Bob Lutz: "The Marketing Guys Didn't Want It"
March 19th, 2008 4:31 PM
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Think Maximum Bob has maximum final say at GM? Uh, no. In response to a blogger's question about the lack of paddle shifters on the G8, Lutz responded "The marketing guys didn't want it. Some things we don't necessarily agree with, we have to do." Welcome to WTF country. Marketing input is absolutely critical, but Lutz and GM's golden circle of executives shouldn't be allowing the "marketing guys" to nix anything. Did they have access to a survey showing people were offended by paddle shifters? Did the gear lever manufacturer lobby interject about the threat paddle shifters posed to their business? Otherwise, it's a shock that they are able to give GM's "Car Czar" a headache and even twist his arm into doing anything.
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A. "Pontiac is a damaged brand". B. Marketing is responsible for Pontiac brand image. C. Therefore, listen to Pontiac marketing to discern the wants and needs of the consumer. Um....ok
Paddle shift on a five speed auto? What a load of crap. You'd use it once, and conclude rightly that it offers no advantage and is an utterly tedious activity.
I think "The marketing guys didn't want it" is synonymous with "What the hell are paddle shifters?"
How about an actual double clutch manual tranny with paddle shfters ala VW/Audi/BMW/Porsche etc??? i.e. no torque converter. Neat what a torque converter can do but to me they represent a loss of power and efficiency. I'll take a clutch coupled to multiple egars (six please) and solid mainshafts - thanks. Don't get me wrong, I like what I have seen of the car. I don't understand why b/c most Americans want automatic trannies - all Americans must buy one. Not everyone wants a big engine coupled to a wasteful slushbox. Just cancel one of the many duplicate vehicle programs and spend the money saved to provide some real CHOICE to the GM consumer.