Bob Lutz praises ousted GM CEO Fritz Henderson but prefers to talk about the new Chevrolet Volt, which his government owner has dubbed a loser.
The fallout from yesterday’s surprise ouster of General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson dominated the opening sessions of the 2009 Los Angeles Motor Show, as GM’s Vice Chairman dove in as a last-minute substitute for Fritz Henderson, the show’s initially-planned keynote speaker.
The ousted, 51-year-old executive is “a man of tremendous intelligence, broad knowledge of the business and incredible common sense and probably guided the company through the toughest period in its history,” said the septuagenarian Lutz, whose own tenure is now very much in doubt.
The head of marketing for GM, Lutz stressed that he had other things to talk about, and would be “the Teflon man” if reporters pressed him about the unexpected corporate shake-up. But the stunning news remained the underlying issue and resurfaced during a post-speed question-and-answer session and a later “scrum” with reporters.
And even though Lutz took pains not to take a clear position on the decision by the GM Board of Directors, it seemed he was not pleased to see Henderson forced out after barely eight months as CEO – and three decades working his way up the corporate ladder.
But he warned that he and the rest of the management team had to focus their “loyalty (on) General Motors and the shareholders.”
Lutz’s speech itself – as originally prepared for Henderson – focused on the new Chevrolet Volt Extended-Range Electric Vehicle, or E-REV, and GM’s broader efforts to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. He formally announced that the first Volts will be put on sale, late next year, in California. (Click Here for the story reported, last night, on TheDetroitBureau.com).
GM also is showing off its new Cruze compact in Los Angeles, a vehicle that is expected to yield as much as 40 mpg Highway.
But time and again, the subject kept returning to Henderson and the intrigue at GM headquarters, in Detroit.
“Let’s put it this way,” said Lutz, “it’s a distraction. We’ve got a lot to talk about at this show.” But he also said that he expected the business side of the headlines to fade away, putting the focus where GM wants it. “You never like distractions, but the interesting thing is that the public buys cars. They don’t buy management teams.”
Asked about GM’s plans, beyond Volt, to put its E-REV technology on the road, Lutz declined to discuss future models – though he hinted, “There’s a lot in the pipeline.” Many insiders expect a production version of the Cadillac Converj, a luxury version of Volt, to eventually be approved.
Looking out to 2015, Lutz said he expects to see 250,000 to 350,000 plug-ins, E-REVs and pure battery-electric vehicles sold annually – “100,000 of them ours.” Getting costs in line with customer expectations will be the challenge.
“Nobody want to spend thousands of dollars on technology that will only save several hundred dollars on gas,” he warned.