in the London Daily Express showed that there is nearly a third more ice in Antarctica than usual, challenging the global warming crusaders and buttressing arguments of skeptics who deny that the world is undergoing global warming.
The Daily express recalls the photograph of polar bears clinging on to a melting iceberg which has been widely hailed as proof of the need to fight climate change and has been used by former Vice President Al Gore during his “Inconvenient Truth” lectures about mankind’s alleged impact on the global climate.
Gore fails to mention that the photograph was taken in the month of August when melting is normal. Or that the polar bear population has soared in recent years.
As winter roars in across the Northern Hemisphere, Mother Nature seems to have joined the ranks of the skeptics.
As the Express notes, scientists are saying the northern Hemisphere has endured its coldest winter in decades, adding that snow cover across the area is at its greatest since 1966. The newspaper cites the one exception – Western Europe, which had, until the weekend when temperatures plunged to as low as -10 C in some places, been basking in unseasonably warm weather.
Around the world, vast areas have been buried under some of the heaviest snowfalls in decades. Central and southern China, the United States, and Canada were hit hard by snowstorms. In China, snowfall was so heavy that over 100,000 houses collapsed under the weight of snow.
Jerusalem, Damascus, Amman, and northern Saudi Arabia report the heaviest falls in years and below-zero temperatures. In Afghanistan, snow and freezing weather killed 120 people. Even Baghdad had a snowstorm, the first in the memory of most residents.
AFP news reports icy temperatures have just swept through south China, stranding 180,000 people and leading to widespread power cuts just as the area was recovering from the worst weather in 50 years, the government said Monday. The latest cold snap has taken a severe toll in usually temperate Yunnan province, which has been struck by heavy snowfalls since Thursday, a government official from the provincial disaster relief office told AFP.
Twelve people have died there, state Xinhua news agency reported, and four remained missing as of Saturday.
An ongoing record-long spell of cold weather in Vietnam’s northern region, which started on Jan. 14, has killed nearly 60,000 cattle, mainly bull and buffalo calves, local press reported Monday. By Feb. 17, the spell had killed a total of 59,962 cattle in the region, including 7,349 in the Ha Giang province, 6,400 in Lao Cai, and 5,571 in Bac Can province, said Hoang Kim Giao, director of the Animal Husbandry Department under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, according to the Pioneer newspaper.
In Britain the temperatures plunged to -10 C in central England, according to the Express, which reports that experts say that February could end up as one of the coldest in Britain in the past 10 years with the freezing night-time conditions expected to stay around a frigid -8 C until at least the middle of the week. And the BBC reports that a bus company’s efforts to cut global warming emissions have led to services being disrupted by cold weather.
Meanwhile Athens News reports that a raging snow storm that blanketed most of Greece over the weekend and continued into the early morning hours on Monday, plunging the country into sub-zero temperatures. The agency reported that public transport buses were at a standstill on Monday in the wider Athens area, while ships remained in ports, public services remained closed, and schools and courthouses in the more severely-stricken prefectures were also closed.
Scores of villages, mainly on the island of Crete, and in the prefectures of Evia, Argolida, Arcadia, Lakonia, Viotia, and the Cyclades islands were snowed in.
More than 100 villages were snowed-in on the island of Crete and temperatures in Athens dropped to -6 C before dawn, while the coldest temperatures were recorded in Kozani, Grevena, Kastoria and Florina, where they plunged to -12 C.
If global warming gets any worse we’ll all freeze to death.
I would like to know why we see no coverage of the conference of scientists this week in New York who have the opposite position of the “so called” consensus.
Posted by: Lou DiStefano on March 4, 2008 12:30 PM
Right Lou, Same question I wondered about, the media, right across the street and zero coverage of 500 scientists? Just report the news as they see it.
Right on Mr. Lutz!
I am a GM retiree and its about time that someone has the guts to say out loud what a lot are thinking but are too afraid to voice.
Man-made Global Warming is a crock that the gulliable and those who are too lazy to do their own reserach have swallowed hook, line and sinker. Those who have perpetuated the myth are the ones selling carbon credits and making the $$$ off the ignorant and fearful.
Unfortuntely those of us who are rational and don’t fall for junk science will be punished also by dacronican laws aimed at reducing something that doesn’t exist!
Keep speaking the truth Mr. Lutz and by your example others will be embolden to do the same
Bill Zimmer, it got ignored because less than two dozen scientists showed up, some of them known to be in the pay of the fossil fuel industry.
The popular parts of the program were the sessions devoted to bashing Al Gore.
They also had a “movie track” which included screening of the fairly well discredited movie, “The Great Global Warming Swindle.”
The Heartland Institute and their fellows talk, often, about “thousands” of scientists who think anthropogenic climate change is just nonsens… but they can barely scrape together two dozen scientists to pretend to legitimize the program (even paying $1,000 speaking fees, which doesn’t happen at the real science conferences).
In other words, there was nothing to cover.
As for the ice returning… how thick is it? That’s the key. As soon as the temps go low enough for it to freeze, the Arctic will skim back over. The pond across the street does that pretty quickly. But next summer, you’ll see a melt similar to this years’ record because the ice isn’t being sustained, year to year.
As for the current cold snap, that’s true enough, it got cold last month. Winter is like that. Patrick Michaels, speaking at the Heartland Institute conference (one of the less than two dozen real scientists on the program) cautioned his audience not to make too much out of that. Patrick Michaels is actually in broad agreement with the IPCC report and is looking at the long-term trends.
I earlier posted – and you appear to have ignored – the temperature record results for last year… second warmest since instrumented readings, tied with 1998. This comes at a time when the solar irradiance is at a minimum and we’re in the “cool” phase of the El Nino/La Nina cycle. 2007 should have been a cooler than average year… but it wasn’t.
By the way, Bill Zimmer, unless your real name is “Phil Brennan,” your March 5, 2008 2:08AM post is something scientists would refer to as “plagiarism.”
Mr Lutz,
Your a great man have done what is needed to get people talking about the CROCK that is global Warming. I think it’s Time to set up a blog for comments on the CROCK. 400 comments on this blog is huge and needs it’s own site.
Lou
Mr. Lutz
You can and do have a right to express your beliefs as do I. I however can put my opinions to use in how I choose to spend my money and it won’t be on a GM product for two important reasons: 1)my interest in fuel efficiency and reducing CO2 and the decreasing US dependence on foreign oil 2) the fact that you stated your beliefs and those beliefs will influence the direction of GM under your leadership. If GM doesn’t care about the environment or leads with a public persona of not caring about Global Warming and the causation of such warming you will loose customers. With your attitude and willingness to “express your beliefs” in such an arrogant manner it doesn’t matter if there is any validity to your statement. It is the method of your message. Good luck in continuing to compete in a tough market that is consumer driven.
JLH
I currently drive a Mazda 3 and am getting 32 MPG. My lease is up within the month of March, and I have been trying since December to get on a waiting list for a Saturn Vue hybrid and a Chevy Malibu hybrid. I figured that 3 months is plenty of lead time, right? Wrong. Seems that the hybrids are all slated for California, with a few going to other states.
Why?
My guess is that it is not profitable to make smaller, fuel-efficient cars. Instead, the 20th century thinking prevails that big SUVs with high profit margins is a “winning” strategy.
Like it or not, the world’s climate is in jeopardy. GM may be the whipping boy of the day, but the majority of auto makers that sell their cars in the US simply do not offer many cars that achieve 30 MPG or better. Go to Europe and drivers there DO purchase cars that are more fuel efficient. I suspect people there understand what’s at stake. When will Americans wake up (probably when it is too late)?
Personally, I feel that GM employs some of the brightest and most innovative engineers and designers in the world. As of today, GM has a handful of small cars that get better than 30 MPG, but seem to be holding back the hybrids.
As I said, my lease is up before the end of the month, and I really want a hybrid. Unfortunately, it will not be a GM because I cannot get one. I will be buying a Honda Civic hybrid.
Sorry Bob, but you need to catch up with the 60% or more Americans that believe we must get off of petroleum or at least reduce the current rate of consumption. This is not a “politicall correct” concept, as some have stated. This is reality, which traditionally has a liberal bias.
CharlieH -
What’s the matter with you? Quoting scientific information that shows warming? Don’t you know that there are at least 500 scientists that are employees of oil & coal companies that can refute these facts with their own “findings?”
LOL!
Scott,
So all scientists who don’t hold the opinion that man is causing global warming, work for “Big Oil”? Talk about a crock. Do the scientists who do beleive work for the battery company, do they for some Government agency or the UN who is going to try and tax us for our Carbon Footprint? Who do they work for in your mind, the battery company killing the planet in Canada or the Government agency that pays them and wants to control all of your life.
Charlie H
the planet has not warmed or cooled since 1998 and we have record, yes record, snow fall this year. t
Scott
Maybe you should know that Oil is used in so many products the WORLD depends on and it is traded on the world market. If those little Hybrids you like so much are so popular, why isn’t one of them the best selling car? the top 2 sellers are trucks. until we find a cheaper way to move our economy oil is it. NOT CORN. Have you seen the price of food since we now get gas with 10% ethanol. In the short term we need the oil people like you won’t let us go and get, like of the coast of florida. If China can Drill 90 miles away in Cuba America needs to drill too so we are not dependent on others for our oil. BUILD a refinery and with those two prices will drop.
Educate your self:
Al Gore has D+ in science so I am sure you may understand.
http://www.inteliorg.com/co2_climate_change.html
http://z4.invisionfree.com/Popular_Technology/index.php?showtopic=2050
Lou -
It is called advertising. The goal is to get you to buy something that you may not necessarily need. Watch any sporting event and you will see a parade of truck commercials …
Oil doesn’t have to come out of the ground. There are many other sources, but it may require us to scale back our out-of-control consumption.
Bill Zimmer,
Thank you. I often do so.
Today, on your kind invitation, I clicked through the inteliorg link you provided and I came to a Senate site maintained by Marc Morano. I have occasionally perused Marc Morano’s “contributions” in the past.
Today, I picked one of our friend Morano’s links (from a page he titled, “New Peer-Reviewed Scientific Studies Chill Global Warming Fears”), and settled down to read a genuine peer-reviewed paper from Journal of Geophysical Research submitted by Stephen Schwartz of the Brookhaven National Lab.
Morano quoted someone as saying that this new “peer-reviewed study overturned ‘in one fell swoop’ the climate fears promoted by the UN and former Vice President Al Gore.” I was very impressed with the importance of this new peer-reviewed study.
At the end of his paper (which involved the use of lots of greek letters, symbols that require extensions to MS-Word and math that I do struggle to remember from my days in Honors Calculus), Schwartz says that warming since preindustrial times attributable to green house gas emissions is .7degK.
Which is very close to the number I infer from this chart:
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/2007/
Or, in other words, Schwartz is right in there with the Anthropogenic Climate Change crew and aligns nicely with Al Gore’s movie.
So, Bill, excuse me… but what was your point? If your point was that the Earth is warming and that it’s mostly or entirely anthropogenic… then you have certainly supplied ammunition to defend that point of view.
If that’s not your point, I suggest you get some new links. Or, better, get a new point.
Bill Zimmer,
Always searching for Truth and grateful to you for the opportunity to further pursue it, I clicked another inteliorg link, with the compelling title:
“U.S. Senate Report: Over 400 Prominent Scientists Disputed Man-Made Global Warming Claims in 2007″
And I am led to this (again on one of Marc Morano’s pages – why am I not surprised?):
“Over 100 Prominent Scientists Warn UN Against ‘Futile’ Climate Control Efforts”
Goodness! 300 prominent scientists have suddenly and mysteriously disappeared!
This is a tragedy of epic proportions! How could this go unnoticed by the mainstream press? Why is there no hue and cry? Why is there no global manhunt for these unfortunate missing 300 prominent scientists? Why has no one been called to account for their sudden and mysterious mass disappearance? Who will console the bereaved wives and husbands of these missing 300 souls?
I’m shocked! Shocked, I tell you!
Way to go Mr. Lutz, I totally agree with your assesment of global warming. No one seems to want to stand up against the tide of global warming propaganda and you have. GM is coming back and I am gladdened. The only bad news about GM holding the number one position is that it was only by 3,000 vehicles. I wish the government would not kill off our performance cars. I was at the Chicago autoshow loved the Camaro. Long live the V8.
Scott
Not only do you not understand the climate of the planet. You don’t understand marketing and advertising. People who watch football are not going out to buy some little car. ALL car companies, including Toyota advertise trucks during football. It’s were the customers are. The fight is over which truck they will buy. Nascar fans are the same advertising the aveo during most sports events would be stupid for Chevy. Those type ads are for Opra or the today show. First rule is to know your customer and what they want. once you know what they want you market and advertise your product to get them to buy your product instead of the competitors. It’s called CAPITALISM.
Lou
Lou DiStefano,
Right now, it’s a fight over a declining customer base. Truck sales have been falling steadily. The Tundra makes a tiny percentage of Toyota’s fleet by unit volume. It may have a disproportionate impact on sales and gross profits but Toyota has been profitable with small vehicles for a while.
GM has got to adapt to that model in order to survive $4/gallon gas prices. Higher gas prices are going to drive truck sales into the tank.
If GM’s two-mode was available on a broader price range of trucks and SUVs… that might help GM stem the tide in big pickup and SUV sales.
But they’re still going to need solid small car sales that are profitable.
Posted by: Charlie H on March 6, 2008 5:10 PM
Charlie,
Global Warming/Climate Change terror Has Nothing To Do With The Environment. It’s pure political proselytizing! NOT science.
Fixing Earths Weather, Going Green for many countries of the world (mostly EU countries) has nothing to do with the environment; it has everything to do with energy independence from the oil producing countries and for others the entrenchment of socialism (Collectivism). Thus, the propaganda reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), all the members of this panel are not scientists, the panel contains political hacks, please check out their bios yourself, and then investigate the facts. The environmental activists don’t realize they have been duped by propaganda.
I invite you to examine the facts and to do your own homework.
http://z4.invisionfree.com/Popular_Technology/index.php?showtopic=2050
You are either in the bag for AWG or you have not done your home work. The failure to reduce climate co2 by the EU has failed as well as by Canada. It makes no since to spend billions and reduce GDP in the USA so the EU and the other failing countries bring down the USA. Spend an evening here.http://z4.invisionfree.com/Popular_Technology/index.php?showtopic=2050
Scroll down the page and read all the sub titles before you pick the one you want to believe. There are a dozen Peer-Review Papers Skeptical of “Man-Made” Global Warming:
Co2 is an important fertilizer for plants to take the carbon and expel the oxygen. Global warming is not even a scientific theory, if it was it could be repeated and proven. Co2 is a minor greenhouse gas.
UK Court finds 9 Inaccuracies in Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth (The New Party, UK)
Judge attacks nine errors in Al Gore’s ‘alarmist’ climate change film (Daily Mail, UK)
Schools must warn of Gore climate film bias (Daily Mail, UK)
British Schools Ordered to Offer ‘Balance’ When Showing Al Gore’s Global Warming Film (FOXNews)
A Skeptical View of Climate Models (Hendrik Tennekes, Former Director of Research, Royal
Netherlands Meteorological Institute)
Many States needing tax dollars are instituting “carbon taxes” without any scientific proof of man made Global warming. They have politicized “Global warming” now called “Climate Change” and have chosen the auto to fund their new religion, PLUS annual estimate in Washington state estimates a mere 2.16 Billion Dollars each year for the power generators, we are 45% hydro powered. The auto emissions are in question since the congress has changed the minimum mileage for auto to 35 miles per gallon average for the whole fleet of a manufacturer so EPA has not limit carbon from the auto yet!
I have noticed that congress has a energy bill that adds a 50 cent per gallon gas tax,
Have a good weekend!
Bill Zimmer,
Regarding z4.invisionfree.com/whatever…
Yeah, right. I see there’s a video there from that prominent climatologist George Carlin. I’m going to rush over and view that.
Don’t the skeptics have ONE serious site that isn’t loaded down with junk? No John Stossels, no Phil Brennans, no oil company CEOs? No half-baked videos?
The skeptic event of the millenium just came and went… the Heartland Institute sponsored a Global Warming Conference, all about the science. Sadly, they got hardly any scientists to show up – less than two dozen participated and some of them agree that AGW is REAL (they differ on whether or not to take action).
That’s it… the skeptic’s big moment. Twenty scientists.
While it is true that no one “votes” in science for what is “right”, FIVE THOUSAND qualified people participated in the IPCC report. Compare that to the twenty skeptic scientists that can be pulled together.
Thanks, I’ll take the IPCC report.
As for whether or not this is “political,” the science has a long history and follows from several simple fundamentals:
1. CO2 traps heat. KNOWN.
2. CO2 has increased sharply and the temperature has risen sharply. KNOWN.
3. Isotopic analysis reliably tells us the source of the additional CO2 is people digging up and burning fossil fuels. KNOWN.
These items are covered in the IPCC report section, “The Physical Science Basis.” You can look it up. It’s also stuff that can be covered in fairly fundamental college physics and chemistry classes. The observations to support these KNOWN things are simple, easy to reproduce and reliable. Nobody argues about this end of it at all.
Now… what happens beyond that is an interesting question and is subject to some debate. But, given the KNOWN items, the answer is not “nothing.” SOMETHING will happen.
And the science got its start and some considered development before any politician found out about it. This prospect has been considered by researchers for well over two decades. I remember discussions of it from the very early ’80’s and I wasn’t in research (I’m merely alert).
The foundation for the science is not politics, it’s science.
By the way, where DO you get your talking points? CO2 is not “fertilizer.”
CHARLIE
The problem is that the global warming crowd is causing all of us more money and taking choice in cars from Americans. Higher food prices, carbon taxes, reduced use of oil and gas, Government Regs are not going to do anything. when the founder of the weather channel says it’s a crock and would like to sue all who want to tax carbon output, is just another example of the many sounding the alarm of the hoax being played on the world. You may want to drive some little shoe box but what we want is people like you to not take our choice to drive a larger car away. We don’t support the global warming hoax and to not go get the oil we know is in the gulf or Alaska and to not build refineries or Nuclear plants for power are costing us to much. Even with your new CAFE standards gas use will not go down. The world is growing and the demand will need to be met with more supply. AS I keep saying if you find a cheaper product and can deliver it to america the market will adjust. We don’t accept that oil, man, gas and Carbon have anything to do with temperature change. You have science theory but no fact. our side has so much past history on our side to show temperature changes back millions of years before the SUV.
GM’s profit loss in North America is not from sales. it’s from to much regulation and to many Benefits for current and past employees.
Lou
“GM’s profit loss in North America is not from sales, it’s from too much regulation and too many benefits for current and past mployees” – Lou
Uh, Lou, the regulation aspect of your charge certainly doesn’t explain why Toyota, Honda and others are willing to sell cars here. If regulations prohibited profitable sales, the other manufacturers would just go away, rather than sell cars at a loss.
You might “choose” to drive a larger car but the fact is, it emits CO2, which [I firmly believe and science supports me] has an impact on my future.
Do you want me to choose to do an activity that you believe harms you?
Unfortunately, the atmosphere is one of those necessarily shared things… we don’t each get a private one to keep clean or pollute as we choose.
We each have a right to restrict the actions of neighbors which affect us.
We do not know exactly what will happen as CO2 increases but it is anthropogenic and there will be changes.
This is going to be my last comment on Fastlane. (Yeah yeah, I know sheth, “good riddance.”)
Since I heard Bob said this, every time I’ve thought about commenting about something on Fastlane, I think “What does it matter? GM isn’t going to change.”
So good luck to GM and I hope Bob isn’t indicative of the attitude of the rest of you. Because if that’s so, you won’t last long in the 21st century.
Bob -
There’s no way to find out which of my local dealers has a Pontiac G8 for me to look at.
The Pontiac “locate a vehicle” doesn’t list the G8 as an choice! All other vehicles are represented.
Please get someone to fix this. It’s sad to see thousands of $ spent on advertising, but then a roadblock on getting to the dealer.
Thanks,
Riley
Talk about crap! Are you asking us to believe your own personal beliefs do not shape your decisions at GM? Are you further implying you have no personal responsibility for the day-to-day decisions you make? OK, reasonable people may debate the extent of global warming, appropriate methods to reduce the environmental impact of automobiles, etc. but if you are suggesting amoral behavior is good for business well, indeed, that reveals a whole lot about you and your General Motors.
Charlie
Maybe you don’t understand Regulations. ALL!! Auto makers are subject to regulations. In this global economy the larger companies see some countries are cheaper to produce a car. Japanese car makers now see that to build cars for the largest market (USA), it’s cheaper to make them here. Japan has the highest Corporate tax, started kyoto treaty, and the population is getting older and not having enough children to replace it’s workers. Even in the USA it is cheaper to build in different states. That is why Japanese car makers chose low tax states instead of Detroit. OSHA, EPA, Taxes, Benefits all make it more expensive. you want to bring jobs back to America, than eliminate Corporate taxes, and cut all the regulations.
Not only do I chose to drive a large car and a truck and a V8 sports car but my huge Chevy Express 2500 12 passenger Van gets my 7 kids around. that van is a need. The others I want.
Your CO2 science is ONLY a theory and more are coming out against it because you have theory not fact and history of the planet is on our side. If CO2 harms you should We all stop breathing?
The planet currently has 38 Carbon molecules per 100,000!, and the temp did go up less than 1 degree in 100 years. That was wiped out with the recent 12 month period with a 1 degree drop. (source John Coleman). NOAA also has said this is the coldest winter since 2001 and some area’s are getting Record snow fall.
Lou, Where do people get the idea that several decades of increasing warmth are “wiped out” with a single cool – and not extraordinarily cool – winter? “Coldest since 2001?” That’s hardly record-breaking country.
Last year, as a whole, tied for second warmest on record, in spite of the cool winter tacked on at the end. We are at a solar irradiance minimum and we still had the second warmest year. What does that suggest?
CO2 concentration is 385ppmv. Yep, that doesn’t seem like a lot, except the norm for the past few millenia is something like 280ppmv. The last time we had this much CO2 in the air was on the order of a million years ago… and the climate was radically different. We’ve added third onto an important greenhouse gas and you absolutely can not guarantee that this will have either no or a beneficial effect.
Making a change without knowledge of the effects is a really bad plan.
What General Motors needs to realise is that their Australian subsidiary ‘Holden’ is doing a fantastic job over there, and are possibly the best brand (obviously not in terms of commercial success, but in terms of how good their cars are) under GM. GM is finally waking up to them, and importing the G8 and G8 ute. Please oh please, Bob Lutz, let the Holden Coupe production plan go ahead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Charlie
Thank you, you just made my point.(and it’s 38 not 385) 1 million years ago the carbon was higher. How did that happen without the SUV or Humans? How was the planet radically different? you keep making the point by talking, the planet has changed on it’s own so many times without the car, so to think we are changing the climate is a crock. Thank you for making my point have a nice Day.
Lou
Lou,
It’s 385ppmv (that’s parts per million in volume). And it’s not “carbon,” it’s “Carbon dioxide” or “CO2″.
Second, what part of… “and the climate was radically different” is confusing to you? If we drive the temps up, as we are doing, and there’s no reason to think at this point that we’ll hold atmospheric CO2 to any particular concentration, exactly where will we be able to grow food? Kansas will certainly be different. Will wheat grow there? Will we have a net loss in arable land? A change in rainfall patterns that eliminates or reduces key crops? Will we see extinctions that are important?
Adaptation has given us a very comfortable United States. I’d prefer not to play chicken with global warming and possibly ruin something important.
You can not guarantee that the changes will be either mild or beneficial. No one can. The course of prudence is to reduce CO2 emissions and reduce the threat.
charlie
Got your point on the million still shows how small it is. I do understand radically different, the point is That you can not blame it on the car. why was it so different?
NO ONE can tell you what the planet is going to be like in 1000 years, But you and many others who think carbon (carbon dioxide co2) is changing the planet and man is the cause always admit that the planet was different long ago. Nothing can be done by man to make the planet warmer or colder the planet always does it on it’s own. Today the global warming crowd is now costing us more money.
Mr. Lutz,
Thank you so much for not being afraid to share your opinion on global warming. I believe that we have a reponsibility to take care of creation in the best way we can, but I think man is arrogant to think that he can control the climate.
Hello Bob,
I am a chemical engineer, my entire career has been in the industrial sector, and I have the background to understand the science of climate change. There is no debate in the scientific community as to whether anthropogenic CO2 emissions (among other GHGs) have and are increasing the average temperature of the planet.
The greenhouse phenomena is a part of basic science, and carbon dioxide’s role in this has been understood for well over a century. If you want to call the idea of climate change to be a crock, I would suggest first boning up on the basic science instead of spouting off about something that you clearly know nothing about. I have personally discussed the situation with well known climate skeptics to make sure there isn’t something that the overwhelming majority of the scientific community is overlooking. The only debate that exists among accredited scientists today – including those that are skeptics – is how much the climate will change, not whether it will change.
I also disagree with your statement that your opinions don’t matter. Of course they do. The opinions of senior leadership in a corporation always set the tone for how the entire operation runs. If you try to tackle the problem without understanding the basic science, you could end up shooting yourself in the foot. It also makes a huge difference when it comes to recruitment and retention of qualified engineers. We all want to work where our efforts are valued, and the message that you send is that you trust your own opinion on scientific matters more than the people who study the issue. When I evaluate new career opportunities, I look at the entire package, would definitely take your position on the matter as a negative element towards taking a job at GM right now.
Laura:
Actually, if we could control the climate, no one would be concerned.
People used to say that it was arrogant to think that man could wipe out another species, but it turns out that we have been able to do that both often and easily.
We are supposed to act as shepherds and caretakers for God’s creation, which is a large aspect of what the discussion on climate change is all about.
“The Chevrolet Volt program is occurring under my personal watch, because I — and others in senior management — believe in it. I fully expect that it will revolutionize the automotive industry, and I’m committed to seeing it successfully developed and in showrooms.”
here ya go Bob:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/news-blog/volt-birth-watch-34-lutz-gives-up-on-a-30k-volt/
Lou,
Certainly, the climate WAS different long ago. But the key phrase is “long ago.” The increase in CO2 is forcing a pace in temperature change that is unprecedented. Plants and animals need time to adapt.
The multi-millenial scale of natural change permits this. We are squeezing millenia of changes into a few decades.
As for the amount of CO2 being miniscule… It is what it is and it has a readily measurable effect, whether you like it or not.
For comparison purposes, the atmosphere is .0385% CO2. At a blood alcohol content of .0385%, you’re going to feel the buzz. It doesn’t take much LSD to provoke an effect, either, a FAR smaller percent by volume than .0385%. Small is not the same as unimportant.
Back to the original topic, which is Maximum Bob’s deportment on the subject of climate.
Bob, I see that you saw fit to carry on your remarks on climate at the New York Auto Show, saying “the planet will heal itself.”
You are certainly entitled to your opinion but while you are at the New York Auto Show, on GM’s nickel and not on vacation, you represent GM at the executive level and your words may be taken as expressions of opinion from GM.
I repeat my earlier question, slightly differently… If you piss off the Greenies, doesn’t that limit your market for the Volt? Wouldn’t it be better just to keep quiet on climate issues until you’re well away from the office, off expense account and on vacation?
Science will tell the truth people… don’t let the hype mislead you, focus on the data. IMO, the current data supports Mr. Lutz.
If you care about the planet and your fellow man, you need to consider an independant review of the data previously collected by the UN sponsored IPPC report on climate.
http://tinyurl.com/327vkg
The conclusion of this independant review by well respected scientist is that the data does not support man-made global warming as a significant climate driver. Furthermore, it indicates a clear attempt of deception by the IPPC.
Ask yourself this simple question: Which is more likely to be the primary driver of earth’s climate: the sun, the very source of heat for our solar system, or man’s relatively insignificant emmisions of a nuturally occuring greenhouse gas?
The E85 pollutes much more than its gasoline equivalent because it takes about 150% more energy to produce ethanol than the energy the E85 contains.
That raises the CO2 output 1.5 times of course, in a country where CO2 is now, finally, listed by the EPA as an industrial pollutant.
Ethanol production also pollutes water, esp. the Mississippi and Gulf of Mexico from US production. Hydrogen fuel cells are uneconomical… GM had the EV1; admit your earlier mistake and build another 100%EV, maybe an EV Volt, not another transitional hybrid. EVs are at least 50% cleaner than gasoline fueled cars when thinking about power sources even in coal burning states. Solar panels on our houses, and other non-polluting alternatives, will likely soon take care of all our electrical needs.
Tim,
If it’s the “science that will tell the truth,” why are you directing us to a report sponsored by a political organization?
Now, you can “win” any “argument” you like, if you phrase the key questions correctly. If you ask, for example, “Which is the primary driver…?” Clearly, the Sun. But, in fact, everybody agrees to this. Look at the Physical Science basis part of the last IPCC report – the big input to climate is, surprise!, the Sun. Nobody disputes this.
The controversy is over whether or not man’s contribution to GHGs upsets the balance and drives a warming that is likely to cause problems.
If you’ve been surfing web sites that are putting the question that way (Sun vs Man), then I think it likely that they have an agenda. You might want to branch out your inquiries a bit.
Now, I’m not going to go through all of that report you linked but I will take a minute to address the very first bone of contention… the “Hockey Stick,” which is the result of a paper on paleoclimate reconstruction by Michael Mann and a few others in 1998 or so.
In fact, although Singer dismisses the Hockey Stick, alleging that Wegmann and McIntyre and McKitrick disposed of it, this is not the case. The National Academy of Sciences’ own panel, reviewed Mann, et al, and found it to be perfectly satisfactory. Still others reviewed McIntyre and McKitrick and found errors in their work. Mann has been tested and has been duplicated with different programming (Wahl and Ammann did this a couple years ago) and survives.
But, we needn’t rely on Mann, et al, of 1998 for a Hockey Stick chart. First, temperatures continue to rise since 1998. Second, if you check the IPCC Report, the Physical Science Basis, page 467 or thereabouts, there’s a chart there with Mann’s hockey stick curve on it AND ELEVEN MORE hockey sticks from other studies. Even if Mann, et atl, could be rejected, the IPCC report doesn’t fall apart because 11 other teams also arrived at the same result: “Unprecedented warmth for at least the last millennium.” But Singer doesn’t mention these 11 other studies, he expects you to dismiss Mann on the say-so of a few and would prefer not to expand the scope of discussion to include all the other studies that agree with Mann.
If you look at that chapter of the IPCC report, you also find that the instrumental record goes back further than climatologists normally discuss. The usual take off point for what’s called “the instrumental record” is 1870 or so. However there are also 4 good recording stations in Europe that take the record back well into the 1600s. They confirm Global Warming. More good stations phase in over the next two hundred years. That data does have a Euro-centric or North American bias, so no one relies on it alone. But it does provide a check and extension to the instrumental record and a nice bridge to the paleoclimate reconstructions of Mann, etc. and it is in agreement. How odd that Singer does not mention this. But if he wants to take down Mann, he also has to explain these away, too. And he doesn’t.
In other words, Singer’s very first argument is not only wrong (it fails on technical merit, or at least McIntyre, etc, didn’t conclusively prove anything) but a complete misdirection. He’d like you to believe that tearing down Mann is a piece of conclusive proof that the IPCC report is flawed but that’s just not the case, because Mann is so well supported otherwise.
Now, any reputable climate scientist would know this. So why did Singer write his paper this way? The only conclusion I can reach is that Singer is not writing this paper for other climatologists, he’s writing it to persuade the public or to provide cover to political organizations trying to persuade the public. Consequently, it’s not a science paper at all, it’s a political argument or the pretend foundation for one.
If Singer had something going on in the science, he’d be digging something up that would reject all 12 Hockey Stick studies wholesale… but he can’t.
If you are seriously going to support those who attack the conclusions of the IPCC report (which involves thousands of contributors) and the supporting science (thousands of tested papers), then you really should sit down with the IPCC report and study if for a good long while. There’s a lot in there and you should read the entire thing so that you will appeciate that chipping away at the contributions of Mann, etc, even if successful to some degree, will hardly make a dent in the overall weight of the evidence.
Dear Bob, It is amazing how desperation leads us to our best creative thinking. Imagine a new internal combustion engine completely off the charts, delivers high torque at 0 RPM’s but can spin off the tack dial, requires very little oil, runs at 800F, small, light weight, uses twice as much water as fuel, requires no transmission, and gets 100MPG at highway speeds in today’s full size car. Here are a few ideas for you. Lets design a rotor on a shaft. The rotor contains internal vanes similar to the cross section of a sea shell spiraling outward from very small to large. Down the shaft we inject pre-compressed air from storage tanks in very low volumes and high pressure to the rotor center. We inject fuel and ignite it. Tremendous heat and expansion of gases expands outward creating a torque force as it expands through the spiraling vanes. The tremendous heat is cooled by injecting a small amount of water which instantly become super heated steam further driving the rotor and preventing a melt down. The mixture of hot gases and steam exits the rotor where it is cooled and water is re-condensed. Hold on to your hat Bob, out of our way Vett!
Fun to dream isn’t it.
Charlie
It’s amazing how the world turns. the planet was different long ago and man had nothing to do with it, CO2 has been higher in the past also. But to you that doesn’t matter. to others it means the planet changes on it’s own. In the 70’s the next ice age was coming, in the 80’s plastic bags were the answer to save trees (even though trees are our greatest resource)90’s started global warming, and now we have ethanol. ALL have been shown to be a joke. Planet temps are not hurt by man, plastic bags are now being banned in towns across America and now ethanol is under attack by environmental groups as worse than oil. and ethanol cost to much to make and is causing world wide food shortages and high prices.please spend more time trying to find a product we can use that makes it cheaper to live, but until then stop with the hoax that CO2 is killing us and cars are destroying the planet. DRILL,DRILL & DRILL. THAN REFINE, REFINE & REFINE.
Lou
Lou,
Sure, the planet was different. But it’s the cause and the pace that differentiate the change today. Global Mean Surface Temperature and climate are things that usually change over centuries. This gives animals and plants time to adapt to the change.
The pace of CO2 driven change isn’t like that. We’ve got centuries of heating compressed into a few dozen years.
If Mother Nature chooses to change the climate – there’s not much we can do about that except suck it up and adapt. However, life in the US is pretty good. We grow plenty of food and have much arable land. It’s unreasonable to expect “change” will be an “improvement.” It is unlikely that deserts will begin to bloom in response to change as fast as currently arable land can be destroyed by those same changes.
As for “in the 70’s – ice age.” Yes, there was some serious science that suggested this. Further review shot that down pretty quick. The principal drivers for this were aerosols, dust and other aspects of pollution. Some of those things are under control. However, the underlying science that dealt with aerosols, etc, was advanced, in part by looking at the possibility of an upcoming ice age and this learning is integrated into the IPCC report and other climate models.
It is unwise to presume that we can change the environment negligently and the earth will shield us from any unfortunate change.
Lou
This might be outlandish to say, but I think that overall everyone in this forum has similar goals; it is just a matter of how quickly we get there. You said “The problem is that the global warming crowd is causing (costing?) all of us more money and taking choice in cars from Americans”. I wouldn’t disagree with you, but I might ask you, having grown up in a country with the highest standard of living on the planet, how much do you need? What are you willing to forgo today to make sure your dozens of great grandchildren will breathe clean air and live in a country that is energy independent?
You also said, “Until another source of fuel comes along that is cheaper and can be delivered to ALL Americans oil is what drives America”. It all comes back to timing. When will it be convenient for us to start steering the ship in a smarter direction? Five years ago we could have “chosen” to invest $60 Billion on alternative energy incentives and developing an energy policy that focuses on reducing consumption and developing alternative sources of energy. Instead, we chose to go fight for oil we pay retail for, to the tune of $600 Billion and counting.
Even if you don’t believe in GW, you have to agree that the steps needed to address it will in the long run make our country and the planet a cleaner healthier place.
‘Carbon tariff’ could bring jobs back from China: Rubin
DAVID EBNER
11:45 EST Thursday, Mar 27, 2008
CALGARY – Manufacturers that have relocated to China may soon be coming home if the Western world imposes a “carbon tariff” on countries that spew greenhouse gas emissions, according to Jeff Rubin, chief strategist and economist at CIBC World Markets.
Mr. Rubin, in a report issued on Thursday morning, said it is clear Western countries are moving quickly to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions and he highlighted that China’s estimated emissions in 2007 supplanted the United States after rising rapidly through this decade.
Given the increasing emissions imbalance between the developed world and countries such as China, Mr. Rubin said the “only leverage is through trade access,” specifically a “carbon tariff.” Mr. Rubin predicted such a tariff, based on $45 per tonne of carbon dioxide or equivalent, would be $55-billion annually, a 17-per cent levy on all Chinese imports to the U.S. – almost six times greater than the effective current import tariffs.
The main impact of such a scenario would be on companies that have moved their factories to China – and consumers in North America. In a world where carbon emissions cost nothing, moving to China, with its cheap labour, made perfect sense, Mr. Rubin said. That situation is unlikely to last, he added.
“For many industries that joined the exodus to the cheap labour markets of East Asia, imposing a carbon tariff means coming home,” Mr. Rubin said in his report entitled “Coming Home,” co-authored with economist Benjamin Tal.
“Without such a tariff, the earnest efforts of [developed] countries to decarbonize their own economies would become absurdly quixotic in the face of the avalanche of emissions that will come from the rest of the world.”
Companies – because of their high carbon output – that are mostly likely to re-relocate are makers of chemical products, as well as makers of non-metallic mineral products such as cement, glass and lime, according to Mr. Rubin. Printing, primary metals makers and machinery manufacturing are also exposed.
For North American consumers, such a tariff of course would mean imported products would become more expensive. At a carbon cost of $45 a tonne, Mr. Rubin projected the U.S. inflation rate would be increased by about 0.6 percentage points, roughly a 25-per-cent increase from the current core U.S. inflation rate of 2.5 per cent.
Buck
I’m not willing to give up any of the cars I own because they are not causing the planet to warm. companies and the Government are spending money to find alternatives oil, if you like it or not does drive the world economy. Oil is responsible for some many products not just gas. I do care about my children and what they breathe. I have 7 children and CO2 is not the problem. Ethanol is not the answer to a non-problem. And the use of food to make ethanol is costing more at the Supermarket.
Charlie
You said that serious science was behind the 70’s ice-age,It was wrong. serious science is behind global warming too and it’s wrong.You have no FACTS to say CO2 from man or cars are doing anything that’s why it has always been known as a theory.we grow lots of food but we are using lots of it to make ethanol increasing the cost of all food, we are for the first time in US history importing wheat. You can gow all the food you want but when you take a large percentage of that product off the market it hurts the supply and increases the cost of it.
Oil is it we need to have an energy policy to go get more here in the USA and Refine it here. The world needs an increase in supply to lower prices. CO2 is not changing the planet temp. And yes when another product comes along that is cheaper and able to get to all americans that is when it will take the place of oil. Supply and Demand is what all world economies depend on. Oil and food supplies are low and that means everything is high in cost.
The previous postings don’t say “stop using oil” they say “use less oil” and “use oil in a way that doesn’t add to the CO2 load in our atmosphere”.
A PHEV will still use oil, just a lot less.
A previous posting had a link to NASA’s website, that in my mind clearly shows less ice (and thinner ice).
- http://www.nasa.gov/lb/vision/earth/environment/danger_point.html
- You need to scroll down a bit to see the interesting stuff.
If you disagree that global warming is real, please provide a link to a source that is at least as credible as NASA.
David
I have no problem using less oil. But if you are reading all that is said,oil consumption will not go down world demand is rising and the current ethanol push is shown to be a non-solution. I’m not playing the web site game with you. not all beleive in global warming is caused by man. You all want to forget the history of the planet. Al Gore is making Millions from this hoax, He donated his “nobel winning prize” to his own company. The weather channel has people threatening Meteorologists who don’t believe in global warming with a threat of stripping them of AMA certification. The web site game doesn’t play with me. You find me a web site that shows the DATA that the Car or OIL or even man was the cause of the planet changes thousands of years ago. Tell me how was Niagara Falls created? Look it UP. Lake Ontario is smaller than in past history and that created it. My Parents home sits in what was once the bed of Lake ontario. Please Tell me how this is. Look up Ridge Road in the town of Greece, NY. It’s called that because that is the former shoreline. That shoreline is about 5 miles from the current one.
Lou
Lou, your ranting leaves me uninspired to believe that you are a source of credible discussion on this serious matter.
You are entitled to your opinions; I form my opinions from sources such as NASA and The Royal Society.
Lou
Like davidjames said, my point is that for us to maintain our standard of living we need to take a serious look at our consumption habits. I realize the topic here is the validity of GW but it’s clear you are not buying into the “hoax”; so I’m simply pointing out that as a nation we are grappling with obesity at all levels and need to tighten our belts and start “eating” smarter. When you say “I’m not willing to give up any of the cars I own because they are not causing the planet to warm” it sounds like someone in the 70’s saying, “I’m not buying unleaded gas because it makes my Hemi ping”. Often, strides in technology designed to improve the environment in the long run, negatively impact performance in the short term.
What we need is an energy cabinet that can bring all parties together; Energy, Manufacturing, EPA, Agriculture etc and lay it all on the table. Then topics like ethanol will be weighted and shown to be a bad idea. And while they’re at it, anything with internal combustion at the vehicle level probably won’t look like a good long term solution either. An energy cabinet is not much different than a department of defense; in order to ensure our freedom, we need energy independence. Moving more quickly down the path of alternative energy, will no doubt increase the price of energy but at least we will be in control of how big of a hit we take.
I’m here because I want to keep talking with those that think opening windows and running the furnace is their birth right or believe we are arrogant to think we can destroy the planet.
Al Gore is a forward-thinking guy. He sees opportunity in green tech. Opportunity that will pass us by if we don’t take advantage of it.
The principal outcome of going green for America could be jobs and a better balance of trade. Or we can “go green” by doing business as usual until the oil dries up and the lights go out and then we sit in the dark. With Florida underwater.
David
I didn’t know that talking about the facts of the planet was Ranting. Sorry the facts got in the way.
Buck
Alternative fuels will take over when one is able to take the place of oil. and Ethanol is not it. we will never be able to use ethanol in the long term. Cost is a huge factor for this country and many others. The debate her is whether CO2 from cars is changing the planet, and it’s not. I work in the “climate” everyday in Florida. I cut grass and look for many ways to save money.(ie: I use 4stroke handheld tools and a Diesel lawnmower). I’m not worried about my house being under water anytime soon. Some gobal warming so called experts also say we are running out of water. So wich is it, are we going to dry up or flood. Roy Spencer, former NASA for you Dave,Doesn’t support the theory. not everyone at nasa supports the theory.
Please click on my name below for the link
New York Times
April 6, 2008
A Shift in the Debate Over Global Warming
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
The charged and complex debate over how to slow down global warming has become a lot more complicated.
Most of the focus in the last few years has centered on imposing caps on greenhouse gas emissions to prod energy users to conserve or switch to nonpolluting technologies.
Leaders of the Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change – the scientists awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year with former Vice President Al Gore – have emphasized that market-based approach. All three presidential candidates are behind it. And it has framed international talks over a new climate treaty and debate within the United States over climate legislation.
But now, with recent data showing an unexpected rise in global emissions and a decline in energy efficiency, a growing chorus of economists, scientists and students of energy policy are saying that whatever benefits the cap approach yields, it will be too little and come too late.
The economist Jeffrey D. Sachs, head of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, stated the case bluntly in a recent article in Scientific American: “Even with a cutback in wasteful energy spending, our current technologies cannot support both a decline in carbon dioxide emissions and an expanding global economy. If we try to restrain emissions without a fundamentally new set of technologies, we will end up stifling economic growth, including the development prospects for billions of people.”
What is needed, Mr. Sachs and others say, is the development of radically advanced low-carbon technologies, which they say will only come about with greatly increased spending by determined governments on what has so far been an anemic commitment to research and development. A Manhattan-like Project, so to speak.
And time is critical, they say, as China, India and other developing nations march headlong into the modern world of cars and electric consumption on their way to becoming the dominant producer of greenhouse gases for decades to come. Indeed, China is building, on average, one large coal-burning power plant a week.
In an article in the journal Nature last week, researchers concerned with the economics, politics, and science of climate also argued that technology policy, not emissions policy, must dominate.
“There is no question about whether technological innovation is necessary – it is,” said the authors, Roger A. Pielke Jr., a political scientist at the University of Colorado; Tom Wigley, a climatologist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research; and Christopher Green, an economist at McGill University. “The question is, to what degree should policy focus directly on motivating such innovation?”
Proponents of treaties and legislation that would cap emissions don’t disagree with this call to arms for new, low-carbon technologies. But they say the cap approach should not be ignored, either.
One of them is Joseph Romm, a blogger on climate and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a nonprofit group pushing for federal legislation to restrict greenhouse gases.
“Of course we need aggressive investments in R. and D. – I for one have been arguing that for two decades,” Mr. Romm wrote in a post to his blog, climateprogress.org. “But if we don’t start aggressively deploying the technologies we have now for the next quarter century, then all the new technologies in the world won’t avert catastrophe.”
Another expert who has emphasized the importance of capping emissions, Adil Najam of Boston University, said he hoped this emerging debate would not distract from doing whatever is possible now to curb emissions.
“You can do a tremendous lot with available technology,” said Professor Najam, one of the authors of the intergovernmental panel’s report on policy options. “It is true that this will not be enough to lick the problem, but it will be a very significant and probably necessary difference.”
But Professor Pielke and his co-authors say that a recent rise in emissions – particularly in fast-growing emerging powers – points to the need for government to push aggressively for technological advances instead of waiting for the market to force reductions in emissions.
Mr. Sachs pointed to several promising technologies – capturing and burying carbon dioxide, plug-in hybrid cars and solar-thermal electric plants. “Each will require a combination of factors to succeed: more applied scientific research, important regulatory changes, appropriate infrastructure, public acceptance and early high-cost investments,” he said. “A failure on one or more of these points could kill the technologies.”
In short, what is needed, he said, is a “major overhaul of energy technology” financed by “large-scale public funding of research, development and demonstration projects.”
At the same time, China and India continue to insist that economic growth is both their priority and right. They argue that the established economic powers should be responsible for spearheading the research to reduce carbon emissions. After all, the United States and Europe spent more than a century growing wealthy by burning fossil fuels.
Developing countries repeatedly made that point last week in Bangkok in the latest round of United Nations talks over the shape of a new climate agreement. But the United States rejected a proposal from China that 0.5 percent of the gross domestic product of industrialized countries be used to disseminate nonpolluting energy technologies.
As if to underscore the energy and emissions trajectories in Asia’s emerging powerhouses –and the priority placed on growth there and among important international institutions – the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank is planning to vote on Monday on helping to finance a four-billion-watt complex of coal-burning power plants, the “Ultra Mega” complex, in Gujarat State in India.
Wow.
It’s really sad to see people carry on about polution and Bob’s comments as if it really has an affect on their personal lives.
Seems as if it’s more important than whether your kids are doing well in school and your family is taken care of….. you know, the things that really matter in life.
The comments of one VP from a giant business should not upset anyone, nor should things beyond your control take control over you.
Do the right thing for yourself and your family, and let everything else you have no control over go.
Life is short. Enjoy it.
Drive a Camaro!
To Joe Cleveland,
You seem to subscribe to the “short-term gain at the expense of long-term pain” view of life.
It’s precisely because people care about their families that they should be concerned about climate change.
David
Maybe you don’t understand what Joe is saying.
He is telling you to do what YOU feel is right but don’t force others to do the same if they don’t believe in what you are doing.
The problem is that the stats keep coming out that we are, as a planet, putting out more CO2 and the planet for the last 10 years has not changed and in the last 13 months it has cooled. were I live in Florida we just had record low temp on April 15. How ironic that is Tax day and a record low. Oil and CO2 are not changing the temp of the planet but if you think it is than work to replace all that the product (oil) does. The reality of the global warming hoax is that it’s now costing everyone in the world more and some countries are having riots because of a shortage or high prices. The only long term pain we are having is higher prices on everything not just gas. “Splash and dash” with biodiesel is now costing us money for fuel we don’t even use, or sometimes re-import. Government involvement in paying credits to companies to offset the higher cost of making ethanol or biodiesel is to high a price. You want to replace oil, fine, But we still don’t have the product to do that at a price we all can afford.
Please click on my name below to see the article to explain “splash and dash”
Lou
In hinor of Earth Day, let me thank you Mr. Lutz for expressing quite succinctly what the majority of us feel….its all a crock.
Also, thanks for building our terrific Tahoe, which, if it ever falls apart, we will replace with a new Suburban (not a hybrid Tahoe)
Eeeeeeck…
The temperature has risen 5 degrees since earlier this morning.
Quick, raise my taxes and take away my Tahoe, it must be climate change.
“But we still don’t have the product to do that at a price we all can afford”. Lou, define “afford”. Ten years ago Europe’s gas prices were what we are paying today. We just spent $600 BILLION fighting to hang on to the old product.
While the rest of the world buys into the climate change “hoax” and is throwing money hand over fist to develop cleaner sustainable energy technologies we have a president that thinks getting our automobile fleet up to 35mpg by the year 2020 is a bold move. This is an arms race and we’re trying to pump more air into our Daisy. We do agree on one thing, bio-fuels are not the answer.
We are pretty much done here with the scientific angle; the vast majority of the scientific community agrees on our impact on global warming and there will always be a minority dissenting opinion. But when Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich agree on something, that doesn’t leave much wiggle room.
What Is “afford”?
Affordable is a product that does not change the entire world market of every single product you buy. Stop all Government subsidies and stop with all the regulations that other governments don’t have. Until you do have that product you must increase the supply by drilling here and to build more refineries. When your Mystery product comes along than you have a winner and it will take oil’s place.
I do not accept your premise that most of science believes in global warming, nor that Newt and Nancy agree. Newt released a statement today explaining that he is doing this to make sure both sides a represented in the argument. The problem with most, including Al Gore, is they don’t want to debate the fact’s of the past and are going on a theory and in Al’s case lie. It came out a couple of Days ago that parts of his movie were computer animated and never happened.(Came from the movie ” Day after Tomorrow “) Facts and the past of the planet are getting in the way of the theory. Brazil just found a huge oil field we have huge amounts all over this country. I really don’t care what other countries do there is no country on this planet I wish to follow. Europe is paying $10 a gallon,high unemployment, huge taxes, and a Health care system falling apart. Which country do you wish to follow? Do you really want to drive a 900 pound car?
you keep bringing up europe and the $600 Billion. Do you Have a product to replace Oil? Leaders from NASA who support the hoax are now sounding the alarm that is ethanol. The use of corn as a fuel is a total failure and needs to be stopped.
Is this for real, and if so why is no one actually pursuing it? It is a fuel cell technology that is making outlandish promises but has receieve very little press. If anyone there at GM is listening please let us know. This is pretty incredible if is indeed real.
http://www.waterforgas.tv/?gclid=CPyDjaztgZMCFSOkiQodlyptwg
Joe
“Is this for real, and if so why is no one actually pursuing it?”
If this was for real, the price of oil would be in freefall.
When it comes to energy issue always remember, “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” The Second Law of Thermodynamics reigns supreme.
How the world turns. Scientist now say that the world is going to take a “break” from its warming for a natural cooling for the next 10 to 15 years, and now 31,000 scientists have signed a petition to warn the USA not to sign any treaty on global warming and that CO2 is a benefit and that man is not warming the planet. Please Mr. Gore lets Debate.
Call me
Thanks Bob, We need more prominent people like you to say what anyone with half a brain knows. Our elected and appointed “Royalty” could give a crap about this country and it’s people. They brainwash the chidren with this trash and try to scare and control us by making us feel guilty for having achieved the unrivaled place in history as the greatest most generous country that has ever existed. Keep speaking your mind Bob. Thanks again
God bless you, Bob Lutz! With just one casual sentence, one beautiful sentence, you have interrupted the disturbing dance between enviro-huckster and enviro-drone.
And your refusal to back down when confronted by the angry face of the apology-driven media only confirms your integrity. A corporate VP with integrity . . . who would have thought?
Bob Lutz, you are my hero.
This comment is for Lisa Adams, written on February 22/08. Lisa, you state that once someone switches from an American car to a Toyota or a Honda, they almost never go back. Where did you get your information? Did you do a study on this, or are you just basing this on a few of your friends????
Dear Sylvie,
1. The US market share of GM/Ford/Chrysler has been going down every year for many, many years.
2. The US market share of Toyota/Honda has been going up every year for many, many years.
3. The vast majority of cars purchased in the US are by individuals that already have a car.
4. Therefore, GM/Ford/Chrysler have a declining % of the US market because individuals who switch to Toyota/Honda almost never switch back to GM/Ford/Chrysler.
Dear Lisa:
In response to your comment, “the US market share of GM/Ford/Chrysler has being going up for many many years” etc… is just again a general statement. You really haven’t proven anything. I did some research on the internet and found that GM reported an increase in sales among the majors in 2007. It is reported that Toyota sales declined in Jan/07. Also, Toyota posts bigger drops than GM in June/08. Just check out some sites on the internet regarding stats for sales of GM verses Toyota and Honda. You will therefore get the proper facts.
in june of 2008 GM sales were down 18%, Toyota was down 22%. Gm is still the #1 aoutmaker in the world even though all the so called experts have been saying since december of 2006 that Toyota was going to jump past GM. We GM lovers are still waiting.
Mr. Lutz,
I agree with your views about Global Warming being a crock. However, not everyone does. What is important is continued advancement. You have to take the good with the bad. If gasoline engines were never designed then no one would have gasoline engines. Basically, if the technology possibilities are there then the advancement possibilities are there. So, if nobody created new things then the interest in it would cease.
Dear Bob,
‘Global warming is a crock of s***t?’ That sounds to me like a man, who dares to say, what he thinks, who does go with the head against the wall if necessary. And this is a man, with power in his hands. So that raises a question to me.
Your employees are just now starting to think about questions like what needs to be changed on the electric grids, to accommodate the Chevy Volt, or who should pay for the recharge at work. The answers are nothing, and nobody. Sell Chevy Volt together with a solar power generator, in a bundle.
‘Solar generator?? What kind of s**t is this one talking about?’ – you might ask. Well, how many start up and well established enterprises do you think will just do the same? Selling solar, wind, water, or whatever generators to the happy Chevy buyers? Because the technology is out there. One, two, a dozen, hundreds? Stealing your business. But if GM is offering an all round solution, isn’t that a sales advantage?
‘Yeah, generators, the price tags couldn’t fit the windscreen…’ Well, prices go down with volume. And the generator is also filling up your next car. Or the coffee machine. It’s up to you.
‘What volume??’ – you might ask.
Well, would you be willing to pay, for never ever paying again?
‘Buy a Prius, and pay less at the gas station.’ Sounds good. ‘Buy a Volt bundle, and all miles are for free!’
Or you want to sell fleet? Sell it with a wind turbine.
‘Dear employees, our cafeteria system has a new element: energy. Filling up your car at working hours is now for free. Best regards, Google HR.’ You think they wouldn’t do it? They are just now experimenting on an electric sports car.
If you’re a man, who likes to go with the head against the wall, than this one is for you. The wall being the complete oil industry, as we know it, and at stake is the most lucrative business model of the new century. And you are the chief of product development at the largest automaker of the world. You can revolutionize the transportation industry. So, my question is: will you go for it?
Best regards,
Barnabás
Ps.: ice caps do melt, and a deep fresh breathe of air at inner city New York would be nice. Thanks.
I am sorry that I have just now read your comments here, but kudos to you in trying to do the right thing for GM and for us. My husband and I are very much GM fans (Chevy in particular) and in 30+ years of being married, have never owned anything else. My husband builds racing engines, and as such, he always looks for the sportier looking vehicles with the most horsepower, within our buying budget. We currently own a 2007 Monte Carlo SS and a 2005 Colorado pickup. We love the V8 with displacement on demand in the Monte Carlo. It has power and fuel economy.
We are getting ready to think about replacing the Colorado and we are kind of at a loss of what to do. The one we have has been horrible on power, shifting several times going up hills and racing the engine to the sky each time, and mileage has been 20 mpg at best. For the loss in power, the mpg hasn’t been that good.
We are looking at the new Colorados and found they are being offered with a V8, but not with fuel economy such as the displacement on demand like my car and the Silverados have. At a time when we need fuel economy, why would you not offer a V8 with displacement on demand for the Colorados as well? The power of the V8 will upgrade the Colorados tremendously and make them more fun to drive, but we are unwilling to give up the 20 mpg we get with our 2005. Hence, our quandary of not knowing what to replace it with. Is there any possibility that you will offer the displacement on demand V8 in the 2009 Colorados?
Again, thanks for all you are trying to do.
Lutz is why capitalism is dead
General Motors is slowing careening into destiny’s fate: the graveyard.
Why? Consider that:
A) GM was the absolute first major car maker in history to make an electric car commercial. Then it recalled every one of them, sent the majority to an Arizona desert graveyard, and destroyed them. A couple still exist in auto museums.
B) GM has struggled since then to produce cars that provide over the CAFE standard.
C) Certainly the Hummer H3 gets 13 mpg. Unfortunately, that is in an environment in which many foreign autos get beyond 20 mpg. The >20 mpg isn’t necessarily something to write home about, yet it is still above what the H3 provides. And besides, even if the H3 does get better mpg than the Toyota Tundra et al, that’s even missing the point. The point is, the bigger picture is, that all consumer, non-commercial vehicles should be meeting or exceeding CAFE standards.
D) Providing 0% consumer financing for 5-7 years is not a sustainable strategy. No, it’s not.
E) While we complain or attempt to reframe that Toyota has a lower mpg vehicle than ours, we have nothing to compete with the Prius, the Insight or any of the other hybrid vehicles out there. And relying on FlexFuel vehicles still means that we are relying on some sort of expensive-to-the-environment fuel.
Throughout my time in the GM family, I must say I’m severely disappointed in Mr. Lutz judgment. Perhaps he should go fly his Saab. He’s better with his head in the clouds than dealing with the battleground issues that we’re all fighting for.
Bob,
Saw your interview on 60 minutes. I don’t know if they intentionally did a ‘hatchet’ job on you, or whether you were represented fairly….. Nevertheless, I was surprised and dissapointed at your apparent level of arrogance. I think such levels of arrogance and hubris from our so-called corporate and political elites is the cause of where we find ourselves today. To my way of thinkin’ there is a lot of ’splainin to do.
Thanks,
Ytsur
If Mr. Lutz is so opposed to accepting of global warming as an issue that should be attempted to curtail then why would he want the Chevy Volt to be a success when there are surly “big oil” stockholders in GM’s board room? They certainly wouldn’t like to see the electric vehicle replace the internal combustion engine now would they?
I know a lot of people who were born with lung disease (myself included); why would a big auto company care about maintaining a healthy Earth/ air environment when it’s their profits that are more important to them? The only way I could see loaning GM money is for a reasonable return on an insured taxpayer investment & Mr. Lutz replaced by a “greener” thinking individual who wants to see a new frontier of automobile conquered by American ingenuity & not just looking out for the stockholders.
RIP GM
I wish it wasn’t so.
Mr Lutz and his cronies should be forced to repay their huge bonuses if GM gets bailed-out.
A quote from the NY Times “…[F]ailure to sell cars like the Toyota Prius, which was built only as a hybrid — a vehicle that G.M.’s vice chairman, Robert A. Lutz, dismissed early on as a public relations move.”
“Lutz and his cronies should be forced to repay their huge bonuses if GM gets bailed-out.”
-Lisa Adam.
I would add that if they plan on revising the SUV then they should be sent out the door. I really think they’re just posturing for money for their pockets before their archaic ways bury them once & for all.
It doesn’t bother me they flew into DC on their individual corporate jets. It may be a condition of their personal insurance that they travel in such a mode? I was more disturbed by their arogance that global warming isn’t a product of pollution or at least exacerbated by it. The status quo of these American auto makers is to keep the buying public consuming oil. There is no regard to future generations in their selfish atitudes that have came to take them down. Good riddance to them if bankruptcy forces the companies to trim the waste.
I feel for the auto worker in that they have such selfish single minded people heading their companies. If I were any of these workers, I would look towards the those companies that are looking to produce electric vehicles. That probably won’t be Detroit so it will be an upgrade if you have to move.
Good luck people, hang in there. There is another frontier to conquer & it doesn’t involve oil.
I don’t agree with the bailout that is happening! At all! Will you refund to the tax payers your profits, since you were not willing to change your business model in the last 20 years to sell more eco friendly cars, instead of higher margin SUVs and trucks?
I think it is a crock that you folks can run your business irresponsibly and make huge profits for a while, and then expect a hand out from the American “public” not government, since we are actually going to foot the bill. You probably will continue to shove SUVs down our throats because you make more money on them.
If there is an auto industry bail-out, the unions should be compelled to reduce hourly wages to the industry averages for similar jobs. GM’s current wage rates put the company at a competative disadvantage.
Now that I’m thinking about it, even without a bail-out the unions need to adjust wage rates to keep GM competative.
Well done GM!
I mean it; this is a step in the right direction. Arrogance and denial doesn’t have to be your middle name.
Monday, Dec 08, 2008
DETROIT — — General Motors Corp. [GM-N]on Monday unveiled an unusually frank advertisement acknowledging it had “disappointed” and sometimes even “betrayed” American consumers as it lobbies to clinch the federal aid it needs to stay afloat into next month.
Mr. Lutz,
GM has already lost the race to market of the electric car through mismanagement and insight. Why not beat the pack with the with a fuel cell vehicle?
Not all HAT and no cattle nonsense but a real fuel cell vehicle in the SHOW ROOM that people can buy before the competition gets there first.
Al Colangelo
If GM had continued building and improving on the Electric Car(which,as everyone knows,they took back and destroyed.),they would not be in this mess.They would have been far ahead of all the others.This is just one of MANY examples of how NOT ONE Corporate entity learned from the energy crisis in the 1970’s,not to mention most Americans period.
It is a sad fact that the bail-out money is being wasted.It should have been given to the (currently) smaller companies that are trying to put out their electric/alternative fueled vehicles.I say let the Arabs keep their oil and America become stronger from within.
To you individuals that still think human beings are not destroying the Earth-you really need to wake the hell up and understand that environmental issues caused by human industry and “progress” will not magic themselves away in time to save your children and grand-children from some type of harm.
I am no crazy hippie tree-hugger-it’s just that the FACTS are out there,it’s been proven and cannot be denied.I assume you are all learned people,be a part of the solution-don’t continue the problem,it doesn’t help to be delusional and continue to think there isn’t a gigantic problem with the way we Americans and everybody else for that matter,have been doing things for the past 40 or more years.I dare you to prove me wrong-you’ll just make yourselves look ignorant.
A new, lean and much smaller GM is the correct approach.
Of course if I worked for GM, I’d be more concerned about my financial situation than the survival of GM.
Long live General Motors!
The recent ad on TV saying that GM cars where better than Hondas because GM doesn’t make lawn mowers is just plain ignorant.
Honda lawn mowers are the most expensive and the very best lawn mowers available to the us home
owners. Just like the superb Honda Outboard Motors and Motorcycles.
Perhaps if GM would have put their efforts to perfecting small motors they would not be facing bankruptcy.
Honda engineering of small, dependable engines then building on this knowledge to build larger, dependable engines is the reason they have succeeded in the market place.
People can not be fooled forever and, as with most business failures, the problems are from within.
Ads that try to denigrate fine products, such as a Honda lawn mower, will only backfire .
My Opinion on what GM should do:
Kill Buick before you kill Cadillac, and you will be killing Cadillac by making a front wheel drive sub CTS. Make a large rear drive caddy to compete with the Europeans. Cadillac should be LEADING Audi, Mercedes, Lexus and inifiniti rather then following. The CTS is a step in the right direction but where are the rest of the products? Give the Hummer HX design to GMC and change the grille. Making several different versions of the same car is a bad idea anyway (example – Torrent, Vue, Equinox) . GMC should have made the HX and called it the Terrain rather than the upcoming Terrain that is being made. Realize that Crossovers and SUVs are different animals. Hummer had to die. Fine. But don’t call a crossover the “Terrain” and then give it huge overhangs and no ground clearance. It’s misleading. The word terrain means “a tract of land, esp. as considered with reference to its natural features, military advantages, etc.”. That name should reserved for an SUV. Not a crossover. Killing Pontiac was a necessary step but don’t call the G8 a “Camaro” sedan. Hyundai calling the new and admittedly excellent rwd Tiburon a “Genesis Coupe” is confusing because there is already a Genesis sedan and they look nothing alike. Don’t make that mistake. Call it a Chevelle, Caprice or if you have to, Monte Carlo. It stays with your “C” naming strategy such as Cruze, Camaro, Corvette. Get rid of the Impala name plate. I don’t know anything about Buick but I do know that Buick should get Opel’s products such as the Insignia and the Antara. I thought killing HUMMER was a bad idea but I understand it had to happen. If there were more cash reserves I would have liked to see Hummer reinvent itself by making smaller models that were still highly capable off road vehicles with solid axles – such as the HX. Now that this is irrelevant, I think GMC should step to the plate by making a true “rally car”. Base it on the Chevy Cruze SS platform or the Saturn Sky/Pontiac Solstice platform but give it AWD, paddle shifters, a dual clutch manumatic, and skid plates. make it a purist model with upgraded suspension but only one trim level. Compete head to head with Lancer Evo and Impreza STi. Here is a good name plate – “GMC RoaR” standing for Rapid Off-road And Reliance – a tribute to the history of the brand. I am a GM guy all the way but the 2011 Grand Cherokee is going to be hard to beat, especially with those incentives. If you give GMC a few products that can actually compete with whats out there by making the HX (an upgraded competitor to the wrangler but without SO MANY configurations – KEEP IT SIMPLE) then I will be a loyal customer. Fuel economy is not as important to me as overall value, especially in the current economic landscape. thanks.
ALSO: GMC – hire me to be in charge of the “RoaR” project and I will beat the Evo and STi at their own game.
I have a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies; Business Leadership and Psychology. In addition, my father worked for GM and Delphi for 34 years as a supervisor.
One more thing:
All this nonsense about the corporate jets needs to stop. THE FACT IS – GM HAD ITS OWN Private AIR FORCE because it was CHEAPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and took less time then flying on commercial airlines. The Corporate jets were not luxury jets but standard jets that GM kept operational – a fleet they maintained themselves. So you people need to shut up about it if you don’t know what you are talking about.
Correction to prior post – the Hummer HX concept was a not a solid axle but an experimental suspension system. Obviously, the GMC version would have a more conventional suspension.
One more thing:
All this nonsense about the corporate jets needs to stop. THE FACT IS – GM HAD ITS OWN Private AIR FORCE because it was CHEAPER!!! and took less time then flying on commercial airlines. The Corporate jets were not luxury jets but standard jets that GM kept operational – a fleet they maintained themselves. My father and many employees of GM flew on those jets and they were not executives. Do the research before you make ignorant comments.
The oil refinery companies are more wealthy and powerful then most people can imagine. They brought the whole world to its knees in 2008. In sept/08 gas was at $5.00 a gallon in the US but in Venezuela it was around 12 cents a gallon. If we introduced a TAX on the PROFITS that the oil companies make rather then taxing consumers for using oil it would be a big boon to government revenue and would show the oil companies that they don’t have unlimited power!
Fold this fake bankruptcy, let GM organize normal. We goning to loose 100’s of billions either way, so why not let GM start fresh, rebuid from bottom up. Remember, GM was lossing billions back before 2007 when the market was great. Please use bankruptcy to clean the slate, otherwise we and GM loose.
>> Honda lawn mowers are the most expensive and the very best lawn mowers available to the us homeowners. Just like the superb Honda Outboard Motors and Motorcycles. <<
Honda also makes pretty good snow blowers.