Bob Lutz, "The Irreplaceable Man"
To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumors of Bob Lutz' retirement have been greatly exaggerated. Or at least that's what GM's septuagenarian product czar told Automotive News [sub] yesterday. In an email sent to the automotive publication he wrote, "Read my lips: I am not thinking retirement. The job is better than ever, and so is GM!!!!" He claims he told the AP that he would not retire before the Volt launches, but didn't say he was going to retire when it launched. AP's Detroit bureau chief, Charles Hill, stands by their story: "The context of the interview reported in our Dec. 11 story about Robert Lutz clearly was retirement. The story is an accurate account of the interview." Meanwhile, on the topic of retirement, Lutz asserts he'll "take it one year at at time." You can bet, though, with the precarious perch GM's sitting on, he's keeping that golden parachute within easy reach.
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If Lutz really said "The job is better than ever, and so is GM!!!!", he clearly has no indication of the dire straits GM is navigating. Bob Lutz might be better than ever (don't expect me to visit that in detail). But GM cannot be better than ever.
Well with the amount of half truths, outright lies and deception Lutz and his peers create - added to the fact that they are not held accountable. Why retire? I'd love that job since there's no checks and balances with the automakers mismanagement team. It's same old "old boys club" where they are their own reviewing authority. Unchecked raises for feeling like they've done a good job - no outside objective viewpoint as they are so obtuse to criticizm.
They all need to be replaced IMO including the two faced Putz.