With Bob Lutz leaving GM on May 1, 2010, more and more retrospective stories are showing up in the media. There’s no doubt that Lutz led, and continues to lead, an interesting life. He worked for several manufacturers during his career as an auto executive and left his mark on all of them. He may be the last executive we see, cut from the old school mold of a tough guy, who had the balls to make gutsy calls and live with their aftermath, good and bad.
His final stint at GM, where he peformed a couple of different roles, is tough to judge. On the one hand he had a big part in updating the styling of GM’s products and increasing the quality of stuff like interiors. On the other hand, the company collapsed financially and is now majority owned by the government. That can’t be laid on the shoulders of Lutz, but we certainly think it tempers his legacy.
The Chevy Volt is a car that Lutz championed and supported. As evidenced by some of his quotes in the story linked below, Lutz feels very strongly about the car and he honestly believes that it will be a game changer once it hits the market.
Does Lutz belong in the same breath as Lee Iacocca, John DeLorean, etc, or is he just a guy who got a lot of attention because he said the controversial thing at the right time?
Source — StarTribune.com — Victory Lap for GM’s Bob Lutz
