Once again, GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz is shooting his mouth off, aspiring to TTAC's non-existent Stop Making Sense lifetime achievement award. Let's face it: it's one thing to say you don't give a shit about Toyota snatching your employer's "world's largest automaker crown" and then rescind the remark (as GM CEO Rick Wagoner did during a Russian plant unveiling in '07). It's another to say the same thing again. But those are the [non-fighting] words coming out of Maximum Bob's mouth in an interview set to be published tomorrow by the German auto industry newspaper Automobilwoche (via Reuters). "Good product quality, the company's image and the profit for shareholders are more important goals than the top position in volume." In that order, presumably. BTW. WTH does that quote actually mean?
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Its not that hard to figure out. Toyota eclipsing GM obviously really really bothers top GM managers a lot. It should its especially embarrassing as this has been a long time coming and it happened all the while they pooh pawed the notion of it actually happening.
Their brain tells them they must relinquish pushing further profitless sales simply for the sake of the sales crown. Thats smart.
However, their hurt pride and emotions desperately
let slip time and time their true feelings. If they could launch some car or program that didn’t lose them more money that would enable GM to keep the sales crown they would. Thats stupid.
Thank God for Bob Lutz. He really makes things more interesting. Between Bob and Rick you gotta wonder what is going on at GM. The ongoing mixed messages are just another indication that GM is in trouble. Will they ever show a profit? Rick sure doesn’t seem to care. Why should he, he has his guaranteed golden parachute.
In my mind, 2 ways to interpret Lutz’s words:
1)”We will not spend one dollar in order to be number one” …IN THE US MARKET
Which means “Since we failed here, we’ll just take the game overseas”
2) “We could have, but didnt spend our dollars wisely to REMAIN #1 in this country, no need spending good money after bad, so what do you want from us? Looky here–we gave you the LaCrosse and Lucerne, you all yawned. You wanted a small car, we gave you the Cobalt and yet you all want Civics, Corollas, and Mazda3s. You wanted a small sporty convertible, we gave you the Solstice, yet you all favor the Miata. We just can’t please YOU PEOPLE, so you either take what we sell, or go overseas. Just like WE’RE doing!”
Bottom line: US consumers favor non-US cars, GM favors non-US consumers.
at what date will the volt debut change from 2011 to 20??,?
“at what date will the volt debut change from 2011 to 20??,?”
I’m going to guess maybe sometime in 2011.
As if spending a lot of dollars would make you number one! You see, there is something more than just buying shares, brands or pouring money in branches. It`s the ingenuity and attitude of each worker, engineer and designer.