Bob Lutz rode to Motown greatness on a wave of bombast, charisma and general maximum-ness. And his ability to act like Patton in full advance, even in the face of dismal business results, has been crucial to GM’s several year long “product revolution” denial offensive. But when the war is over, and the other general’s are already discussing the terms of surrender, men like Bob Lutz are suddenly seen less as inspirational figures and more as, well, liabilities. Buried in an otherwise unremarkable piece on the LA Auto Show in MSNBC, we get a little taste of just how minimum things are at GM right now. Global Insight analyst Rebecca Lindland reveals that GM won’t be sending the man of maximum to LA to launch the new CTS Coupe. “The perception of Cadillac is of excess; it’s a high-profile, low volume vehicle and not the type of vehicle you want to be seen flaunting right now,” she said. “And you can’t take a chance that the media will catch Bob Lutz swilling Champagne or puffing on a cigar — it’s a PR nightmare waiting to happen.” Just wait till you see the post-bailout spa bills.
Find Reviews by Make:
Read all comments
Sending Bob out here would be fatal to GM’s prayers of a taxpayer funded delayed Ch. 11 filing. He’d say something like “GM’s alleged liquidity issues are bullshit”.
That’d be great.
Lutz has been Maximum BS for a long time. The only thing funny about the current situation is watching the mainstream media catch up with us amateurs.
PR nightmare? Well, try this.
Seems Wagoner and his counterpart grandees went to beg for federal funds in high style. ABC News is reporting that Wagoner, Mullaly and Nardulli all came to D.C. to plead poverty on their “private luxurious jets,” because after all, mere First Class on a commercial flight just wouldn’t do. The money quote:
“Wagoner’s private jet trip to Washington cost his ailing company an estimated $20,000 roundtrip. In comparison, seats on Northwest Airlines flight 2364 from Detroit to Washington were going online for $288 coach and $837 first class.
After the hearing, Wagoner declined to answer questions about his travel.”
This is tragically hilarious. Has there ever been a group of blockhead CEOs that were so insulated from reality that they wouldn’t see red flags all over this little escapade? They couldn’t find a commercial flight or a train, just this once? I thought that these guys couldn’t be as stupid as they often seem (Wagoner, are you listening?) but now I’m convinced that they really are. They’ve earned failure. It’s no wonder GM is gasping for air.
By the way, that sound you hear is the last nail being hammered into the coffin of the Big 2.8’s appeal for federal bailout funds.
The last great auto leader Iaccoca did not mince words about him. Usually people don’t say much about past colleagues if they have nothing good to say. The guy must be real gem for Iaccoca to lambaste him publicly.
Re: The CEO’s flew private corporate jets for this begging trip. Yup, they sure did!
http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=31716
Lutz is the perfect example of the charismatic executive for whom their own personal BS PR is the only thing they actually cultivate/produce. When you look at his actual product track record (Lucerne, anyone? GTO?) you realize just how sucktastic he is at his job.
Let him fly his fighter jet back to Switzerland and be done with him.
If congress approves a bailout, there should be gag-order on Bobs along with compensation caps of executives.
more shrill braying from Lindland.
she used to gush like Old Faithful on how he (Lutz) was going to play THE role in ‘product’ being the savior at GM.
my, how times have changed.
Usually one could listed to Ms. Lindland gush over how great “Bob” was and the “great job” he was doing at “the tubes” to turn around GM.
Guess what?
game over!!
By any standard, the CTS is a very good car. GM doesn’t need to apologize to anyone for building it.
According to all the reviews, the Pontiac GTO was a pretty good car. My principal objection to it was its large size. (I have the same complaint about the CTS and BMS 5 series.)