Lutz: GM must respond to demand for gas guzzlers
Lutz at the Volt debut"It remains a fact that the American public buys big, high consumption, cars," claims GM's Bob Lutz in a recent interview. Moreover, Lutz goes on to state, "The mass movement towards 'green cars' is only taking place in the media".
Except for the Toyota Prius of course.
Lutz goes on to claim that the Obama Administration wants automakers to build more fuel efficient vehicles than will be achieved via the recent changes in CAFE. However, the only way to make such a move happen is by making gas prices reach European levels, and that would, according to Lutz, be too devastating to the economy.
So, I guess Congress and the White House will just pour money into GM et al to build enough 'green' vehicles to appease the press, while GM focuses most of their efforts on meeting the demand for gas guzzlers?
Labels: gas guzzlers, Hybrid Vehicles, toyota prius
posted by Dahcredyns at
8:01 AM
21 Comments:
I read the article and what was interesting is that Lutz actually claimed that the Obama administration wants to raise gas prices!
That is smart policy, and more than I expected or had been hearing from Obama. Obama must be politically holding back and keeping things quiet on a lot of the energy efforts he wants and that we would support.
That's giving Obama and his administration the benefit of the doubt, but I think it is a reasonable interpretation of Lutz's comment.
As usual,GM just don't get it. They should be left to go under if they continue to live in the dark ages.
I haven't heard one way or the other on Obama wanting to raise gas prices.
I did however, post a comment on whitehouse.gov stating my support of a gas tax increase.
Why?
Because Lutz is right. It will take higher gas prices to sell fuel efficient cars.
I disagree with Lutz that higher gas prices will ruin the economy. That has not been the case in Europe, Japan or even Canada.
Sad but true. Blame the car companies, corporate America and the government all you want. It's the vorasious consumption oriented American Consumer and the consumer based economy that are to blame.
""The mass movement towards 'green cars' is only taking place in the media".
Oh - and everywhere outside America.
"Oh - and everywhere outside America."
So true..... and America will suffer economically for falling so far behind the rest of the planet...
What an incredibly irresponsible asshole....instead of educating people, this is the only crap that comes out of this douchebag's mouth?
alcatholic-
i don't know if i'm ready to give Obama that much credit. i think lots of politicians know that higher gas prices are the simplest, most effective way to change consumer behavior in a way that can achieve the end of foreign oil dependency or a serious reduction in auto emissions.
unfortunately, neither Obama or any other of these politicians are willing to risk their political future on such a stance. and you can't hardly blame them, americans would crucify any such politician.
regardless, gas prices will surge. it might take another 5 or 10 years to truly cause serious pain, but if we don't act now, we'll only be reacting then.
and that's a recipe for another automakers bailout.
noz-
like smurf, i agree that lutz is somewhat correct. still, that doesn't justify his comments. in fact it demonstrates lutz's lack of vision.
in the short term, lutz is correct, but the world is changing and cheap oil is coming to an end, and america simply is completely unprepared. thus, the risks of not embracing much more forward thinking in terms of the future auto fleet is the same kind of old school mentality that left GM claiming no one could have predicted that gas spike of 2008.
well, no one is going to predict exactly when the next spike will occur, but it WILL occur.
so, people like Lutz need to figure out a way to assist in consumers... to help them redefine their demand for guzzlers into their commitment to help GM, and to help GM fight foreign oil dependency, etc.
obviously, lutz isn't up to such a task. gm needs more change at the top.
It is so short sighted of GM to simply pander to America's consumer culture. The price of gas will rocket,oil WILL run out and more wars will be fought over dwindling oil supplies.
This will certainly lead to economic disaster and yet it can be so easily avoided, but only by changing this blinkered consumer led economy and switching to clean and plentiful energy sources.
anon-
I couldn't agree more.
Well, my guess is that Obama needs to get Health Care done this year and then move on to the next big initiative. My guess is that the next initiative will be energy policy, and then we'll see if Obama is willing to risk their political future on higher gas prices.
I'll judge him at that point, although I think you're right that the odds are long that Obama will actually fight for higher gas prices. For now, I'm happy they are even talking about it!
hopefully, it isn't just a fight for higher gas prices. the way forward can't only be punitive, there has to be good incentives as well. So, really the focus shouldn't be on gas tax, but on ending foreign oil dependency - that is the only possible way you could sell a such a program to the public.
Its as valid a claim as Nixon saying 'Im not a criminal"!, as Bush's "Mission Accomplished', as valid as Cheneys' 'torture of humans is ok', and well you get the idea
Lutz is a Putz! How the devil did New Administration allow him to remain on - hes like a dinosaur that wont die :(
Old "car guys" like Lutz need to leave the U.S. auto industry. This type of management is responsible for Detroit standing on the abyss of extinction. We as a nation need a healthy manufacturing sector,and that is possible only with enlightened, forward thinking management, who see the future more clearly than next quarter's financial results, and design and build cars that will work in the 21st century. Detroit has a golden opportunity to change and thrive, but this won't happen with dinosaur management. Bye bye Bob Lutz and all those like you.
Bob S. former Ford dealer and Chrysler District Manager.
The only solution is a high gas tax ($2.00 per gallon) with a dollar-for-dollar tax dividend.
Give the money back. @ the end of the year so peple can spend or pay bills.
At least Lutz has a grasp on reality. A place the environmentalist fear to tread.
What reality is that?
Unfortunately, I worry, Noz, Lutz might be right.
Without significantly higher fuel prices Americans will do, overall, as Lutz believes.
Personally, I believe, that foreign oil dependency will lead to serious problems, including a large gas spike, this decade, and I don't believe GM will have the products needed to respond.
Dahc,
That part of what Lutz says is obvious. The part that is extremely ludicrous and irresponsible on Lutz's part is to say we should, therefore, continue to make inefficient pieces of crap.
We have the technology RIGHT NOW to reduce our emissions and dependency on oil for transport purposes.
This is just ridiculous...people like Lutz state nothing but the obvious are they are bitches of the corporations and industries that want to continue this nonsense.
Let's sit back for a moment and simply understand how stupid the direction he wants to continue with really is...
No. I agree with you 100 percent on that point, Noz.
Look at Google. "Do no evil" is there corporate mantra. i'm not saying they live up to their mantra, but at least they focus much of their business, their future on trying to do the right thing, not just the thing with the quickest short term profit.
sadly, lutz doesn't just speak for GM, but indirectly, the government.
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