Bob Lutz | |
|---|---|
 Lutz in 2008 | |
| Born | Robert Anthony Lutz February 12, 1932 Zürich, Switzerland |
| Occupation | Executive |
Robert Anthony Lutz (born February 12, 1932) is a Swiss-American automotive executive. He served as a top leader of all of the United States Big Three automobile manufacturers, having been in succession executive vice president (and board member) of Ford Motor Company, president and then vice chairman (and board member) of Chrysler Corporation, and vice chairman of General Motors.
Lutz was born in Zürich, Switzerland, the son of Margaret and Robert Harry Lutz. [1] His father was a vice chairman of Credit Suisse. [2] Lutz left Switzerland at the age of seven and spent time in Scarsdale, New York, [3] becoming a U.S. citizen in 1943, and returned to Switzerland in 1947 to attend school in Lausanne. [4] He is fluent in English, Swiss German, German, French and has a modest fluency in Italian.
Lutz received a bachelor's degree in production management in 1961, followed by an MBA with a concentration in marketing with highest honors in 1962, both from the University of California, Berkeley. He earned the latter when he was flying in the United States Marine Corps Reserve's 4th Marine Aircraft Wing and supporting two of four young daughters by selling vacuum cleaners in Walnut Creek, California. He also received an honorary Doctorate of Law from Boston University in 1985, and an honorary degree of Doctor of Management from Kettering University in 2003. [5] He is a trustee of the Marine Corps University Foundation and the Marine Military Academy. [6]
After leaving the Marines, Lutz spent eight years with GM Opel in Europe before joining BMW serving as executive vice president of sales at BMW [7] for three years. He takes some credit in the development of the BMW 3 Series as well as their Motorsport division.
Lutz was also an executive vice president at Ford Motor Company. At Ford of Europe, he led the creation of the Ford Escort III, and Ford Sierra, and upon returning to the US in 1985, initiated development of the original Ford Explorer, and was a member of Ford's board of directors. He was a frequent internal political rival of eventual Ford CEO Red Poling.
Lutz became head of Chrysler Corporation's Global Product Development, including the successful Dodge Viper and LH series cars. Former Chrysler chairman and CEO Lee Iacocca, who helped steer the company back to profitability after receiving loans from private banks backed by the U.S. Government in 1979, said he should have picked Lutz as his successor rather than Bob Eaton upon Iacocca's retirement at the end of 1992, but at the time Iacocca and Lutz were not getting along. [8] Eaton was responsible for the sale of Chrysler to Daimler-Benz in 1998 which Daimler ended up backing out of in 2007 when it sold Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management. Referring to the job performance of Eaton, Iacocca claimed that Lutz "would eat him for lunch". [9]
While at General Motors, Lutz championed the import of the Holden Monaro to the United States as the Pontiac GTO. Other cars such as the Cadillac Sixteen Concept; Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice; Pontiac G8; Chevrolet Malibu; Cadillac CTS; Buick Enclave; Cadillac Converj Concept; Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept; Chevrolet Camaro; Chevy Beat, Groove and Trax Concept Studies; and 2010 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Equinox, and Cadillac SRX are said[ who? ] to be Lutz initiatives. Lutz has also emphasized a need to produce fuel efficient vehicles, backing the 2010 Chevrolet Volt.
Lutz maintained the "Fastlane" blog hosted at GM Blogs.
In 2008, Lutz said that "the electrification of the automobile is inevitable". [10]
On February 9, 2009, GM announced that Lutz would step down on April 1, 2009, from his position as vice chairman of Global Product Development, to take an advisory role. He was to retire from GM at the end of 2009. Lutz said that one reason for his decision was the increasing regulatory climate in Washington that would force GM to produce what federal regulators wanted, rather than what customers wanted. Lutz has expressed skepticism on the issue of global warming. [11]
During a July 10, 2009, press conference, GM stated that Lutz would remain at GM as vice chairman responsible for all creative elements of products and customer relationships and that his role as vice chairman of Global Product Development would be assumed April 1, 2009, by Thomas G. Stephens, then executive vice president of Global Powertrain and Global Quality. Lutz, Stephens, and design chief Ed Welburn would work together to guide all creative aspects of design. Lutz would also lead the effort to better guide GM's brands, and the automaker's marketing, advertising, and communications teams would report to Lutz in an effort to develop a more consistent message and results. Lutz would report directly to Fritz Henderson, and be part of the newly formed executive committee. [12] Lutz retired from General Motors May 2, 2010.
Lutz is currently head of the consulting firm Lutz Communications. [13] He is also chairman of The New Common School Foundation, a member of the board of trustees for the U.S. Marine Corps University Foundation, and vice chairman of the board of trustees for the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, Texas. He joined the Transonic Combustion, Inc. board of directors on May 24, 2010.
On August 6, 2012, The NanoSteel Company, a nano-structured steel materials designer, announced an investment by GM Ventures in the company. [14] On October 10, 2012, NanoSteel announced the appointment of Bob Lutz to its board of directors. [15] The Providence, RI-based company said that it "has achieved a significant breakthrough in the development of nano-structured sheet steel with exceptional strength and ductility" for the automotive industry.
In 2015, Lutz was honored with an Edison Achievement Award for his commitment to innovation throughout his career. [16]
In late-2017 Lutz wrote an article for Automotive News predicting upheaval within the car manufacturing industry, anticipating large-scale fleet ownership, removal of dealerships and an eventual ban on human driving of vehicles for transport. [17]
Lutz has authored four books. Guts: the 7 Laws of Business that Made Chrysler the World's Hottest Car Company in 1998, later revised in 2003 to the management and leadership book, Guts: 8 Laws of Business from One of the Most Innovative Business Leaders of Our Time is partially based on his experience as a US Marine Corps aviator. His 2011 book, Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business, is about his experiences in the US automobile industry. It attained third place in the New York Times "Business Hardcover" category and fifth on the Wall Street Journal list. His 2013 book, Icons and Idiots: Straight Talk on Leadership is about his personal experiences with leaders and their leadership talents and foibles. It is a compendium from Lutz's more than sixty years of observation of inspirational leaders and an analysis of what made the great ones successful at what they did.
Lutz is known as a collector of classic automobiles and military jets. Among other aircraft, he owned and piloted an Aero L-39 Albatros (an advanced Czechoslovakian jet fighter trainer) and an MD-500 helicopter. Further, he maintained a collection of motorcycles that included a Suzuki Hayabusa, a BMW K1200RS, a BMW K1200S, a BMW R1100S, a BMW K-1 and a BMW HP2 Sport.
Bob Lutz is married to Terri (Smith) Lutz and both reside at their home in Ann Arbor, MI; along with their adoptive four-legged family; which includes, two pigs, one dog and three cats (inside); along with Rowan (horse) and Cassie (rescue donkey) outside.
Children: (first marriage) four daughters: Jacqueline Lutz-Geiger {Greg Geiger}, Caroline Lutz-Mannelli, Catherine Lutz-Houlden {Tom Houlden}, Alexandra (Lutz) Bernardi {Andrew Bernardi}.
His younger brother Mark A. Lutz is a retired economics professor.
Lutz was featured in the 2007 coffee table book published by Motorbooks International [(The Quarto Group]), "Motor City Dream Garages." Chapter 2, "Maximum Bob's Car Park," features Lutz's car collection near Ann Arbor, Michigan. Rex Roy, of Detroit, is the book's author.
Lutz was interviewed in the 2011 documentary, Revenge of the Electric Car .
In 2012, Lutz reconfirmed his denial of the scientific consensus on climate change during an interview by Bill Maher. [23]
Henry Ford II, sometimes known as "Hank the Deuce" or simply "the Deuce", was an American businessman in the automotive industry. He was the oldest son of Edsel Ford I and oldest grandson of Henry Ford. He was president of the Ford Motor Company from 1945 to 1960, Chief executive officer (CEO) from 1947 to 1979, and chairman of the board of directors from 1960 to 1980. Under his leadership, Ford Motor Company became a publicly traded corporation in 1956. From 1943 to 1950, he also served as president of the Ford Foundation.
Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca was an American automobile executive best known for the development of the Ford Mustang, Continental Mark III, and Ford Pinto cars while at the Ford Motor Company in the 1960s, and for reviving the Chrysler Corporation as its CEO during the 1980s. He was president of Chrysler from 1978 to 1991 and chairman and CEO from 1979 until his retirement at the end of 1992. He was one of the few executives to preside over the operations of two of the United States' Big Three automakers.
Virgil Max "Ex" Exner Sr. was an automobile designer for several American automobile companies, most notably Chrysler and Studebaker.
Robert James "Bob" Eaton is an American businessman, who was Chairman and former CEO of Chrysler Corporation.
The Chrysler TC by Maserati is a jointly developed car by Chrysler and Maserati. It was positioned as a grand tourer and introduced at the 1986 Los Angeles Auto Show. It is a "Q" body built on a modified second-generation Chrysler K platform. After two years of development delays, the TC became available in late-1988 and a total of 7,300 units were manufactured in Milan, Italy, through 1990. All cars sold as 1991 models were manufactured in 1990.
George Richard "Rick" Wagoner Jr. is an American businessman and former chair and chief executive officer of General Motors. Wagoner resigned as chairman and CEO at General Motors on March 29, 2009, at the request of the White House. The latter part of Wagoner's tenure as CEO of General Motors found him under heavy criticism as the market valuation of GM went down by more than 90% and the company lost more than US$82 billion. He is a board member of ChargePoint, an electric vehicle infrastructure company.
Bryan Edward Nesbitt is an automobile designer and currently head of General Motors Corporation International Operations Design, based in Shanghai, China. Nesbitt is also brand chairman for Wuling and Baojun, two automakers with which GM has joint ventures.
François J. Castaing was a French automotive executive with Renault, American Motors, and Chrysler. He was an engineering graduate from École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers in Paris, and worked in Europe for Gordini and Renault before being named vice president for Product Engineering and Development at American Motors Corporation (AMC).
Thomas William LaSorda, is a Canadian-American automobile industry executive who served as CEO and President of the Chrysler Group. In December 2011, he joined the board of Fisker Automotive and assumed the role of CEO until his resignation in August 2012.
The Cadillac ELR is a two-door, four-passenger luxury plug-in hybrid compact coupé manufactured and marketed by Cadillac for model years (MY) 2014 and 2016 – with a hiatus for MY 2015. Using a retuned version of the Chevrolet Volt's Voltec EREV drivetrain, the ELR's lithium-ion battery pack delivered an all-electric range of 37–39 miles (60–63 km) and a top speed of 106 mph (171 km/h).
The history of Chrysler involves engineering innovations, high finance, wide alternations of profits and losses, various mergers and acquisitions, and multinationalization. Chrysler, a large automobile manufacturer, was founded in the 1920s and continues under the name Stellantis North America.
The Cunningham C7 Grand Touring car was an American limited production high performance luxury sports coupe. It was first introduced to the public at the 2001 North American International Auto Show.
Mary Teresa Barra is an American businesswoman who has been the chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of General Motors since January 15, 2014. She is the first female CEO of a 'Big Three' automaker. In December 2013, GM named her to succeed Daniel Akerson as CEO. Prior to being named CEO, Barra was executive vice president of global product development, purchasing, and supply chain.
Ralf Dieter Speth is a German automotive executive and a director of Indian company Tata Sons since 2016. From 2010 to 2020, he was the chief executive officer of Jaguar Land Rover. He has also had roles with BMW, Linde and Ford's Premier Automotive Group. Since 2022, Speth is the chairman of Indian Automaker TVS Motor Company.
Irvin Walter Rybicki was an American automotive designer widely known for his career as a designer with General Motors and his tenure as the corporation's Vice President of Design from 1977-1986, succeeding Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell in that role.
Yanase & Co., Ltd. is a retailer of new Chinese, European, and North American vehicles and used cars in Japan. As of the year 2002, Yanase had the rights of exclusive retailer of Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Volvo, Saab, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Smart vehicles to Japanese consumers. It is part of the Itochu group.
Android Automotive is a variation of Google's Android operating system, tailored for its use in vehicle dashboards. Introduced in March 2017, the platform was developed by Google and Intel, together with car manufacturers such as Volvo and Audi. The project aims to provide an operating system codebase for vehicle manufacturers to develop their own version of the operating system. Besides infotainment tasks, such as messaging, navigation and music playback, the operating system aims to handle vehicle-specific functions such as controlling the air conditioning.
The General Motors Air Transport Section (GMATS) was a corporate air service operated by General Motors to provide fast transportation for employees that needed to travel between various GM locations. Originally named the "Air Transport Section of General Motors Corporation", it colloquially became known as the General Motors Air Transport Section.
Joseph E. Cappy is an American business executive who was the final president and chief executive officer of American Motors Corporation and the first president and CEO of the Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group.
| Divisions/ marques |
|  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subsidiaries |
| |||||
| Joint ventures and shareholdings |
| |||||
| Facilities and products | ||||||
| People |
| |||||
| Other | ||||||
| Divisions and subsidiaries |
|  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shareholdings |
| |||||||
| Products and technologies |
| |||||||
| Former divisions, joint ventures and subsidiaries |
| |||||||
| Facilities | ||||||||
| People |
| |||||||
| Sponsorship |
| |||||||
| Related topics | ||||||||
| General |  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marques |
| ||||||
| Divisions and subsidiaries |
| ||||||
| Parent companies |
| ||||||
| Predecessors | |||||||
| Joint ventures and alliances |
| ||||||
| People | |||||||
| Places | |||||||
| Products | |||||||
| Related topics | |||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
