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Author Topic: GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz: Saturn Must Die  (Read 1190 times)

Offline articsteve

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GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz: Saturn Must Die
« on: February 16, 2009, 03:35:29 pm »
Now that GM’s Car Czar is slinking off into the sunset before his bankruptcy-proof pension becomes a bone of contention (I’ll have to check with my accountant about that”), the man of Maximum is shooting off his mouth in the great Lutzian style. “”My personal favorite would be to see Saturn survive and prosper,” GM’s vice chairman told Automotive News . “But frankly, the reality is that that is probably not going to be the outcome.” Does this sound a bit like finding out you were dumped via a batch email? AN somehow managed to find a doomed Saturn dealer (as they all are, now) who didn’t use expletives when hearing of the multi-million dollar per year executive’s casual execution of the Rethink brand. “That really seals our fate,” said Lasser, owner of Saturn of Denville, Saturn of Mount Olive and Saturn of Livingston. “I think they knew this fact months ago, and they never shared it with us.” So who killed the non-electrifying cars?


Bob says… hell if I know.

“We spent a huge bundle of money in giving Saturn an absolutely no-excuses product lineup, top to bottom. They had a better and fresher lineup than any GM division, and the sales just never materialized…

Lutz doesn’t fault dealers: “We have some very excellent Saturn dealers who’ve made a commitment to the brand.”

Lutz said he isn’t sure why Saturn has not done better.

“The fact is,” he said, “we don’t have the time or the resources to take 10 years to figure it out and possibly turn it around.”

That’s our Bob! Non-commital waffling and “it wazzunt me” accountability all the way to the end. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. The media may love the Czar, but history will not be kind to this man. Meanwhile, Saturn dealers get the shaft.
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Offline Thinking Out Loud

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Re: GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz: Saturn Must Die
« Reply #1 on: February 16, 2009, 04:19:13 pm »
Anybody who didn't see the writing on the wall is living on a different planet.  Will it help sales?  No. 

Will it mitigate loss of goodwill from a bunch of owners who go one day to the dealer for a service and find the lot deserted, guaranteeing another lost GM resale opportunity for 'duping' Saturn owners who bought?  Yes.

Oldsmobile was slashed.  People knew GM would be around and that Olds was being phased out.  People still bought. 

Problem is, this time, know one knows if GM will be around....
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Offline sailor723

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Re: GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz: Saturn Must Die
« Reply #2 on: February 16, 2009, 04:36:26 pm »
Some Saturn dealers must be seeing the writing on the wall. Our local store closed at the end of last month.
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Online tpl

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Re: GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz: Saturn Must Die
« Reply #3 on: February 16, 2009, 04:52:42 pm »
"and the sales never materialized"

Well... Certainly never occurred to me to go to a Saturn dealer, look at their website or even go to their booth at the Autoshow on the years I went.     Don't get me wrong here. It was not a positive " I will not look at Saturn" the way it is " I will not look at Chrysler/Kia/GM/Hyundai/Lada/Suzuki"   but they were just  not in the picture... not " at front of mind" as they say in business meetings.

Enough people like that and of course they won't sell.
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Offline ovr50

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Re: GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz: Saturn Must Die
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2009, 05:03:24 pm »
Saturn never had decent product until a few years ago. It was perceived as a car for retired school teachers (much like the Toyota Corolla is) and was not on the radar screen of most ppl seriously interested in quality and performance.

That's not a knock on teachers (retired or not) as my wife is one, and she says the same thing.  :)

The dealership here is Saturn/Saab - both dead meat in my opinion.  ::)
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Offline airbalancer

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Re: GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz: Saturn Must Die
« Reply #5 on: February 16, 2009, 06:01:23 pm »
where is the link for this story?
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Offline ovr50

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Re: GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz: Saturn Must Die
« Reply #6 on: February 16, 2009, 06:07:09 pm »
Quote from: airbalancer on February 16, 2009, 06:01:23 pm
where is the link for this story?

It's here: http://www.autonews.com/

but you need a subscription to open the story and I am not a subscriber. Get AS to do it.
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Offline articsteve

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Re: GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz: Saturn Must Die
« Reply #7 on: February 16, 2009, 07:58:59 pm »
Every bank manager in Canada that has a Saturn store on his/her books will be getting a phone call tomorrow from head office; pull the LOC ..... NOW.

where is the link for this story?

Take your pick.  :)
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Offline TopGun

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Re: GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz: Saturn Must Die
« Reply #8 on: February 17, 2009, 11:43:06 pm »
Quote from: ovr50 on February 16, 2009, 05:03:24 pm
Saturn never had decent product until a few years ago.

Agreed.  The SL was an excellent car...in 1991...but not competitive in 2002.

The Saturn Astra I just looked at had a nicer interior than anything I saw for the price...but like the Aura, not supported with any Marketing effort.
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Offline sailor723

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Re: GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz: Saturn Must Die
« Reply #9 on: February 18, 2009, 05:29:43 am »
I agree with TopGun. Saturn's lineup today has some pretty decent vehicles. The problem is that very few people know about them.
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