Bob Lutz retiring

[Chris_Doane]

http://www.leftlanenews.com/bob-lutz-to-st...nd-of-2009.html

[hyperv6]

Sorry to see Bob go! At this point I can't blaime him.

[daves87rs]

It will be interesting to see where the designs go from here...

[GXT]

That is really too bad. From the outside looking in it appears he was pretty much the only thing that GM had going for it.

[MGZ06]

No even sticking around to see the Volt go into production? that's too bad.

[SoCalCTS]

Good Riddance! I saw this guy on 60 minutes once and was not impressed. We need to get these SUV loving anti fuel efficiency types out of GM ASAP.

[Lance Truthhammer]

I think he will be rightly missed. If you look at the products GM was offering before his tenure and what they are offering now, then you see the impact he has had. I think GM's exterior designs are now cleaner and more focused, and the interior designs now exhibit better fit and finish.

I think the biggest difference is with Cadillac. Many people were excited about the art and science design theme. But the application of it originally left much to be desired (the original CTS). But Lutz infused the theme with elegance. Despite the criticism of some, the results speak for themselves (Sixteen Concept, CTS, Escalade).

Hopefully his replacement will share his vision.

[Brougham-Holiday]

He did a lot for GM, no one can argue that the Malibu/Enclave/CTS/G8/Solsitce/and other great newer GM products would have never seen the light of day at GM without Bob. I hope the new guy keeps Bob's lead going.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Well, chalk it up to another nail in GM's coffin...

I didn't always agree with Lutz, but his influence will be sorely missed as GM circles the toilet bowl.

[mustang84]

Bob brought back some of the fire that old GM used to have with his designs. I have no idea who this new guy is, but I'm not very optimistic at this point.

Despite Bob's not always great PR skills, he will be missed by me.

Edited February 9, 2009 by mustang84

[hyperv6]

To blaime him for the large SUVs and like is just flat ignorent.

He was the first one to bring a Chevy that is on par with the cars from Asia.

He was the first big wig to know enough to ask why GM could not do 3 mm panel gaps. When he got the reply form the staff that no one ever asked.

He stuck hi neck out and brought us the HHR in light that many all said he was nuts. In the last 3 years GM has made a good profit on the 300,000 plus units they have sold. Few of these were fleet sales.

Bob may have over spoke at times but he often spoke as he felt. Honesty may not be popular in the headquarters but it is nice to hear on our end.

I would take another Bob in a heart beat at GM warts and all vs another paper shuffler that has no clue about product.

If GM does not have a good product man to take his place GM is doomed. It will have to be someone that understand and loves cars.

[Intrepidation]

Man I swear, Left Lane News has one of the biggest group of idiot posters on any automotive news site.

[regfootball]

Lutz helped get some GM mojo back with cars like the CTSv, g8, Cobalt SS, etc. He also pushed for better mainstream models some also. Yet, clearly its time GM moved on. GM needs a younger push to more mainstream focus. Not toyotaesque, but something more back to bread and butter and the masses.

[CSpec]

Too bad to see him go, but it was pretty inevitable given his age. He led some great changes at GM, but also pushed through some misguided products IMO, such as the Solstice, which looked great but was never as good as the competition and was a diversion of resources. It seems his replacement is a total engineering type, so we'll see how he feels about design. Lutz's passion for design and master craftsmanship is pretty rare I would think.

[Oracle of Delphi]

I didn't even know he was sick ...

[BigPontiac]

I didn't even know he was sick ...

Wasn't the rumor that CPF would succeed him? What happened there?

[ocnblu]

SoCalCTS is truly a clueless individual. It was customers who wanted SUVs. GM merely gave its customers the best fullsize SUV on the market. Look how late Nissan and Toyota were to the game, yet there they are, with some of the worst guzzlers manufactured today.

[bring_BUICK_back]

The sooner the better. Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

[buyacargetacheck]

Bob Lutz is singlehandedly the one guy responsible for bringing style back to GM cars inside and out. For all the haters: do you remember how lame the designs were before he was hired (Aztek!)? Do you remember how cheap the interiors looked? I shudder to think how much worse the Malibu and Impala could have been had Lutz not been around. He doted on tumblehome angles and wheelwell gaps. Prior to Lutz, GM appeared to have some guy in Legal in charge of that. I only wish his talents hadn't been so spread thin with so many redundant nameplates begging for attention.

[Intrepidation]

Bob Lutz is singlehandedly the one guy responsible for bringing style back to GM cars inside and out. For all the haters: do you remember how lame the designs were before he was hired (Aztek!)? Do you remember how cheap the interiors looked? I shudder to think how much worse the Malibu and Impala could have been had Lutz not been around. He doted on tumblehome angles and wheelwell gaps. Prior to Lutz, GM appeared to have some guy in Legal in charge of that. I only wish his talents hadn't been so spread thin with so many redundant nameplates begging for attention.

[gm4life]

Good Riddance! I saw this guy on 60 minutes once and was not impressed. We need to get these SUV loving anti fuel efficiency types out of GM ASAP.

You really don't have a clue. Seeing somebody on sixty mintues and not being impressed is not away I judge someone. Sorry you really need to take off the blinders and realize what Bob has done for GM. Solstice, Sky, GTO, G8, CTS-V, and the Volt. He also pushed for GOOD panel fits inside and out. Honestly you haven't a clue, stop the hate.

[hyperv6]

The truth is some of the worst model mistakes Lutz made were still much much better than some of what GM did right in the 80's-90's.

If his worst sins were the a late HHR, Sky/Solstice and GTO I would take that anyday. The Aztec and Cadillac Cavaliers of GM's past were the real mistakes.

To come to GM and try to revamp a company with too many models and little money he did a hell of a job. This was a job few could have done any better with the restriction placed on them.

Few understand Bob went to the powertrain guys and told them he had their back. Today we have some of the best engine on the market Form the Ecotec Turbos, HV V6 with DI and even the Chevy V8 that can run with the big boys at a fraction of the cost.

IF Bob had the money and time we would have a lot more in product but there is only so much you can do with so little.

What Bob did best is show GM how if you empower the vast talent you have you reap greater rewards. Too often GM never used what was avaiable to them and it went else where and did the job for someone else.

[daves87rs]

WE can hope thing that the designs will stay interesting....

[gm4life]

The truth is some of the worst model mistakes Lutz made were still much much better than some of what GM did right in the 80's-90's.

If his worst sins were the a late HHR, Sky/Solstice and GTO I would take that anyday. The Aztec and Cadillac Cavaliers of GM's past were the real mistakes.

To come to GM and try to revamp a company with too many models and little money he did a hell of a job. This was a job few could have done any better with the restriction placed on them.

Few understand Bob went to the powertrain guys and told them he had their back. Today we have some of the best engine on the market Form the Ecotec Turbos, HV V6 with DI and even the Chevy V8 that can run with the big boys at a fraction of the cost.

IF Bob had the money and time we would have a lot more in product but there is only so much you can do with so little.

What Bob did best is show GM how if you empower the vast talent you have you reap greater rewards. Too often GM never used what was avaiable to them and it went else where and did the job for someone else.

Point well taken.

[Satty]

Whose idea was it to accelerate the GMT-900 programs? 'Cause that was a pretty bad idea in hindsight, probably wasn't the best idea at the time either.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Wasn't the rumor that CPF would succeed him? What happened there?

CPF doesn't want to come to North America, with what will soon have to be announced there. It is more advantageous to stay right where he is for now.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Another excellent post from guionM on cz28.com

According to the article, Bob Lutz isn't going anywhere till the end of the year. On April 1st, someone else takes over product development, while he remains a Vice Chairman at GM in an "Advisory" role.

Sounds like Mr Lutz is taking 8 months to train a successor and to finish up the Volt (he sees it as his crowning achievement).

When you think about it, Bob Lutz has done pretty much everything he could possibly do at GM, and he's independently very, very wealthy. His job at GM at this point (after the Volt) would essentially become routine, no longer changing product.

What's really remarkable about Bob Lutz is how much his original ideas would have turned around GM if they had been carried out. It's both amazing and sad.

The original Kappa was supposed to spawn a line of small cars from the Solstice to coupes and sedans. He once called it a new Mustang, the basis of a line of small fun to drive economical RWD vehicles. This was back in 2002. Imagine what position GM would have been in if these cars came into being as gas prices rose non-stop to nearly $5 per gallon... which happened to coincide with GM falling almost into oblivion.

Under his watch, GM's development times dropped like a rock. However, decision making time didn't change, and in some ways got longer. Today, GM's only hinderence in bringing out a new vehicle in 12 months seems to be on the OEM development and the amount of time needed to get tooling made. But good luck on getting GM to decide on a product quick enough to make a timely entry on the market. While GM can get a car from approval to showroom in less than 18 months, decisions can take years (the Alpha was the latest evolution of Lutz's original Kappa idea) to a decade or more (Camaro).

His original plan was to make Pontiac America's BMW: a budget American brand that focused on performance and handling. The G6 was going to get turbocharged engines, Kappa was going to spawn a small 4 passenger sports coupe (ie: Saturn Curve concept) that would redefine the definition of "Pony Car" the way the original Mustang did. The imported GTO would be the reintroduction of a new, more familar GTO to be designed and made here in addition to a new RWD Grand Prix sedan. Instead, both ideas were stilborn, essentially gutting Pontiac's rebirth. Instead Pontiac got the G5, the G6 became a ho-hum volume car, GTO dissappeared from the planet when Holden stopped production, and the Grand Prix became the G8 and was an capacity filler at Holden.

Although Pontiac would have been hit hard like the rest of the industry, Pontiac would have actually grown market share for GM. Dodge Challenger is still selling very well although most people think Chrysler won't survive, so GTO would have almost certainly been a better seller. The rest of the lineup would have been broadbased enough to keep traffic going into Pontiac showrooms.

Chevrolet lost the Nomad (once a near certainty for production) and the RWD Impala. The Camaro most certainly would have never returned if it hadn't been rammed through with help from GM's CEO and head designer.

Buick's 2008 RWD Roadmaster program was cancelled, then killed. Cadillac's RWD DTS has been killed, and the CTS coupe has been delayed... only because it's too far along to be killed.

Even a no cost vehicle Bob Lutz championed ever since his 1st trip to Holden in Fall 2001, the G8 ST (the only thing that stoped him from bringing the Holden Ute here as the Chevrolet El Camino for the 2003 model year was the 25% US imported pickup truck tax) was killed even after the ink was dry, and models were on the auto show circuit and press papers were out.

I feel Bob Lutz's achievements at GM is limited to better interiors (which should have been a no brainer before he got there), more coherent designs (since they came from the same designers GM always had, shows the talent was always there), the Solstice (Pontiac had been itching for a 2 seat sports car since the 1960s, and only briefly got one in the Fiero), reduced product development time (something GM's own Holden division had already been doing for years!) and a world class Cadillac line (which started back in the mid 1990s!).

In short, Bob Lutz has been a facilitator in getting GM doing what it should have been doing all along, and had the talent, programs, and people already in place. But the things Mr Lutz said he wanted to do.... the things that would have made GM a much stronger, more successful company today.... were all either ignored, scrapped, or never got off the ground.

Rick Wagoner certainly knew what he was doing when he brought Bob Lutz aboard. The idea was that Lutz would run product, and Wagoner would run the finance. It almost seems the rest of the company didn't get the memo. GM didn't get their money's worth with Bob Lutz, and it's their own d*mn fault.

The fact that all these were great ideas and might have saved GM from being where it is today is a testament IMHO to how dysfunctional GM's internal management system really is.... to the point of being self destructive.

Have fun circling the drain GM, I'll always celebrate what you WERE.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

CPF doesn't want to come to North America, with what will soon have to be announced there. It is more advantageous to stay right where he is for now.

Typical european...

Times get tough and he runs away.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Typical european...

Times get tough and he runs away.

Fear not FOG, I am in the USA this week and next.

[hyperv6]

Whose idea was it to accelerate the GMT-900 programs? 'Cause that was a pretty bad idea in hindsight, probably wasn't the best idea at the time either.

At the time it was a smart idea with truck sales off the charts. GM needed money to revamp the other car lines and the trucks were the key top provide that profit.

There was no one at GM let alone here that could have predicted the gas prices going up just that the time the new trucks were starting to roll out. Even if GM only got 2-3 years out of the 900 program they owuld have made a lot of money.

[regfootball]

Bob Lutz is singlehandedly the one guy responsible for bringing style back to GM cars inside and out. For all the haters: do you remember how lame the designs were before he was hired (Aztek!)? Do you remember how cheap the interiors looked? I shudder to think how much worse the Malibu and Impala could have been had Lutz not been around. He doted on tumblehome angles and wheelwell gaps. Prior to Lutz, GM appeared to have some guy in Legal in charge of that. I only wish his talents hadn't been so spread thin with so many redundant nameplates begging for attention.

excepting the CTS, GM's interiors are still full of cheapness.

[regfootball]

You really don't have a clue. Seeing somebody on sixty mintues and not being impressed is not away I judge someone. Sorry you really need to take off the blinders and realize what Bob has done for GM. Solstice, Sky, GTO, G8, CTS-V, and the Volt. He also pushed for GOOD panel fits inside and out. Honestly you haven't a clue, stop the hate.

no accord or camry killers on that list. no volume products.

[regfootball]

Another excellent post from guionM on cz28.com

Have fun circling the drain GM, I'll always celebrate what you WERE.

in guionM's post there was no mention of any big volume sellers as accomplishments.

[hyperv6]

The two Chevys done under his watch were the Malibu that sold over 150,000 in its first year as all new over 50% increase before the market fell out. The other is the HHR that has sold over 100,000 each of the last three years. Seeing the decrease of fleet sales I see both as positive growth of both.

The Cruze has yet to show what all it can do once it hits the market. The RWD Impala was killed before we could even see it.

You have to be realistic and understand Bob did not get everyting he wanted or asked for. He was never given the product or marketing support he really needed because there just was no money to market the too many models they offerd. He also spent a lot of time trying to fix what they already had screwed up before he got there. The lecrosse went back to be redone and the GP was revamped to a little more acceptable levels vs what GM had originally.

The Aura sold over 60,000 while being a near clone of the Malibu and sold with little to no advertising or marketing.

The only real negitive Lutz produced was the Opel Astra and I don't blaime him fully for that. He was never given the marketing support to sell those cars properly. Also they shuld have offered a Red Line Turbo out of the gate. THis was a car that could have competed with VW as it already does in Europe. We ended up with the watered down version.

We also have to consider the many cars he has ready to come in the next 5 years after he leaves. At this point we have only seen half of what he has done. The question is how much will GM mess with what he has left them? The changing market , economy and GM financal state is playing hell with GM's plans daily.

Edited February 10, 2009 by hyperv6

[SoCalCTS]

You really don't have a clue. Seeing somebody on sixty mintues and not being impressed is not away I judge someone. Sorry you really need to take off the blinders and realize what Bob has done for GM. Solstice, Sky, GTO, G8, CTS-V, and the Volt. He also pushed for GOOD panel fits inside and out. Honestly you haven't a clue, stop the hate.

What you say about Lutz is "a crock of s#@t!", oh wait thats what he said about global warming. The GTO, G-8, LaCrosse, Solstice and Sky have some serious shortcomings. If the best that Lutz could do was to make GM nearly competitive then I judge him as a tremendous failure. Seeing him on 60 minutes gave me a peek at who he is as aperson. I mean seriously, if you dont have the time to get your own rotten teeth cleaned then certainly you will never figure out how to get a car interior to look decent.

I guess you are all right GM is still the number one car maker, GM is ranked highest with consumers, all GM's products are second to none, GM is the volume leader in every category... and we all owe it to Bob Lutz! You all are delusional.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

You know, I was thinking; first John Heinricy, now Lutz.

Looks like all of the car guys are leaving GM.

in guionM's post there was no mention of any big volume sellers as accomplishments.

Some of those cars would've sold volume.

And so what? GM knows how to sell volume (See GMT900) That's not their problem when it comes to internal company policy. GM needs to reform it's decision making process before it's too late (I think it probably is too late, though)

Edited February 10, 2009 by FUTURE_OF_GM

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

What you say about Lutz is "a crock of s#@t!", oh wait thats what he said about global warming.

Because he believes, as do some of us here that global warming IS a crock of $h!. What? He's not allowed to have an opinion? Oh, I forgot, opinions aren't popular anymore, especially in California.

(I'm not trying to be mean, but do you realize how ridiculous it is that Lutz off the record comments got blown out of proportion like that?)

The GTO, G-8, LaCrosse, Solstice and Sky have some serious shortcomings. If the best that Lutz could do was to make GM nearly competitive then I judge him as a tremendous failure.

Lutz could do much better had GM given him more power and $$$. What Lutz did was make WINNERS out of relatively crappy platforms and builds. (Save G8) The LaX was a done deal when Lutz arrived, all he did was tweak it and hope for the best. The platform for the Solstice had been laying around GM for 3-4 years. Lutz just took the math and made it into an actual concept. The GTO was older than dirt before it even came here.

Like the MS2000 Impala and W-Body GP, what Lutz and GM engineers did with so little was amazing.

Seeing him on 60 minutes gave me a peek at who he is as aperson. I mean seriously, if you dont have the time to get your own rotten teeth cleaned then certainly you will never figure out how to get a car interior to look decent.

I think there's a tree somewhere that needs a hug (Your first comment in this post explains why you hate Lutz, the rest of the post is filler)

I guess you are all right GM is still the number one car maker, GM is ranked highest with consumers, all GM's products are second to none, GM is the volume leader in every category... and we all owe it to Bob Lutz! You all are delusional.

Okay, 1) GM will never recover unless morale within the company improves. For all of it's failures, GM has just as many successes (in different levels of the business) Have you ever met a CEO that didn't talk up his company or take pride in what he sells?!?!

I'm real tired of everyone blaming the fall of GM on Lutz and the current management. Are people really so short-sighted that they didn't see the writing on the wall 10-15 years ago? (LONG before these people ran the show) GM has been in perpetual decline for DECADES an it's going to take more than one "car czar" to reverse that (if it even CAN be reversed)

Edited February 10, 2009 by FUTURE_OF_GM

[SoCalCTS]

Its obvious how much contempt Lutz has for the potential buyers of the Volt. Are we to believe that he is the mastermind behind this car and give him all the credit??? He may be pushing the Volt now but somewhere there's someone with an "invisible shotgun" forcing him into this marriage of convenience.

The fact that he doesnt believe in global warming shows how he misses the bigger picture. If GM were a niche company making niche products, his views on anything wouldnt matter. Lutz never was able to understand that Yes a large portion of the population despised SUV's. He could have cashed in like Toyota did and built vehicles that appealed to both sides of the debate. Instead, he chose to take sides in a cultural war that had devastating consequences for GM.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

The fact that he doesnt believe in global warming shows how he misses the bigger picture. If GM were a niche company making niche products, his views on anything wouldnt matter. Lutz never was able to understand that Yes a large portion of the population despised SUV's. He could have cashed in like Toyota did and built vehicles that appealed to both sides of the debate. Instead, he chose to take sides in a cultural war that had devastating consequences for GM.

Sure, I'll give you that.

But it was a cultural war that GM was destined to lose anyway. The media would not allow GM to become the sweetheart of the eco-weenies.

The media WILL NOT allow that now. They're already talking sh*t about the Volt and posing the question "Should GM be investing in the Volt with gas prices at record lows" EVERY 5 seconds.

Just wait until the car debuts. One journalist will find one stupid little flaw, and then all hell will break loose around that as all the other 'yes men' rally around the same little flaw until it's an epic news story that scares a large majority of sales away.

Look to the Solstice (the image leader of the "GM revival") for proof. The car is maligned now because of poor placement of door handles...

[gm4life]

What you say about Lutz is "a crock of s#@t!", oh wait thats what he said about global warming. The GTO, G-8, LaCrosse, Solstice and Sky have some serious shortcomings. If the best that Lutz could do was to make GM nearly competitive then I judge him as a tremendous failure. Seeing him on 60 minutes gave me a peek at who he is as aperson. I mean seriously, if you dont have the time to get your own rotten teeth cleaned then certainly you will never figure out how to get a car interior to look decent.

I guess you are all right GM is still the number one car maker, GM is ranked highest with consumers, all GM's products are second to none, GM is the volume leader in every category... and we all owe it to Bob Lutz! You all are delusional.

My dear friend you are the one full of $h!, and yes global warming is a croc of $h! as well. I recall someone saying a group of very smart people actually say the earth is cooling. I think there is a tree that needs hugging in SoCal. What was the G8's serious short comings? I have driven one, and been in many it had no huge short-coming, my only minor problem was the center window switches. As for the LaX did I even bring up the 2005 Buick LaX in my list? I didn't think so, as for the 2010 that car is pure sex, a Buick I would consider, and with a classly interior and great powertrain combos. The Solstice stayed true to an under 20K entry price for the first year, was pretty quick and drove like a dream and looked just like the concept so how is the a shortcoming? Oh wait if it isn't a Toyota Prius or Camry Hybrid it is a short coming right? Bob Lutz helped put passion and great fit in finish back in every GM car, and I bet you couldn't have done a much better job. He is a true car guy and we never totally saw what he could do because of no money. Give me a break he is the reason Pontiac has a few fun cars, the reason the new LaX and great new Enclave look and drive the way they do. The reason Cadillac has a great new CTS and direct injection motors, all happend under his watch. Lutz not only made cars like the 2008 Malibu competitive but classing leading only 4 cylinder 6spd. automatic combo! Ever ridden in a new Malibu or driven one even a base LS it is an impressive car to say the least. Your Lutz bashing its getting old. FOG is right on about Lutz, you clearly forgot the $h! GM was building before he came. I can only judge him on what hit the showroom floor and even though not all of his great product dreams never make it he still was a sucess, I really don't think at GM save for Ed Welburn and maybe Rick there is anyone who gives a $h! about how a car looks and drives. Your idea that Toyota works is fine but Toyota will not work for GM and that is part of the reason GM has had some sucess. Get your head out of your a$$ and smell the coffee. The rest of world realize what Lutz has done for design and fit and finish and you don't. You are prolly the only one on this forum who thinks this so that says something about you not the rest of us.

Edited February 10, 2009 by gm4life

[SoCalCTS]

Chances are that anyone would have improved the fit and finish of GM's cars. They could not have got any worse. The days of huge body gaps were long gone by the time GM got around to changing.

The Solstice interior is ass, the previous gen Malibu nearly turned everyone away from Chevy for good, the G8 comes to us with ridiculous hood scoops and navigation is not an option, the new Camaro interior is borderline tacky, the Volt pre-production interior has cheap white plastic galore...

Sure Bob Lutz didnt ruin GM but if Lutz and Wagoner were gone sooner maybe GM could have turned around.

Bob needs to have a reality check. I personally could care less about Priuses, Carollas and all that. (I drive a CTS for God's sake and had to pay a tax penalty for the gas mileage). When you look at the current line-up of small cars at GM, you can see the contempt that Lutz has had for his customers. Apparently only people who drive large cars or SUV's deserved anything in terms of design or comfort and anyone in a medium or small car deserved whatever GM was willing to give them.

So yes I do fault Lutz for the evils at GM. More than once, it was decided to delay car programs to push SUV's. Why do the SUV's have great interiors, bluetooth, navigation etc and the cars are still playing catch up?

[Robert Hall]

Bob needs to have a reality check. I personally could care less about Priuses, Carollas and all that. (I drive a CTS for God's sake and had to pay a tax penalty for the gas mileage). When you look at the current line-up of small cars at GM, you can see the contempt that Lutz has had for his customers. Apparently only people who drive large cars or SUV's deserved anything in terms of design or comfort and anyone in a medium or small car deserved whatever GM was willing to give them.

So yes I do fault Lutz for the evils at GM. More than once, it was decided to delay car programs to push SUV's. Why do the SUV's have great interiors, bluetooth, navigation etc and the cars are still playing catch up?

GM still plays to the mindset that Americans will only buy subcompact or compact cars if they are really cheap...really cheap translates into low content w/ nasty cheap interiors.

[CaddyXLR-V]

Chances are that anyone would have improved the fit and finish of GM's cars. They could not have got any worse. The days of huge body gaps were long gone by the time GM got around to changing.

The Solstice interior is ass, the previous gen Malibu nearly turned everyone away from Chevy for good, the G8 comes to us with ridiculous hood scoops and navigation is not an option, the new Camaro interior is borderline tacky, the Volt pre-production interior has cheap white plastic galore...

Sure Bob Lutz didnt ruin GM but if Lutz and Wagoner were gone sooner maybe GM could have turned around.

Bob needs to have a reality check. I personally could care less about Priuses, Carollas and all that. (I drive a CTS for God's sake and had to pay a tax penalty for the gas mileage). When you look at the current line-up of small cars at GM, you can see the contempt that Lutz has had for his customers. Apparently only people who drive large cars or SUV's deserved anything in terms of design or comfort and anyone in a medium or small car deserved whatever GM was willing to give them.

So yes I do fault Lutz for the evils at GM. More than once, it was decided to delay car programs to push SUV's. Why do the SUV's have great interiors, bluetooth, navigation etc and the cars are still playing catch up?

GM still plays to the mindset that Americans will only buy subcompact or compact cars if they are really cheap...really cheap translates into low content w/ nasty cheap interiors.

Their cheap because that's all they can afford. There's no way GM can compete on price with foreign automakers, that's not Bob Lutz fault. I'm sure GM would love to make cars as nice as VW's inside, and price them similarly too. The problem with that is that theres no way GM will sell enough small cars to keep the factories running. Unlike VW, GM has many, many plants in the US they need to keep running. How is GM supposed to compete with the Fit and Versa, when it would cost GM $15,000 to built a car they can only sell for $11,000?