Bob Lutz calls GM stupid?

''I can't believe that we were so stupid,'' Lutz said of GM. ``People talk about Toyota overtaking General Motors [in global sales], as if GM were one company. But the truth is that we had not been one company for decades. We were different companies, each doing its own thing with little regard for the other. How can you run a global company like that? You can't. It was stupid. No wonder Toyota was cleaning our clock.''

The separate-but-equal approach to financing, developing, designing and manufacturing divisional cars and trucks yielded equally mediocre vehicles, higher production costs, lower vehicle quality and legions of dissatisfied customers, Lutz said. But GM waited much too long to fix what needed fixing, he said.

''The problem was right there before us all along. It was so easy to see, once we decided to look. It's not rocket science,'' said Lutz.

Full article here

Lem1972 - 3/15/2006 7:06:41 PM

+1 Boost

Thank god someone in his position said it. It amazes me sometimes that they're actually still in business. For example, the Mazda Miata came on the market back in 1989 or 90 and was an unqualified success. It took GM 16 whole years to respond with the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. Sixteen years!!! That's just one recent example of how inept they are. Sometimes while walking down the street or driving in my car, I look at some of GM's product and I wonder who the hell designs these cars. The designs lack any imagination, beauty, or passion. It's very hard to think of any GM product (besides Corvette, Solstice, and the Saturn Sky) that you can look at as being beautiful.

Hopefully Bob Lutz can really do something and make GM products disireable.

Designer1 - 3/15/2006 8:35:33 PM

+1 Boost

I totally agree with Lem and Tim. But I trully doubt it that Lutz's speech will do ANY difference, we can see that in the all new generation Chevey, Caddilac, SUVs. They're ahhh, ok but with still cheap material, and I'm sure the reliability will be bad. I'm curiouse to see their crash tests would they match Toyota's trucks and the new body style F150?

Designer1 - 3/15/2006 8:35:33 PM

+1 Boost

atomicbri - 3/16/2006 9:24:04 AM

+1 Boost

LOL, what is Lutz thinking? Last I checked virtually every GM car offered their individual marques have the sane cars just rebadged. I am disappointed GM has been doing this crap for years and has watered down their brands and the values in each brand. Hopefully they will be on a roll with some new rear wheel drive architecture and get back into producing interesting cars like they did in the 50's and 60's.

cktoo - 3/16/2006 1:45:33 PM

+1 Boost

Lutz is getting fed up at GM, which is not surprising. Lutz was a wonder at Chrysler in the early/mid 90's and if you read his book, he knows what he's talking about. My guess is he doesn't have the same pull at GM that he had at Chrysler and he's getting pissed. Those comments are spot on, but I guarantee those in GM's ivory tower are none to happy about the comments. Hopefully, Lutz will come out as the winner, as he is telling it like it is. Consolidate some friggin GM brands and focus on auto's.

Like other's have said, besides SUV's/trucks, and the Vette, not much else in the GM stable I'd even look to buy. Too bad because I'd like to buy american too, but they have a long way to go to pull me away from my Japanese car.

pnsb24a - 3/17/2006 1:11:38 AM

+1 Boost

Lutz was and is definitely part of the problem.
They don't call him "Angels" Putz for nothing.

ts3ts3 - 3/18/2006 3:29:26 AM

+1 Boost

Here's another example of changing a world product for the US that makes it not as good. Just look at the Isuzu D-Max available anywhere else in the world. http://www.isuzu.co.jp/world/product/dmax/index.html<br><br><br>
The front end is much nicer than the one they sell here with the GMC badge replaced with Isuzu, and they also offer some great engines, several diesels, and a 24 valve gas v6. http://www.isuzu.co.jp/world/product/dmax/powertrain_2.html Meanwhile, we get 4 & 5 cylinder engines that get no better gas mileage than the straight six they are sawed off from. The least attractive part, the interior, appears to be the only thing carried over to the US. Every article you read about the Colorado and Canyon say they have nothing to do with Isuzu, but I think these website pictures prove otherwise. Looks like the only parted ways when selecting a powertrain.

ts3ts3 - 3/18/2006 3:33:08 AM

+1 Boost

Ten years ago I was in Germany, and rented an Opel Astra. It was the most fun I ever had in a small car. The car felt solid and handled great. When I got back, I couldn't believe how crude the Cavalier felt - I always wondered why GM didn't replace the Cavvy with the Astra years ago...