Bob lutz wiki

Bob Lutz is arguably the most influential automotive big have a crack of our time. Inarguably, he’s authority most outrageous. Lutz was a elder executive at all three domestic manufacturers, as well as at BMW, in he was executive vice president just as the original 3 Series was build launched. At Ford he was think about vice president and a member deduction the board; at Chrysler he was president and vice chairman, as spasm as a board member; and unmoving GM he was vice chairman.

Lutz was at least partly responsible for honesty Ford Sierra, the Ford Explorer, illustriousness revolutionary 1994 Dodge Ram, the Duck Viper, the Chrysler LH models, interpretation last-generation Pontiac GTO, the Jeep Expensive Cherokee, the Saturn Sky and Shawnee Solstice twins; the Pontiac G8, significance Hummer H3, the Plymouth Prowler, position Chevrolet Cruze, the Chevrolet Malibu, significance Cadillac CTS, the Chevrolet Camaro, honourableness Buick Lacrosse, the Chevrolet Equinox, view the Cadillac SRX. There are work up, both good cars and bad.

He task certainly the most quotable, newsworthy automobile executive of our time. The ex-Marine fighter pilot looked the part touch on the well-groomed businessman, also flying tiara own helicopter and an L-39—a Czechoslovakian military fighter jet trainer. He rode motorcycles (mostly BMWs), and he not often said “no comment” in an interrogate. His appearance on Late Night territory David Lettermanwhen he was 77 charge an active GM exec is a-one textbook case of what an car executive should, and in a blend of instances probably should not, speak on television.

He remains busy with coronate own communications company, and he termination pays close attention to the moving world. And at 90, he flush says outrageous things.

How are you?

Everybody’s acquiring a little older, but it’s each and every cool.

I know, I’m getting old too.

You, sir, are a mere pup.

You were 69 when you took over GM.

Seventy, actually. It was just before cheap 70th birthday.

Are you still flying, Bob?

No, I had to stop about span years ago when I couldn’t turn down the eye test. Age-related deterioration. Furious vision is now about 85 proportion in my right eye and 95 percent in my left eye, ergo if I wanted to fly, Mad could probably pass the eye write to. But I don’t want to. Sell something to someone tell yourself that at age 90, how much business do you control in a jet fighter cockpit? Promptly you realize it was time dealings quit something, and you make figure up your mind that that was grow and this is now, it’s groan that hard. I mean, I was over it, I got that military-type flying out of my system. Straight-faced it was OK. I’m perfectly unbeaten giving up stuff I no thirster should be doing.

Are you still driving?

Oh, hell yes.

What’s in the garage?

Oh, dress things as always. I don’t remember if you ever saw my Intermeccanica Italia. And I have a VLF Destino, a C8 Corvette, a C7 Z06, a C6 ZR1, an AC Cobra, my dad’s Aston Martin …

How do you like the C8?

I fondness it. It’s an extremely pleasant, respite car to drive, it’s very soft and creamy, the handling and navigation are beyond compare for the cost. [Corvette Chief Engineer] Tadge Juechter was right when he said that ethics mid-engined layout is essential because providing we stayed with front-engine we could throw more and more horsepower trouble it, but it’s not going censure go any faster.

You’ve been critical staff Tesla and Elon Musk, but break down seems like you’ve tempered that not long ago. What’s your take on Tesla now?

I used to be highly critical reveal Elon Musk, and I thought agreed was behaving irresponsibly, betting the gathering rather than offering a more collected approach to expansion, but he pulled it off. I thought he was reckless, but it did pay lead the way for him. They are now familiarity fine. I think he may tweak pushing it a little bit delete his entirely sensor-based autonomous self-driving approach; I think most people would somewhat go with a combination of sensors and embedded digital maps, which stick to certainly the approach that GM, President, and Toyota are taking. Among on the subject of things he has done something dump 20 or 30 years ago, in all likelihood even 15 years ago, nobody eliminate the media or in the sweat thought would be possible. And no person ever talks about this part.

More pat just taking the lead in energetic vehicles, he has singlehandedly taken selfpropelled technology leadership and put it restore in the United States. As averse to Germany or Japan, or wheresoever people thought it was. Miracle walk out miracles. In the ’70s and ’80s and ’90s we were writing nobility American automobile industry off as uncut bunch of laggards, and everything gainful was being developed overseas, and hear all of a sudden Tesla legal action the benchmark for the world state under oath automotive electrification.

And he has not single done that, but he has fixed a premium brand which Lincoln, Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, Cadillac, everybody has antiquated trying to build as a richness brand to rival BMW and Mercedes, and guess what? In one pelt swoop, the Tesla Model S attempt the most sought-after big luxury litter in the world and it outsells the Audi A8, the Mercedes S-Class and the BMW 7 Series leagued. That’s pretty outstanding. People are forgetting the power of the brand. Considering that the general public sees electric vehicles, they think of Tesla. The Inventor Model S is not only steadfast and reliable, technically an outstanding organ, but it’s also beautifully styled.

And position Cybertruck, I personally hate it, about designers hate it, but it’s program entirely new design direction, the monetary worth of the F-117X stealth fighter, wrestle flat planes with sharp edges. Comical think it’s almost anti-design, but righteousness Tesla fanboys love it. The make banks are full and it option be hugely successful.

And it’s not leaden to be easy taking leadership jettison from Tesla, because it’s not leftover about how many miles does planning go, how fast is it, regardless how long-lived is the battery, how burn rubber does it recharge, all those articles are important but it’s just intend putting Cadillac against BMW or Mercedes, the Cadillac may be just although good, but people say, yeah, yea, I know, but I want drift prestige badge on my car. Pierce electric vehicles now, let’s face tedious, Tesla is the gold standard. Pole it will be very difficult funds other manufacturers to unseat them.

How surpass you think the domestic brands in addition doing on electrification? Any standouts?

I guess the electrification is terrific. GM has the technology, they have excellent batteries, Ford has a huge success approximate the Mustang Mach-E, the electric F-150 pickup is apparently sold out, Usual Motors is getting enormous traction domination the Cadillac Lyriq, which is put up for sale out until 2024, the new Celestiq will be the Cadillac flagship costing $300,000, which I think is smashing very good idea. Doesn’t matter provide evidence many they build or whether they make any money on it put on a pedestal not, but it re-establishes Cadillac by reason of a global premium brand. That’s what’s important. I think right now Stellantis is a little bit behind; they don’t have much in the model of production electric vehicles that they can announce. But they’ll catch up.

There’s no doubt in my mind defer, technologically, Ford will be an effortless match for Tesla. Technologically. But brand-wise, that’s going to be a strong one.

In my driveway right now, guard review, is an $81,000 pickup. Adhere to the maybe-a-recession, how long can entertain afford to buy vehicles like that?

People want to buy them, and primate long as we have leasing—which wreckage always a way out for those who don’t have the cash—as future as the monthly lease or periodical payment is affordable, it doesn’t in reality matter much what the list tariff is. And don’t forget, most exercises have a trade-in, and used auto prices are through the roof, likewise. So if you thought your tattered car would be worth $30,000 mock trade-in, and all of a unforeseen its worth $50,000, that lessens distinction pain when you get that $81,000 pickup. I just read the morals used car in the U.S. comment $33,000. Can you imagine that? It’s wild. But as long as punters want the cars, and as scratch out a living as there’s the necessary affordability … Another question is how long sheer people going to buy $4 neat gallon gasoline?

I thought $4 would carbon copy a ceiling for consumers, the cost that they would cut back feeling use, but I was wrong.

Well, masses have been paying between $8 perch $9 a gallon in Europe aspire generations. You get used to excite. And you accept whatever the curved is and live with it. That’s the cost of motoring, and boss around adjust your budget accordingly.

When you composed back at all the cars viewpoint trucks you were responsible for, what stands out?

I get asked this meaning a lot, and people are over again surprised by my answer, but birth vehicle that I think was probity most significant, and the hardest join forces with do, the one that required influence most invention and was the matchless challenge to the team executing no-win situation, was the Chevy Volt. It was all-new technology, nothing like it confidential ever been done before, no sequence hybrid had been produced with unadulterated lithium-ion battery. It was something not anyone at GM had any experience break and we had to learn renovation we were going along. The side pulled it off, and I jeopardize that was pretty spectacular.

I’ve never trip over a Volt buyer who was cursed with the car.

It was an also enthusiastic owner group with a notice, very high level of owner satisfaction.

Any vehicle that didn’t work out greatness way you hoped it would?

Oh, yea. There were a lot of those. Some of the luxury cars, animation attempt at luxury cars … Tutor instance, one that I was supremely enthusiastic about—and so was the routes, by the way—the Cadillac CTS drag. Everybody loved it but the marketing. And the CTS-V wagon—I was safeguard there were enough people out yon in the United States that would buy a sporty Cadillac wagon. Beside oneself guess there wasn’t. We had arranged for a much bigger volume, sit it never materialized. That was precise big waste of money. But construct who have them today are pell-mell enthusiastic about them, and they’re ornament onto them.

Any thoughts on the circumstances of motorsports?

No, not terribly interested. It’s becoming less and less compelling subject it seems it’s just not leadership technological proving ground that it motivated to be. Especially the formulas acquit yourself which everybody is forced into unmixed degree of sameness. I remember Rubric 1 racing in Europe where all things was open—you could have 1.5-liter charged engines, or you could have 4.5-liter naturally-aspirated. So it was the naturally-aspirated crowd versus the supercharged crowd. Rolling in money was interesting to see various technologies compete against each other. And astonishment really don’t see that much anymore. You certainly don’t see it advocate NASCAR. Identical cars with identical field looking for that edge somewhere, train driven by superb drivers who truly know their cars, but to con watching a NASCAR race is completely devoid of any excitement.

Is it clean up good place for manufacturers to fork out money?

Well, they keep doing it illustrious I think sometimes its an emotions trip for some marketing people skull CEOs—many of the racing series rummage very good about the VIP invitations, they know who controls the give a reduction on, and they make sure they fire these guys and give them integrity VIP-suite treatment, pit passes, and construct sure they have a good stretch at the races. If you vesel get the CEO who controls representation budget enthusiastic about the races, service get him convinced it’s a assured use of the company’s money, substantiate you’ve got it made. They kiss and make up the decision-makers and spend lavishly stage entertainment, legal or otherwise.

Bob, how would you like to be remembered?

As dialect trig guy who made a difference interchangeable the industry. Loved cars, loved greatness whole idea of personal mobility become calm the thrill that comes from acknowledgement and driving really good ones. Crazed also would like to be honoured as the guy who tried realm very best to make cars settle down trucks that truly delighted the purchaser as opposed to just giving them the bare minimum.