9-21-08 by dugan
Coming out of the funk of a truly rotten cold, I sat upright when I saw quotes from the appearance by GM vice chairman Bob Lutz on the Colbert Report. If the Chevy Volt succeeds, it will be despite Lutz, not because of him. Why did GM let loose this Neanderthal on television? He dissed the very foundation of the Volt–as an antidote to global warming–and denigrated its purchasers.
So you’ll see immediately what I mean, here’s the guts of the exchange, from a short in the New York Times:
MIXED MESSAGES – By NICK BUNKLEY
General Motors has been telling anyone who will listen lately about the lofty promises of its battery-powered Chevrolet Volt and of the auto industry’s need for government-backed loans to help develop fuel-efficient vehicles.
To that end, G.M. last week sent its vice chairman, Robert A. Lutz, onto "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central, where Mr. Lutz found himself uncomfortably discussing his skepticism about global warming and conceding that the Volt is perhaps not the peppiest of cars.
Stephen Colbert, who takes on a blustery, conservative persona as the show’s host, caused Mr. Lutz to become tongue-tied after asking him how an electric vehicle would help the environment.
"You don’t believe global warming is real. You’ve said so," Mr. Colbert said. After a long pause and laughter from the audience, Mr. Lutz said "30,000 scientists" supported his view and added, "I have to get off this subject."
Later in the six-minute segment, Mr. Colbert inquired whether the Volt could peel out from a stop, to which Mr. Lutz hesitantly replied, "Adequately."
Mr. Lutz, 76, was more resolute when asked if women would find the car "sexy."
"I think so," he said. "You’re going to get a lot of very nice, no-makeup, environmental women."
That says plenty about the company that scorned development of conventional hybrids, no doubt thinking they were a greenie fad. If the Volt is meant to be GM’s throwdown in its belated race to be a clean-tech leader, why would its corporate veteran and second-in-command think it was great mostly for women in Birkenstocks and wool socks? Why would he diss its performance?
Stephen Colbert is good at throwing his guests off track. But did GM even think to prep Lutz? did GM chairman Rick Wagoner ask whether an Exxon-level global warming denier should face Mr. Colbert? If an executive at the level of Lutz thinks the Volt is just an appeasement, a costly trinket for environmental elitists, GM isn’t worth a penny of taxpayer money to save it.
To be a little bit fair, GM is No. 3 in overall fleet mpg in the U.S., above Toyota (Pontiac and Saturn are also in the Top 10). I’m sure that the line engineers and developers of the Volt are passionate, and the vehicle has some expert fans in Detroit. But its power train is still being tested, not in the Volt but in the Chevy Malibu, and GM hasn’t even said what battery design it will use, according to the Detroit News, which has followed every step of its development.
GM still says the $42,000 compact will be in full production and available for sale in 2010, but those who believe GM should raise their hands now. And if it comes off the assembly line with as little appeal as Lutz describes, celebs won’t be handing their Priuses to their personal assistants and racing for the Chevy dealer.
I hope for better, but think car genius Dan Neil was right back in 2005, when his honesty about the failure of GM’s leadership lost the LA Times more than $20 million in GM ad revenue.
For the whole 6 minutes of the Colbert interview, here’s the You Tube link. And here’s Mr. Lutz’s blog, trying to make it seem like a charming, fun 6 minutes.