Good-Bye (Again) To Bob & Other Musings

Concept Porsche 918 Spyder

Maximum Bob is retiring. Again.

Robert A. (Bob) Lutz, the larger than life Swiss-born auto industry personality who is widely credited with reviving the electric car, announced that he was stepping down from his position at General Motors. Lutz, who had announced and then rescinded his retirement in 2009 will leave GM on May 1. Lutz is 78.

There is so much that can be said about Bob, one of the more colorful characters of our time at least in the auto industry where towing the line is an art form. But in start contrast to that way of thinking, Lutz often said what he thought and didn’t care too much about people’s reactions including once publicly calling global warming a crock of sh*t.

Lutz began his automotive career with GM Europe in 1963 before heading off to BMW in 1971.  Following his three year stint at BMW, Lutz took turns at Ford, Chrysler and GM with a four year tenure at Exide, a global battery manufacturer preceding his final GM years.

Though credited with influencing the building of the BMW 3-Series, Chrysler LH sedans, Dodge Viper and Plym0uth Prowler, Lutz’ role in getting GM to start thinking about electric cars again may yet prove to be his most significant accomplishment.

Although the car is not due out until November, the Chevrolet Volt is at the vanguard of new electrification technology which promises to reshape the way people view their cars.  Some felt that Lutz would stay around until after the car made its debut, but the heavy lifting has already been completed, therefore Lutz can move on.

In Other News

Lutz’s retirement isn’t the only news of note this week. The Geneva Motor Show’s press days are over, revealing a number of dazzling new models and concepts which will be on display through March 14 in Switzerland.

I have yet to complete my sifting through of press materials, photos and schematics related to what has been revealed, though the Porsche 918 Spyder Concept (pictured) is certainly a looker. And, if Porsche goes ahead and builds the car it could turn the industry on its ear.

How so? Because the 918 is a plug-in hybrid model, pairing an explosive V8 engine with lithium-ion hybrid technology. Porsche says that the 918 can travel from zero to sixty in just 3.2 seconds while achieving 78 mpg on the highway! Most certainly that is an unheard of combination of power and fuel economy, numbers competing manufacturers would need to match if Porsche follows through and builds the 918.

Final Thoughts

I also noted that Hyundai did follow through and roll out their iFlow concept at Geneva but the only pictures to be had are the four auto show images on their website. I had hoped to snag a few more, but that will have to wait until Hyundai updates their site. Take it from Ford and GM, Hyundai: when you announce a new car or concept, have those pictures available to the press pronto.

Lastly, in the Mar. 1, 2010 Consumer Reports (CR) Car Blog posting, it was noted that Toyota will pick up cars and provide free loaner service for affected owners of recalled models. Then again, when you read the CR article you have to wonder if something might have gotten lost in translation….

Developing Trends Promise To Reshape Auto Industry

The just released Kia Forte sedan will soon be joined by the Forte Koup, a stylish two-door model arriving later this summer.

We’re right at the middle of the year which is a good time to take a look at the auto industry and what is coming down the pike over the coming 6 to 18 months. The first six months of the year were very active as both GM and Chrysler went bankrupt with Chrysler already emerging through its proceedings and is now part of Fiat. The rest of the industry is awaiting for the market to rebound, but the auto landscape will continue to change in the months ahead.

The following are some of the changes on the horizon:

Near term – This summer, Ford will release the all new Ford Taurus a nicely redesigned full sized sedan for the Blue Oval. Ford will also be introducing its highly anticipated EcoBoost technology and will roll out its Lincoln MKT crossover by late summer. GM has a pair of Cadillacs in the pipeline – the SRX crossover and the CTS wagon. Buick will get a new LaCrosse sedan while GMC inherits the Terrain which is based on the Chevy Equinox. Chrysler has nothing coming up while Acura will stick a V6 engine in the TSX. The Kia Forte KOUP should be in showrooms by late August.

This fall – The remaining 2010 models will be out, a model year that began right after the new year when the Mercedes GLK was introduced. A hatchback BMW 5-Series is on its way, while a small X1 crossover is being introduced.  A restyled Audi A8 hits the market while the S4 makes its return. Hyundai introduces a restyled Tucson while the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution will be welcomed back. A hybrid version of the Porsche Cayenne will be introduced. Mahindra will be selling their first trucks this fall.

Next spring – 2010 will have several watershed moments including the introduction of the Ford Fiesta subcompact. Throughout the year beginning in the Spring, automaker will be rolling out several pure electric and plugin hybrid models. Mitsubishi and Nissan appear to be leading the way with Ford and Toyota following.

Summer 2010 and Beyond – The Chevy Volt will likely hit showrooms by November but there will be lots of new models from new manufacturers including Coda, Fisker, Th!nk, Smart, MINI and perhaps V-Vehicle if the latter doesn’t turn out to be a bad case of vaporware. By the end of the year the Fiat 500 should be ready for the US. Tata Motors could be bringing the Nano to the US by year end, but 2011 looks like a better bet.

There is really very little uniformity in the auto industry as consolidation means some brands will disappear or be companies merged while new ones will continue to pop up especially if government money plays in as it is doing now in the US. China and India with their vast consumer societies are forces to be reckoned with as their cars begin to appear on American highways.

Thus, the forecast I gave is just a generalized overview, with room for additional changes too.

See Also — Coda Automotive Introduces All Electric Sedan