Lutz Already Causing Trouble at GM, For Better or Worse

I'd prefer it if they kept the Commodore name. Much better than Caprice.

Lutz the Dinosaur says, "rrrrrrr!" The media reports it.

What car is selling best at GM right now? The Camaro SS, which apparently has a waiting list, and its factory running 3 shifts. Granted, sales are presently on hold thanks to some bad transmission output shafts, but that will get straightened out.

If that is what Customers want from GM, then Bob Lutz, who has shown he can shepard these out of the GM system, sounds like a good fit.

Let Mr. Lutz speak his mind. I don't agree with everything he does/says, however for the most part I like the guy and I think he's good for the business.

He's the Joe Biden of GM - a white haired gaffe machine. But what's the deal calling him a long time GM exec?

GM just unable to change. Bringing him back was a big mistake. He had so many opportunities to make this company better in the past, why would be his results any different this time. GM needs to get rid of all these old farts. This company is just another fish that stinks from its head.
Bob Lutz thinks that it's uncool to drive a foreign car. I have a bad news for you Bobby most people buy foreign cars (thanks to you, and your predecessors). You don't understand the consumer, and you don't have products for them. End of story!

kurt, the Camaro, like the Solstice, is a flash. Longterm a major manufacturer (not Ferrari) cannot be successful selling just sports cars. Lutz has a one track mind and it's related directly to fast cars.

Toyota didn't rise to the #1/#2 position in the world with the Supra. Honda's success is not based on the Prelude (it's gone). Nissan's got the 370z but that was gone for over a long spell and even now it moves very few units compared to the car that did save Nissan in the early 2000s (Altima).

Fast cars are neat. Most people don't buy them.

Driven a Mopar lately? Is it any wonder they're going under?

The comments by "mito" pretty much nail it.
Bob Lutz is part of the reason why the old GM didn''t make it. They are fools to bring him back. I can't believe he actually is getting paid by this company. If they are stupid enough to bring him back then they deserve to go under again.
Don't they remember him bailing on them......
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aB8JzFrrdKRE&refer=home

The two boobs above me don't know anything about cars or the car business. Bob Lutz is the only man from the old GM that brought them anyting even close to resembling decent competition for the imports. The CTS, Malibu, current Vette, and new Camaro, are just some of his doing. Car guys being allowed to make better cars was never GM's problem. Crushing debt and servitude to the UAW is what killed it.

I have never been a big fan of GM, but the current crop of cars showed signs that the company was just about ready to break from the 90's Grand Am/Cavalier mold and guys like Bob Lutz were instrumental in finally getting the accountants away from designing their cars....

^+ 1.

I like Lutz' guts. A strong leader in product development can only help GM, not hurt it. Calling him a dinosaur is just group think, which is frequently wrong, and not based on a factual analysis.

If Lutz hadn't been introduced, GM would still be building badge-engineered Grand Prixs, Cavaliers, and outdated minivans. I'm not saying Lutz has saved the company, but my gosh I'm amazed at how far they've come during his tenure:
Pontiac became exciting again (if only briefly).
GM actually had RWD cars again.
Cadillac became a new standard in automotive design (imo, surpassing BMW).
The current line of trucks are phenomenally competent.

Honestly, I'm not sure exactly how many miracles you're expecting from this guy.

GM doesn't suck they used to make great cars but sadly for corporate royals making money for them selves is more important than making great products and making money the right way. Well here are the consequences. Lets hope Lutz helps the American car industry bringing great cars back.

80 billion in losses since Lutz got to GM over 7 years ago. But yeah he's a miracle worker.

You guys must work in industries where people have really, really low expectations for success - maybe the medical industry? Hospitality? Seriously where is it that you can start at a company and after 7+ years as an executive, a bankruptcy, a shedding of 20% of your marketshare and a national failure results in you being championed as a hero in the mainstream press?

He is everything that is wrong with America - privileged, resting on his laurels, myopic, chauvinistic, elitist, exploitative, lacking in shame and overall proud of his ignorance.

Wow... "blueguydotcom" must not read or keep up on anything. GM's failure isn't Lutz's fault. Lutz brought real ideas to push out some much needed, much improved designs for GM. Lutz did his damnedest to get the vehicles turned around to where they should be. And, Lutz isn't all about performance cars... do you not remember Lutz's latest baby??? The Volt?? Far from a performance car and definitely shows he does NOT have a one track mind! Lutz takes any good idea for improvement or design and stick with it to completion. The recent improvements in GM's quality is in large part thankful to Lutz. He pushes for improvement, but doesn't have the final say. If it were up to him, every vehicle GM builds would be built better than anything on the planet. Unfortunately, that's where he can't have the final say. The guys in charge of the bank account won't let R&D spend the extra $100 to make sure the electric power steering won't fail. If the sky was the limit and Lutz could have final say on everything, GM would be capable of producing truly the greatest cars on the road.

Lutz mocked the Volt in a TV interview. He compared the volt's prospective buyers to hippies. The man (along with Wagoner) helped destroy GM. He was part of the problem, regardless of what his media cheerleaders (the car media basically thinks this guy's junk tastes like chocolate) and his vocal cheerleaders in here. Lutz in 7 years = GM's marketshare down, bankruptcy, whole divisions gone and the biggie - a bailout from taxpayers. yep, we're paying for this failure to keep his homes and his cars and his lush lifestyle. Good message, guys.

apparently red doesn't read much outside the car media's fanboy clippings about Lutz.

GM could bring in the almighty Saviour himself but it won't do any good until they take out the first and second echelons. Dump Fritz now!

I'm glad Bob Lutz is back. It seems like people (Blueguy, tonyb) forget that he ushered in a new age of product for General Motors, product that can compete with almost anything out there. Lutz didn't run the accounting division, he was the idea man behind the products. Thus, he is NOT the reason behind GM's current struggles. If you want to argue with that statement, feel free to read this comment again.

tscott,

The ideas were not competitive. I recall a bunch of these coming out in the past 3-4 years. Some are rebadges, some are new but all were released under Bob and Rick.

Solstice/Sky
GTO
G3
G6
HHR
Aveo
Cobalt
Imapala
Equinox
H3
Colorado
Astra

Some good new cars did come out of GM in the past few years - Malibu, G8.

That's a lot of misses for a few hits.