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GM Vice-Chair Bob Lutz Explains It All

By Staff • Published April 13th, 2008 • Further Reading  

GM Vice Chairman Bob LutzYou don’t hand you the executive washroom keys at General Motors for being a wallflower.

GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz has made a career by championing splashy, high-concept automobiles. At Chrysler, Lutz dreamed up the muscular Viper roadster and Prowler street rod. He brought the Pontiac GTO to market, and had a hand in the development of BMW’s 300-series sedans — one of the world’s best sellers. Before entering the auto industry, Lutz flew jets for the U.S. Marine Corps.

Crock talk

So it’s not altogether surprising that Lutz’ smashmouth style sometimes gets him into trouble. Back in January, Lutz went off on a rant about climate change in front of a group of journalists, indelicately terming global warming “a total crock of shit.” Unfortunate words for the guy who has been courting environmentalist favor with the development of Chevy’s plug-in Volt sport coupe.

Lutz’ remarks eventually found their way into a Dallas magazine, kicking-off a firestorm in the green press. Things didn’t get better when Lutz took a confrontational stab at explaining himself on the GM Fast Lane blog. The national press attention which followed prompted GM CEO Rick Wagoner to distance the company from Lutz’ opinions, reiterating General Motors’ commitment to green technology.

Trying to set the record straight

Fast Company video blogger Shel Israel recently sat down with Lutz to discuss the GM’s progress on electric vehicles, their use of blogging as a means of corporate communication, and the fallout from the global warming dust-up. Lutz explains that his opinions on global warming are his own.

“I gave vent to my opinion that the cause of global climate change is possibly misunderstood,” Lutz admits, adding, “I didn’t use those words — I wish I had.”

Lutz says his advocacy of projects such as the Volt are not motivated by a belief in global warming, but that we should “conserve our resources and get ourselves off foreign oil.”

The interview runs a total of 17 minutes. Lutz’ comments on climate change start at 10:10 into the feature.

Talk about a crock … (GM Fastlane Blog)
GM exec stands by calling global warming “a crock” (Reuters)

  • When this all went down, it occurred to me that we focused too much on the first part of his statement ("global warming is a crock of shit") and not enough on a latter part: "...my opinion doesn't matter." Ultimately, it doesn't: consumers are demanding more fuel-efficient, greener personal transportation choices, and that does matter to companies like GM.
  • I like Bob. He speaks without a filter and as a journalist I like his authenticity. And whether it's to combat global warming or to get us off foreign oil, the Volt will be a game changer when it appears and Lutz's comittment to it will help insure it's arrival. I for one am waiting to buy a new car until the Volt appears as I don't ever want to pull into a service station again, unless its because I have to use the restroom!
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