Call for Resignation of GM's Lutz, Too, as Condition of Bailout
by David Sassoon - Dec 8th, 2008
As a matter of immediate concern, I think the U.S. legislators contemplating this bailout package should demand Bob Lutz's resignation before dribbling a single dollar into GM's leaky pockets.
Jim Hoggan, DeSmogBlog, 12-6-08
If everybody in America doesn't know who Bob Lutz is, they should. He's GM's denier-in-chief. Nicknamed "Maximum Bob" for being the champion of cars like the Dodge V-10 Viper and the 1,000 horsepower Cadillac Sixteen, he also gained notoriety for calling global warming a "crock of (expletive deleted)." Now, he's out front for GM as the booster for the Chevy Volt, the electric car on which the company is staking its turnaround. Good grief.
GM's Mr. Horsepower Has an Electric Conversion is how the NY Times put it.
The prospect of Mr. Lutz going green represents a sharp reversal. After all, he has often mocked environmental advocates, saying that except for “a few nuts in California,” no one cared about the impact of cars on the environment.
In 2003, he described Toyota’s hybrid-electric Prius as a public relations stunt — although he admitted he wished General Motors had a similar model — and declared G.M.’s most important car to be the Chevrolet Corvette.
That same year, G.M. showed off the Cadillac Sixteen, a four-door concept sports car commissioned by Mr. Lutz. It sported a 32-valve, 13.6-liter V-16 engine and a steering wheel logo carved out of crystal.
So when Lutz, a GM Vice Chairman, authored a piece called Volt:The Next Phase on the company blog and talked about test driving the car, it raised a few eyebrows -- and hackles, like Hoggan's at DeSmog.
The obvious goal of the government support is to allow GM to remake itself. There is NO reason to expect a new trick from this old dog. He should be dismissed.
Makes a lot more sense than letting Bob Lutz be the poster boy for the Volt. It is the centerpiece of GM's effort to convince America that it is working on green cars and is deserving of a bailout. The company should find a better ambassador for the low carbon future than Maximum Bob.
Forcing out Lutz may seem like a sideshow to the much bigger issues needing resolution to rescue Detroit, but if you believe in the power of gesture, maybe not. If the auto unions are willing to make concessions, GM's C-Suite ought to reciprocate by sending Lutz to pasture with much fanfare. There would be great energy in his public sacrifice, a real signal that the days of business-as-usual are coming to a end.
With calls mounting for the resignation of GM's CEO Rick Waggoner, Lutz should be on the chopping block, too.
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Agreed. It is obvious that the GM management and CEOs are to blame to the companies colapse. It would eb stupid to throw them money only for the CEOs to continue to do what they do. Clearly they had it wrong and the government should import new management before giving them a cent.roulette onlinepoker sitesblackjack onlinevideo poker online
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Agreed. It is obvious that
Agreed. It is obvious that the GM management and CEOs are to blame to the companies colapse. It would eb stupid to throw them money only for the CEOs to continue to do what they do. Clearly they had it wrong and the government should import new management before giving them a cent.
I'm totally agree with you !
I'm totally agree with you ! so useless to give them money, they will conitnue in the wrong way !
The Real Issue
The real issue is that GM, Ford and Chrysler are so huge and inefficient that they can’t make a profit off of a vehicle market of 14 million cars; they claim they need a market of 17 million cars to turn a profit. This is ‘economy of scale’ run amok.
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