GM's Bob Lutz Speaks

Thought this was an interesting article. Of special note is Lutz saying the 2005 GTO is sold out... all 18,000 (their target) are sold. And that's good news for us RWD performance fans.

-- By Bob Lutz GM Vice Chairman

It's been great to read all the Solstice comments in response to Lori Queen's posts. I'll just say that Lori and I appreciate your patience. You won't be sorry you waited once you have one. I also noticed that amid the Solstice discussion, that issue of rear-wheel drive arose again, so I'd like to take the opportunity to address that one more time, along with a couple other questions I was asked previously.

About potential GM rear-wheel-drive products: First of all, for those who say GM is overcommitted to front-wheel-drive, I'd say that's not quite true. We have the small rear-wheel drive architecture that will spawn the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. We have the Cadillac CTS, STS and SRX, three excellent rear-drive vehicles. And of course we have the Chevrolet Corvette and the Cadillac XLR. And the rear-wheel drive 2005 Pontiac GTO is practically sold out, despite initial worries of whether it would ever reach its targeted volume of 18,000 a year. Right now on the West Coast they just don't have enough of them to go around, because it's such a great car to drive. So there's a whole host of rear-wheel-drive cars that we have already.

We're fully cognizant of the advantages and disadvantages of rear-wheel drive versus front-wheel drive. We know that rear-wheel drive for the enthusiast driver produces a greater and more visceral sense of control. That isn't to say that you can't do a great front-wheel-drive car, and we certainly do a lot of those, with great vehicle dynamics.

But there is something very appealing about a rear-wheel-drive car, and it's not lost on us. We have not at all abandoned our hopes and dreams for rear-wheel-drive passenger cars - we've just stopped work on one particular program. Does that mean there won't be another and a better program to follow that one? No. Has the current trend toward nostalgia vehicles escaped us? No. Are we studying this phenomenon? Yes. That's all there is to say about it at this time.

Also, someone asked me if I had to buy any car under $30,000, what would it be? I think, and I'm not just being a homer, I would go with the Pontiac Grand Prix GXP, which is just south of $30,000, and a terrific vehicle to drive. I would also give strong consideration to the new Chevy Impala SS V8.

Finally, I was also asked what I'm driving currently... Right now I'm driving a test-fleet preproduction Solstice, a Hummer H3 and a preproduction Pontiac G6 coupe with the 3.9-liter V6. I'm sort of rotating through these vehicles, and enjoying myself very much. We get stopped a lot, both with the G6 coupe, and especially with the Solstice. People really like the looks of that G6 coupe - it does stand out. With the H3, it's interesting, because people do a double-take. At first they think it's an H2, but then suddenly it dawns on them that it's smaller than that. It's fun to watch.

It's probably more fun to watch than to read about. But the H3 is doing very well right out of the gate right now, so I'm confident that you'll have a chance to witness the phenomenon in person soon. Let me know what you think.

Reply to
NoOption5L
Loading thread data ...

Definitely interesting, but Lutz lost me when queried on what car he'd buy under $30k. He had the gall to mention the Impala SS, but not even a hint about the Mustang. At that point his credibility went into the toilet bowl.

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote in news:1118285520.185964.45980 @f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

another

Reply to
Joe

That's not the old Lutz we all used to respect, this is the new Lutz. The new Lutz is only out to try and save face and work "damage control". I don't know about anybody else here, but I had high hopes when Lutz took the reins at GM. The only thing that I've seen roll out that wasn't an initial disappointment, is the C6 'vette.

After an initial sales surge the '05 GTO seems to be sitting on the lots, in some cases, right next to the '04 leftovers. I like how Lutz says it's "_practically_" sold out. He ought to check the figures for the east coast.

I wonder how he would describe the sales of the SSR? :o

-- John C. '03 Cobra Convt.

Reply to
John C.

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.