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 Lutz, who had announced and then rescinded his retirement in 2009 will leave GM on May 1.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….

How To Stop Your Runaway Car

Consumer Reports Shares Important Safety Tip

The past few days the automotive news world has been dominated by one story: Toyota’s massive recall involving nearly five million vehicles in the North American market alone.

Colossal Recall

This unprecedented recall and related sales stoppage is sending shockwaves through the industry, but perhaps most stunning of all is the way that Toyota is handling or should I say mishandling the crisis (see The Auto Writer: Toyota Calamity Presents Fresh Opportunity For Rivals).

Toyota is trying to look like the hero by not selling cars on their lots which could have a defective gas pedal, floor mats, or both. But, evidence is coming forth that Toyota knew about this problem as far back as 2004 and only took action when the heat was turned up on them.

Emergency Stopping

ABC News has been at the forefront of exposing what is going behind the Toyota wall of secrecy when it comes to the problem. They also have hooked up with Consumer Reports in a bid to show Toyota owners a way for them to stop their cars.

The video above is updated from one released last November, but your best response in the event that your car careens out of control is to slam on the brakes and shift the transmission into neutral.

Pumping the brakes can cause you to lose braking while turning off the ignition may lock up your steering. You need control over your brakes and your steering when you are faced with an emergency situation.

Contact Toyota

Toyota has offered little guidance to customers to date on what their remedy will be for recalling and fixing affected vehicles.  What the Japanese automaker is saying customers who have any questions or have experienced any issues with their accelerator pedals should visit Toyota.com, contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331, or call their local Toyota dealer.

Your dealer, however, may not be able to give you a definitive answer right now which means you need to decide if you are comfortable with driving your Toyota, Lexus, or Scion vehicle.

In any case, studying the video can give you some tips on how to maintain control of your car in the event, God forbid, it suddenly lurches out of control.  Safe driving!

Resources

Toyota: Latest News About Toyota’s Safety Recall Campaign

Safety Research and Strategies: So, Who Called Toyota?

While Toyota Flounders, GM Delivers A Fresh Kick

Gas Savings Equals Reliability In Recent Consumer Survey

Of the hundreds of different models of cars on the road today, which ones do you think are the most reliable? Well, if you pick by the brand – Toyota and Honda – you would be right, but there is a more telling way to figure out which cars are the best: they’re the most fuel efficient ones.

In a recent survey conducted by Consumers Union — the independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves – and published in their magazine, Consumer Reports, the small car segment performed quite well.

Consumer Reports found that nine hybrid models rated above average in predicted reliability, with most of those produced by Japanese automakers. In the the Family Cars category, the Toyota Prius, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the Nissan Altima Hybrid, as well as the luxury Lexus GS450h Hybrid sedan have all been recognized among the most reliable vehicles for sale today.

The Lexus RX400h and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid are among the most reliable in midsized SUVs, while the Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid small SUVs rated above normal in expected reliability. The report also found that the Honda Civic Hybrid is above average while recognizing that conventional gas powered cars such as the Honda Fit, Scion xD, Smart ForTwo, and Toyota Yaris had few problems reported.

Although the report sung high praises for most Japanese makes while also recognizing the great strides in quality improvements from Korean and European brands, the report also recognized some interesting trends among the three American automakers.

Specifically, Consumer Reports now says that Ford’s quality nearly matches the industry leaders – Toyota and Honda, while General Motors offers a mixed bag of quality across its many vehicle segments. For GM, some of their newer vehicles such as the Chevrolet Malibu performed quite well while its highly touted Cadillac CTS and crossover triplets – Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook – performed below average.

Worst, were the findings for Chrysler. The report noted that the Dodge Caliber hatchback and Jeep Patriot SUV were above average, but found that the company’s minivans, midsize cars, and Jeep Liberty performed below average. Indeed, the convertible version of the Chrysler Sebring midsize car performed exceptionally bad in this survey.

So, if you are in the market for a new car, taking Consumer Reports’ survey into consideration should help you make a purchase you can live with. I’m not endorsing Consumer Reports per se, but when you’re researching what car to buy, considering what they have to say about various makes and models is a wise move.

(Source: Consumers Union)