The Great Helmsman had to leave the ship at some point. Well, on May 1, 2010, Bob Lutz, the current Vice President of General Motors under Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre, will retire… one last time.
He left a mark at Ford and especially at Chrysler. Then, amidst the bankruptcy that plagued the #1 American automaker, this charismatic executive chose to resign. However, Fritz Henderson, who replaced the underachieving Rick Wagoner, immediately announced his rehiring! Lutz agreed to resume his post so as to help the company restructure its business model and upper corporate echelons.
Things changed when Henderson was fired last December. Lutz, watching his new boss toying with everything he helped set up, believes the time has come to retire for good. As a former US Marine Naval aviator, "Maximum Bob" is able to recognize that backups are too few and that it’s better to flee.
This is sad. We’re losing one of those rare executives who’s not afraid to speak the truth. Born in Switzerland, Lutz never hesitated to use French whenever I asked him questions… much to the frustration of his press attachés who only spoke English and could not understand a single word he said!
The guy who championed and promoted the Chevrolet Volt always stated that market success would depend much more on the economic context than the product’s originality. "For any hybrid or electric car to be truly successful, fuel prices have to be high enough to hurt people’s wallets," he told me during a press meeting in Detroit a few years ago. "Only then will they purchase one. Otherwise, the Americans will keep buying large pick-up trucks."
Isn’t that what’s going on right now? I hope Mr. Whitacre is aware of it...
Happy retirement, Bob!
He left a mark at Ford and especially at Chrysler. Then, amidst the bankruptcy that plagued the #1 American automaker, this charismatic executive chose to resign. However, Fritz Henderson, who replaced the underachieving Rick Wagoner, immediately announced his rehiring! Lutz agreed to resume his post so as to help the company restructure its business model and upper corporate echelons.
Things changed when Henderson was fired last December. Lutz, watching his new boss toying with everything he helped set up, believes the time has come to retire for good. As a former US Marine Naval aviator, "Maximum Bob" is able to recognize that backups are too few and that it’s better to flee.
This is sad. We’re losing one of those rare executives who’s not afraid to speak the truth. Born in Switzerland, Lutz never hesitated to use French whenever I asked him questions… much to the frustration of his press attachés who only spoke English and could not understand a single word he said!
The guy who championed and promoted the Chevrolet Volt always stated that market success would depend much more on the economic context than the product’s originality. "For any hybrid or electric car to be truly successful, fuel prices have to be high enough to hurt people’s wallets," he told me during a press meeting in Detroit a few years ago. "Only then will they purchase one. Otherwise, the Americans will keep buying large pick-up trucks."
Isn’t that what’s going on right now? I hope Mr. Whitacre is aware of it...
Happy retirement, Bob!