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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Coupes , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Chevrolet , GM Wired magazine got in the queue for some face time with Bob Lutz at the Detroit Auto Show, and came back with a quote that's raised a few brows. When asked what the target market for the car would be, Lutz said "I don't know. You'd like to have it at about $30,000 for the customer, but what I'm hearing from the team is we're not going to get there.... f it costs closer to 40 than 30, well, that's too bad." The issue is the timeline. His engineering team said that if they had more time they could cost-optimize the car, but Lutz doesn't want to wait for that. As for the recent go-round about when the Volt would appear , November 2010 is such a firm deadline in his mind that when it comes to the internal team, his only question is: "What is there about November 2010 that you don't understand?" Lutz must know how important it will be to price this car competitively...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Sedans/Saloons , Government/Legal , Green , Chevrolet , GMC , Pontiac , Holden It's finally (semi) official: RWD cars like a new Pontiac GTO (and Holden Monaro) and Impala are "gone for now." Bob Lutz has been making noises about it for a while, and every announcement gets more and more certain that the front wheels will be pulling more GM cars. Just a month ago, Lutz told Forbes "That's where the internal debate [on the Impala] is now -- no firm decision at this point, but my guess is that we will come down on the side of the front-drive car." By the time of last week's Detroit Auto Show, Lutz was telling GoAuto "I think the (Monaro/Pontiac GTO) is gone for now.... [T]hat's not the end of the market where we want to stimulate demand. We have to find ways to stimulate demand and desirability in cars that will get us closer to the 35 MPG average." How will that be done? Perhaps by using the Alpha midsize platform...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Coupes , Cadillac , GM click above for more high-res live shots of the Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Cadillac_reveals_CTS_COUPE_PICS'; The grand finale of GM's Cadillac press conference was the moment everyone had been waiting for. After a brief introduction from Bob Lutz, who ziplined in from his secret lair in the RenCen, the hotly anticipated Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept rolled onstage, with design head Ed Welburn riding 'gun. The Coupe blends the CTS sedan's face with a new, wedge-shaped 2-door body that finishes off with what Ed described as a "hint of Cadillac fin" in the arrangement of the taillamps. The concept's rear had a single central exhaust outlet whose shape is a nod to the chevrons used to dress up the current CTS interior. Speaking of the interior, the CTS was dressed in black with maize-colored sueded accents and contrast stitching. In another departure from...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Etc. , GM In a two part interview with Forbes magazine during the run-up to that NAIAS, Bob Lutz had a great deal to say about all things GM. The first part centered on CAFE and the costs of energy efficiency, the Volt, and what Mr. Bob would rather have lead consumer choice in the mileage debate. Hint: instead of politicians making laws, his suggestion rhymes with "tas gax." He also says the Volt "probably won't be a flawless launch." The second part focuses global sales, the truck market collapse, and design, with Bob claiming that "Everything we're doing is to meet this new standard of [being the] absolute winner in its class in exterior design and interior design. When we put the vehicles against the competition in the clinics, they must win by a wide margin on exterior appeal as well as reach." But don't take our word for it. Bobus Maximus is always better in his own words, so click the link to check them out...
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