Clueless Lutz
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Lexus Champion
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From: MO
Clueless Lutz
"A while ago, many experts thought, the race for the top position in the auto business would be a dead heat between GM, Toyota, and Honda. This has changed. The Big Three are now GM, Volkswagen, and Hyundai. Toyota is in decline. The Japanese lost their bullet-proof quality image. Their cars aren’t especially pretty. Their driving dynamics is below the level of the best European and American cars.
GM on the other hand has improved its engineering, payroll and healthcare are way down after the bankruptcy. When it comes to platform sharing amongst brands, GM always has been absolutely competitive. Trust me: GM will give Volkswagen and Hyundai a tough fight.” Bob Lutz
That's what the man said. So where's Ford, who is cleaning GM's clock with product and brand integrity? Toyota is so much in decline that GM doesn't have to be concerned about it? There is so much fail in this. But it is from the guy who developed such winners as the Volt.
GM on the other hand has improved its engineering, payroll and healthcare are way down after the bankruptcy. When it comes to platform sharing amongst brands, GM always has been absolutely competitive. Trust me: GM will give Volkswagen and Hyundai a tough fight.” Bob Lutz
That's what the man said. So where's Ford, who is cleaning GM's clock with product and brand integrity? Toyota is so much in decline that GM doesn't have to be concerned about it? There is so much fail in this. But it is from the guy who developed such winners as the Volt.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 8,403
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From: Las Vegas
Says the guy who's company just had to chop off 4 nameplates.......
I have been a longtime GM fan, and still am to an extent, but that statement is just stupid.
Ford really does clean their clock. And Toyota, while not my taste, may be declining in sales, but they are far from having a dead pulse.
I have been a longtime GM fan, and still am to an extent, but that statement is just stupid.
Ford really does clean their clock. And Toyota, while not my taste, may be declining in sales, but they are far from having a dead pulse.
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 334
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From: ga
i think he's referring to volume sales leaders -- gm sells more cars than ford, globally and in the US
globally, however, it appears toyota outsells all others by a narrow margin
http://oica.net/wp-content/uploads/ranking-2010.pdf
globally, however, it appears toyota outsells all others by a narrow margin
http://oica.net/wp-content/uploads/ranking-2010.pdf
Lead Lap
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 622
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From: CA
The guy is a moron in every sense of the word. Always has been. What gives him the right to declare that Toyota's cars aren't pretty and that they drive bad? **** him. Take that "pretty" Volt and Cruze and plug it in up your ***.
Oh yeah, and GM is still the same worthless, arrogant, pile of crap they've always been. Bankruptcy and bailouts just further reinforced it.
Oh yeah, and GM is still the same worthless, arrogant, pile of crap they've always been. Bankruptcy and bailouts just further reinforced it.
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Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Maryland
Sorry but I think Lutz probably knows very much what he's talking about. He's talking about one thing, global sales. And yes Toyota is "in decline" for sure. The earthquake probably helped a little, but I agree with him on the point about Toyota having boring designs and nothing really all that interesting to drive. It's blandtastic all around. And the perception if not quite reality out there is that yes Toyota has lost their quality edge vs competitors. So if competitors have more interesting designs and driving dynamics, why not try them out? And they are.
After GM and Toyota, Hyundai and Volkswagen group are indeed the next two biggest groups. Ford? Sorry they're down a bit. We're talking GLOBAL here, not just U.S., and GM is kicking total butt in China which is the world's largest auto market at the moment. 50% larger than the U.S. market in terms of annual sales. Nothing in Lutz's statement implied that GM doesn't need to care about or watch out for Toyota, though. And as far as his statement, well no link was provided to read the full source where this came from to gain context. I think Toyota will be back in 2012 just because of the earthquake factor. Maybe the context was just global sales for this year 2011 only. Who knows?
After GM and Toyota, Hyundai and Volkswagen group are indeed the next two biggest groups. Ford? Sorry they're down a bit. We're talking GLOBAL here, not just U.S., and GM is kicking total butt in China which is the world's largest auto market at the moment. 50% larger than the U.S. market in terms of annual sales. Nothing in Lutz's statement implied that GM doesn't need to care about or watch out for Toyota, though. And as far as his statement, well no link was provided to read the full source where this came from to gain context. I think Toyota will be back in 2012 just because of the earthquake factor. Maybe the context was just global sales for this year 2011 only. Who knows?
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jul 2008
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From: Park Ridge IL
Oh come on Toyota and Japanese car fan boys don't get your panties in a bunch he has a valid point. Chevy has some real great car's on the market. The point is Toyota is not the same company it was 15 years ago. Honda has failed in everything but sales.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Jun 2010
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From: IL
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,485
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From: Park Ridge IL
Toyota Camry has been experiencing major quality issues. The sportiest car Toyota offers is the Corolla XRS.
In conclusion to my sleep deprived rant, the Japanese have been fallen from the throne while the Koreans and the Americans have risen(rising).
http://news.consumerreports.org/cars...recommend.html
The redesigned-for-2012 Honda Civic LX scored too low in Consumer Reports testing to be recommended. Let that sink in for a minute. It’s quite a fall.
The Civic has long ranked among CR’s top small sedans, having been a Top Pick as late as 2007. It’s also long been reliable, and we don’t expect that to change in the not-extensively-redesigned 2012 model.
So what happened? The new Civic feels insubstantial with a cheap interior. You don’t get much feature content for the $19,405 that our Civic LX automatic costs, either. That’s a problem given the high bar set in this class by the new-to-market Chevrolet Cruze, the redesigned-for-2012 Ford Focus, and the redesigned-for-2011 Hyundai Elantra.
But a savvy buyer could sit in a showroom and realize those Civic shortcomings. The problems that really hurt the Civic’s score run deeper and they showed up at our test track. Stopping distances are long. The steering is lightly weighted and comes up short on feedback. Body lean appears early in the corners. The ride is marred by frequent short pitches. And road noise still remains an annoying companion.
Not all of the news is bad. Fuel economy is very impressive, despite the Civic’s seemingly low-tech powertrain. There’s decent rear seat room, too.
But that’s just not enough. With all of the recent small sedan competition and a redesign that dropped the ball, now there are a lot better choices than a 2012 Civic.
The Civic has long ranked among CR’s top small sedans, having been a Top Pick as late as 2007. It’s also long been reliable, and we don’t expect that to change in the not-extensively-redesigned 2012 model.
So what happened? The new Civic feels insubstantial with a cheap interior. You don’t get much feature content for the $19,405 that our Civic LX automatic costs, either. That’s a problem given the high bar set in this class by the new-to-market Chevrolet Cruze, the redesigned-for-2012 Ford Focus, and the redesigned-for-2011 Hyundai Elantra.
But a savvy buyer could sit in a showroom and realize those Civic shortcomings. The problems that really hurt the Civic’s score run deeper and they showed up at our test track. Stopping distances are long. The steering is lightly weighted and comes up short on feedback. Body lean appears early in the corners. The ride is marred by frequent short pitches. And road noise still remains an annoying companion.
Not all of the news is bad. Fuel economy is very impressive, despite the Civic’s seemingly low-tech powertrain. There’s decent rear seat room, too.
But that’s just not enough. With all of the recent small sedan competition and a redesign that dropped the ball, now there are a lot better choices than a 2012 Civic.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 9,997
Likes: 248
From: California
To interject arrogance into the GM fold is laughable. Didn't something called bankruptcy just happen?
I've never cared for stuck in the 80's Lutz and his see-through words. How many cars have failed under him?. Or how many times has this dude claimed to be retired, only to show up again a few months later?
I've never cared for stuck in the 80's Lutz and his see-through words. How many cars have failed under him?. Or how many times has this dude claimed to be retired, only to show up again a few months later?
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