GM Car Czar Bob Lutz: Low Gas Prices Could Kill Chevy Volt
These guys can’t win from losing. I mean, first GM seeks to evade responsibility for its cratered bsuiness by claiming that “no one” could have forseen the sudden spike in gas prices (or, God forbid, planned for that contingency after, what, two previous oil price shocks). And now GM Car Czar “Maximum Bob” Lutz is telling the LA Times that low gas prices threaten its plug-in electric – gas hybrid Volt-shaped Hail Mary. “We may hate high fuel prices, but they’ve been driving us in the right direction when it comes to fuel economy,” General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told the Times. “The company’s leading cheerleader for its $500-million program to develop an electric car” said “If we suddenly went to $1 or $1.50 a gallon, that would be really bad.” Don’t get me wrong. Lutz is right. As he was when he called federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards a “crock of shit.” No wait; that was global warming. Anyway, the thing of it is, stop bitching Bob. As someone who’s followed Lutz’s career at GM– listening to every excuse for his employer’s dismal performance short of “the sun was in my eyes”– I would like to officially go on record saying that GM needs to builds vehicles, not sound bites. That is all.
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gas is in the low threes in the Boston area. One source tells me it's not going to go over $4 for a sustained period in the foreseeable future without some sort of tax on it, because there are lots of potential substitutes--tar sands, oil from coal, more biofuels, etc. Nonetheless, it's probably not going to stay way down for a sustained period, and carbon taxes, or higher gas taxes may come, especially with a demo admin. But sheesh, GM should at least build a hybrid competitive with the Prion. Oops! What am I smoking today? Or maybe Simon (owner of the cafe) put something in my espresso this morning.
Maximum Bob & Maximum Vaporware: Perfect together!!!
Have GM merge with Exxon. .80 cents a gallon fuel and 14mpg high margin SUV's and trucks(And $4/gal diesel to fend off the euro cars!).
I seriously cant wait for European diesel cars and suv come over here to get rid of the hybrid trend. If it was used for a technological breakthrough that is one thing but a hybrid making less than 30mpg? That is a joke.