The Truth About Cars » Lutzie

And In Other Toyota News …

Bertel Schmitt — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:00:09 +0000

Don’t bogart that joint: Toyota will recall about 8,000 model-year 2010 Tacoma pickup trucks in the US. Not for unintended acceleration, or brake gremlins, but for good old cracks in the joint portion of the drive shaft, says Reuters. The front drive shafts are manufactured by Dana Holding Corp, and the affected vehicles were [...]

When Maximum Men Meet Minimum Times

Edward Niedermeyer — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:34:06 +0000

Bob Lutz rode to Motown greatness on a wave of bombast, charisma and general maximum-ness. And his ability to act like Patton in full advance, even in the face of dismal business results, has been crucial to GM’s several year long “product revolution” denial offensive. But when the war is over, and the other general’s [...]

Mid-Engined Vette? Yeah Right…

Edward Niedermeyer — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:13:07 +0000

According to Motor Trend, none other than Maximum Bob Lutz (or his mouth, which is independently operated) was behind plans to convert the C7 Corvette to a mid-engined layout. And from certain perspectives (albeit not the traditional one) such a move would have made a lot of sense. Besides putting Ferrari on notice, a mid-engined 'vette would be easier to convert to a fuel-saving cylinder shutoff system, since the current front-engine, rear-transaxle layout necessitates a separate clutch to disengage cylinders. The extra weight of a mid-engine cowl and the complication of reeingineering the entire platform has killed plans for a mid-engined Corvette, and GM has pushed the C7 model release back to 2014. In other words, unless GM seriously gets its shit together ASAP, the current 'vette could be the last model ever made. In any case, the C6 will likely be the last V8-only Corvette, since CAFE standards will likely necessitate a V6 base engine. And you thought a mid-engined Corvette was sacrilege...

Stop The Presses! GM Making Money With A Compact Car!

Edward Niedermeyer — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:41:28 +0000

Though GM’s new Cruze is likely to qualify for taxpayer funded “efficiency retooling” money, its predecessor the Cobalt is finally coming into its own. Automotive News reports that transaction prices and profitability are headed up for the Cobalt. Average transaction prices for the Cobalt rose $775 since mid-April, thanks to surging interest in one of [...]

GM: “Currency shift stalled Astra”

Justin Berkowitz — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:35:51 +0000

We’ve got to love Bob Lutz and his unabashed capacity to be wrong. In today’s Automotive News, he reports that “The Saturn Astra costs too much for U.S. customers, and sales and profitability of the small hatchback are suffering.” There is no question that sales have been anemic (between 1500 and 2000 cars per month) [...]

Lutz’s Leisurely Cruze

Edward Niedermeyer — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:50:23 +0000

Cars.com’s Kickingtires blog has a question: “With consumers so concerned about fuel economy, why is General Motors waiting two years to bring out the Chevrolet Cruze, the replacement for the compact Chevy Cobalt?” Of course, we would ask the question with more of a “if the Cruze isn’t being sold for two years, why is [...]

GM Car Czar Bob Lutz: “We faced reality last week”

Robert Farago — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:50:22 +0000

Get this: it wasn't last week. It was the week before. GM's Veep of Global Badge Engineering made this comment in an interview with Just-auto [sub] on the 23rd of July at the London Auto Show [sorry we missed it]. Given the $15.5b hole that opened-up in GM's second quarter financial results on [...]

GM Car Czar Bob Lutz: Spinmeister or Forgetful Jones?

Paul Niedermeyer — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:17:00 +0000

The print edition of Auto, Motor und Sport (March 13, 2008) carries an interview with GM Car Czar Bob Lutz. Regarding February sales, Maximum Bob told the German car mag “everyone was down strongly, including Toyota;” forgetting that Nissan and Honda were both up for the month. MB also “reveals” that GM’s hybrids are selling “increasingly better” and “the mild-hybrid system in the Malibu and Vue are selling well;” forgetting that GM sold just 577 hybrids in March, less than 30 of which were gas - electric ‘Bus and Vues. Lutz also says “Hybrids are not an economic or practical solution. Driving with two power sources leads to higher costs that the buyer can never recoup;” forgetting that the Prius can recoup its premium in less than five years. Note to Bob: the truth will set you free.

Tesla and Fisker Sitting in a Tree

Robert Farago — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:56:03 +0000

If ever two automotive companies deserved each other, it's Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive. The former is the erstwhile maker of an electric roadster that's the dictionary definition of irony (the discrepancy between expectation and reality). The latter is a failed "coach-builder" (of hideously expensive re-sculpted SL and 6-Series) turned EV tree-hugger. And now, Autoblog breathlessly reveals that Henrik Fisker designed Tesla's imaginary WhiteStar sedan. Apparently, Tesla kept the design (for its next prospectus) and told Fisker to f-off on the production front. In case you thought this means anything, here's a bit from yesterday's press release from Fisker, which I couldn't quite blog because of a sudden attack of hype-related biliousness. "Fisker Automotive, Inc., a green American premium car company, today announced Fisker Italia as its first International importer. With plans to allocate more than 50 percent of its production to overseas sales, Fisker Automotive is poised to become a leading exporter of premium U.S. automobiles. Additionally, Fisker Automotive, maker of the first of its kind plug-in hybrid premium sports sedan, further announced it has received great interest from 44 North American markets in which it hopes to have retail representation." Get ready to vote for this one during next year's Bob Lutz award.

The First Annual Bob Lutz Award: Time to Vote!

Frank Williams — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 14:32:32 +0000

Who is the most deserving of the first annual Bob Lutz Award? We're looking for the automotive executive who said the most outrageous, politically incorrect or just plain dumb thing. Since this is the first time for the award, we've allowed nominees from the past; next time we'll limit it to the past calendar year. Click on the link below to cast your vote. The nominees are listed in alphabetical order along with an example of why each was nominated. (Yes, I know I said I'd list all the quotes that got them nominated on the ballot, but when I did one nominee had said so many different things the ballot went off the screen.) Only one vote per customer, please. Voting will close at 6PM EST Sunday, so don't procrastinate.

Voting has closed. The results will be posted today. Thank you for your participation.

Bob Lutz Award Voting Starts Tomorrow

Frank Williams — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:51:16 +0000

The nominations for the first annual Bob Lutz Award ("Lutzie") are closed, and boy do we have some doozies! We'll open the polls tomorrow morning for you to vote for the automotive executive who you think made the most outrageous, politically incorrect or just downright dumb statement. And to make it more interesting, not [...]

Your Nominations Please: The First Annual Bob Lutz Award

Frank Williams — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:28:51 +0000

Hollywood has the Oscar. Nashville has the Grammy. Broadway has the Tony. And TTAC has the "Lutzie." The Lutzie is our award for the industry executive who made the most outlandish statement or statements, demonstrated a total disconnect with reality and/or inserted their pedal extremity firmly into their oral cavity with alarming regularity. We're looking to you for nominations, starting today. Tell us who you think is most deserving of the award and give us a quote that illustrates their worth in a comment below. We'll take nominations until 6 PM EST Wednesday and open the final voting on Friday. Voting will end 6 PM EST Sunday and we'll announce the winner Monday. And yes, GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz is eligible.