Bob Lutz: GM Is Roaring Back

[FloydHendershot]

http://video.newsmax.com/?bcpid=2097246000...tid=43128580001

Bob Lutz: GM Is Roaring Back

By: Dan Weil

General Motors has taken the steps that will foster its recovery, says Bob Lutz, vice chairman of marketing and communications for the company.

Lutz is a longtime car executive, having held leading positions at all three big U.S. automakers in a career dating back to the early 1960s. With the departure of former GM CEO Rick Wagoner, many have looked to Lutz to help new CEO Fritz Henderson rebuild and reorient the flagging U.S. auto giant.

“In September (GM) sales were pretty much back to the previous numbers,” he told Dan Mangru of Moneynews.com.

“For fast-moving models that are in very high demand, we have no inventory.”

That includes the GMC Terrain, the Buick LaCrosse and the Cadillac SRX. Those cars are selling well, he says.

“The sad thing is we don’t have enough of those to take advantage of the demand. . . We’re going to have to build inventory up again.”

GM has no problem with product quality Lutz says.

“We have the product now undeniably, whether you look at the Chevy Malibu, which was car of the year; the Silverado, which was truck of the year; the Silverado Hybrid, which was declared dream car of the year; or the Cadillac CTS, which was Motor Trend car of the year.”

Everyone agrees that GM has the best products in its history now and “arguably the best overall product line of anybody in the business,” Lutz says.

“My problem is that thanks to a lot of negative representations by the general media and now entrenched belief, there are large parts of the American public that don’t have any notion of what today’s product line is. That’s what we have to overcome.”

For the last five years, particularly the last 18 months, GM has been under-advertised and under-marketed, Lutz says.

“There are Americans who, when you say ‘Are you familiar with Buick?’ there are people on the West coast who say “Do they still make those?’”

The new GM is bulking up marketing, he says.

“We’re going to spend the money that it takes to get the word out.”

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http://moneynews.newsmax.com/streettalk/lu.../12/271183.html

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[siegen]

Everyone agrees that GM has the best products in its history now and “arguably the best overall product line of anybody in the business,” Lutz says.

I am fairly sure the Aveo/G3 negates that statement entirely.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

“My problem is that thanks to a lot of negative representations by the general media and now entrenched belief, there are large parts of the American public that don’t have any notion of what today’s product line is. That’s what we have to overcome.”

anyone still wonder why I rant about the media? There you have it, straight from the horses mouth.

[CARBIZ]

I am fairly sure the Aveo/G3 negates that statement entirely.

Sigh. It's been 6 months since I have been on C&G and this is the first thread I read. Not much has changed.

[FAPTurbo]

Sigh. It's been 6 months since I have been on C&G and this is the first thread I read. Not much has changed.

[Drew Dowdell]

I am fairly sure the Aveo/G3 negates that statement entirely.

G3 is dead and the Aveo still sells nicely. It may not have the best overall powertrain, but it does ok and is styled attractively compared to many other small cars.

If you want to talk about model missteps that hurt the overall lineup, you can make another thread for the Accord Spirit GT, ZDX, Fridgeline, and RL.

[Justin Bimmer]

Sigh. It's been 6 months since I have been on C&G and this is the first thread I read. Not much has changed.

Welcome back! Guess you won't have to go read thru all the old posts then!

[CARBIZ]

Welcome back! Guess you won't have to go read thru all the old posts then!

[siegen]

Sigh. It's been 6 months since I have been on C&G and this is the first thread I read. Not much has changed.

You're right, not much has changed.

[Robert Hall]

Sigh. It's been 6 months since I have been on C&G and this is the first thread I read. Not much has changed.

You missed all the drama of the bailout, bankruptcy, death of Pontiac, the Saturn and HUMMER debacles, etc.

[Blake Noble]

Sigh. It's been 6 months since I have been on C&G and this is the first thread I read. Not much has changed.

Well except for the roof caving in a few months back, nope. It's still the same.

[turbo200]

Sigh. It's been 6 months since I have been on C&G and this is the first thread I read. Not much has changed.

tone is what you're missing though. he is laughing with the c&g family. and plenty has changed; we're hopeful again, for the most part. after the roof fell in, i'd say that's pretty big.