“…I believe personally, subjectively, that it’s more fun to drive. And we do have a price advantage”

(emphasis added.)

Nice, very nice.
It is exactly this mentality that is killing Detroit.

Like I said in my first TTAC article, GMs motto might as well be “GM: When you can’t afford anything better.” Even if that’s not the official motto, based on Bob’s quote above it seems to be the unofficial attitude of all the Detroit 3. Not “buy our cars because they are the best”, but “buy our cars because they’re almost as good and anyway, they’re real cheap.”

What is baffling to me is that the marketing people, who have budgets in the millions, can’t seem to understand what’s wrong with this sales pitch. Buyers will willingly pay $3000-$5000 more for a similarly equipped Toyota or Honda because they perceive that they are getting more for their money. Detroit can’t seem to break out of their downward spiral even with a significant price advantage, so why do they think that touting the price advantage is a winning strategy for them?

Oh don’t worry he’ll get a nice golden parachute when he retires into the sunset though…

Katie,

I’d love to hire you. I had that thought reading your post before I read the asterisk. I would LOVE to hire you! With your combo of smarts and charm you’d make the old Max-Bob look like a total piker. But damn, I’m only one shareholder with two measly shares. David

Take care,

Bunter

If El kaBob “sounds realistic” then we can virtually count on the actual reality being pretty bad.
If he sounds sober and considered look for something UGLY to come up soon. Nov. sales maybe?

I read somewhere (WSJ?) that GM “declined to discuss November sales” with their journo in some related financial-type article. An alarm bell went off.

Bob Lutz is not a realist. Far from it.

Robert Farago:
C’mon guys. Stick to the point: Bob Lutz is throttling WAY back on his expectations for this model. Speaking to/at Edmunds…

Exactly. This is the very same vehicle that months ago Lutz proclaimed would be THE make-it-or-break it car for GM.

I like to think of myself as being a realist and firmly grounded in reality. Also sorely negative and pessimistic(not by choice; by nature). I tend to clash with and destroy these other types optimism. Not by choice or intention. It just happens. I actively avoid doing so as it’s just too sad seeing them dragged down to my reality and having to live it until they can get back into their disbelief.

Let me tell you, that when your keys hit the floor going at 75, even if the car is behaving normally otherwise, all kinds of nasty thoughts and later, nasty words cross your mind.

The impact of that experience is going to influence my car buying decisions a lot more than anything the ads or MaxiLutz can and will say.

I know Bob Lutz has a penchant for hyperbole.
Therefore, Bob, I’m not coming back, if ever, until a long time in the future, when many years of hard data are available to reveal the truth.

Thanks for the laugh.

Yo yo Bob. One day we have the Camry killer the next we don’t. The Volt will be here fast and stomp the competition, now umm maybe not those damn batteries are not Energizers. And you stupid customers, stop buying there junk and buy some of mine. I can’t wait to see what he say next but I know it will be entertaining.

This company is sooo in trouble at this point, with there back against wall green advertising, pushing products that don’t exist, and an ocean of unsold cars and trucks going at fire sale pricing. 2008 should be an interesting year for GM and probably Ford too. Bankruptcy lawyers must be excited as they await the fireworks.

Bob Lutz has repeatedly said they are equal to anybody in reliability/quality. If Toyota got the same JDP VDS and CR scores as GM they would get laughed off the face of the earth.
He knows the truth-he says something else. He deserves any ridicule he gets.

My opinion.

Cheerio,

Bunter

“The Malibu has better performance and far better ride and handling [than the Camry]. And I believe the Malibu is roomier. The new Malibu, you put that next to a Camry and I tell you, in terms of fits and finishes, gaps, interior quality and so forth, you’re going to find the Malibu is equal to, I think, the Camry. And with the V6 engine, it outperforms it and I think it outhandles it. It also outbrakes it. I believe personally, subjectively, that it’s more fun to drive. And we do have a price advantage.”

Sometimes I feel bad for Bob Lutz. Damned for being an optimist, damned for being a realist.

I guess I’m not sure why this is such an objectionable quote. It seems to me to make sense to lowball expectations, that way you have the possibility of saying in the future “Wow, this was an even bigger hit than we expected!”. Also, should he have said “If the Malibu fails, GM is dead.”?

Ya gotta admit though, for an octagenarian, he’s a good looking man with a fine head ‘o hair – like Ford’s Mark Fields, he’s apparently made a deal with the devil where in exchange for selling out to his corporate overlords he remains youthful and handsome for decades. Too bad the big 2.8 can’t just build better cars, instead of playing so many games…

Why do you say “worrying”? What do you want, a breathless “OMG, if the Malibu isn’t, like, the most super fantastic sales success evar, GM will just, like, fold up and DIE!!”? As I read it, he says this car important step in overcoming people’s “learned response” that GM cars are only worthy of the rental counter. Fair enough. And should he ignore that a tough sales market will mean fewer people are willing to be adventurous with a car purchase – to give GM a try? I’d think he was some sort of Marketing-droid Pollyanna if he didn’t acknowledge that GM has a tough row to hoe, no matter how good the Malibu is.

And him stating that they don’t know precisely what they will get on the Volt is, to me, “keeping it real”. Because at this point they can’t know, unless they’ve already done all the work and the “development in public” thing going on is all a show. Again, you seem to want Bob to express only supreme arrogance that they will create something brand new on an aggressive schedule with no problems at all. That would be utter BS, and I’m pleased to see that Bob doesn’t spew it this time. I’d like to see the Volt succeed, and kinda wish GM would shut up about the Volt until they have more of a clue what they can really do, rather than running radio advertisements for a car that won’t see a showroom for at least three years. Lest it become like the Camaro by the time it arrives.

>>If the new Malibu is not GM’s make-or-break car, what is

That would be the Chevy Citation, which was Cited as Euro in styling, Nipo in reliability and good old USA in DNA. And also a few other cars released in the intervening 3 decades.

The credibility gap does exist. And yes, it is on the part of the customer, when he asks, Jeez, GM, we’ve heard this born-again jibba-jabba time and again, why should we believe you THIS time?

http://www.tengears.com/home/2007/11/17/bob-lutz-is-fighting-back.html

But i do have to say that GM is moving in the right direcion with their Hybrids, like it or not but Bob is behind those hybrids.

Just a thought buddy.

Bunter