GM vice president says automakers need to produce hybrids, sense be damned
Bob Lutz, GM vice president of global product development said on Tuesday at the launch of the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa that automakers need to produce hybrid vehicles even though the economic and environmental benefits are not as spectacular as they could be. Lutz said that he likes hybrids. He enjoys driving them, is glad the Saturn Vue has a "simple" hybrid engine, and that GM will introduce a two-mode hybrid engine in some of its full-size pick-up trucks next year, but they're just not totally sensible for a car company's economics. GM's new hybrid system should net the trucks a 25 or 30 percent fuel economy gain. There's one Lutz quote that sums up the entire article: "I would say it's [hybrid technology is] a necessary technology from a public policy and PR standpoint and technologically of doubtful benefit - costing every company that does them a lot of money."[Source: EV World]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
S.M.Mehdi Hassan 5:13PM (7/20/2006)
Well, the best thing about hybrid cars is that they burn less fuel. This is the most important feature now pople want have in their cars. Price of oil is rising. Big companies like GM or Daimler Chrysler should give more effort to produce fuel efficient cars because in the coming years their demand will increase. I do not see any chance of loosing money for GM.
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1985 Gripen 5:35PM (7/20/2006)
I'm sure glad I'm not a GM shareholder. With management like this, who needs competitors?
I mean, GM would rather push controversial flex-fuel cars (speaking of "technologically of doubtful benefit", Mr. Lutz...), shelve great fuel-saving technologies such as their SAAB division's SVC (SAAB Variable Compression) engine (http://www.channel4.com/4car/feature/feature.jsp?id=1878), and hide the fact (http://www.trollhattansaab.net/archives/saab_hybrid/) that SAAB's ethanol-powered hybrid currently on show in London (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/07/london_car_show.php#perma) is actually a PLUG-IN hybrid (and demanding the charging port behind the rear badge be glued-shut). Their Swedish SAAB division seems to be the only ones trying to come up with new ideas and they're constantly being stiffled.
"Crazy" companies with apparently no good business sense who are selling hybrids like crazy (Toyota and Honda) are gobbling-up market share from GM like gangbusters. At least they appear to "get it".
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Synergy 10:33PM (7/20/2006)
In other words, duh we were stupid and late to the party. Heck we were almost early to the party with the EV1 but we had a case of the runs and cancelled the party. Yes GM is that dumb.
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