Bean counters is really supposed to be about is the ignominious descent of one of americas great corporations into chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and status as a. I cant say that i was completely surprised when, about two thirds of the way through bob lutzs new book car guys vs bean counters, i caught. None have, until exvice chairman bob lutzs new book, car guys vs. Lutz may 2 20 bob lutz car guys vs bean counters bob lutz. Auto industry legend bob lutz trying to save fisker autoblog. Author bob lutz spent 47 years in the auto industry, and he ended his career as vice chairman of general motors.
But bob lutz, the former vice chairman of general motors, believes the auto industry is not long for this world. Lutz pulled back the curtain a little further this weekend on g. Jun 15, 2011 former vice chairman of general motors, bob lutz, has released a new book titled car guys vs bean counters. Lutz has a reputation for speaking his mind and straight shooting. In fact, lutz boldly predicts that the humandriven automobile, its repair facilities, its. Perhaps the book would have been better served by the title bob lutz vs. Lutz built a career as a staunch opponent of bureaucracy and by placing the utmost importance on knowing the product as well as the customer. This book, written in 2011, and released in paperback this spring with a new preface, was recommended to me by one of my mentors. Car guys vs bean counters is an enormously entertaining account of how lutz. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Find used 1967 pontiac bonneville 4dr hardtop, daily driver.
Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz ft business book of. Nov 07, 2017 but bob lutz, the former vice chairman of general motors, believes the auto industry is not long for this world. Car veteran bob lutz returns to gm business the driver. Bob lutz motivational business consulting in ann arbor, mi. Lutz told of testdriving a car built on the same platform that the volt will be, using the volts battery system. Bob lutz has written an important diagnostic book on the demise of general motors. With autonomous cars, youre gonna see more consolidation. In his 47 year career he held senior leadership positions at gm, bmw, and chrysler, then at nearly age 70, rejoined gm as vice chairman where he served for nearly ten years. Bean counters is the best book written by an auto industry insider since iacocca in 1984, and deserves to be shelved alongside alfred p. It saddens me to say it, but we are approaching the end of the automotive era, he writes this month for automotive news our daily travel, he predicts, will migrate to standardized passenger modules as the demolition of the traditional auto industry accelerates. Automotive executive bob lutz now with via motors talks about the vehicles hes seen at this years north american international auto show. Nov, 2017 ive known bob lutz maximum bob for more than 20 years. He will share his experiences and visions for the future with the audience. In his book, lutz wisecracks his way through the 1960s design and technologyled glory days at gm to the late1970s takeover by gangs of m.
Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz ft business book. And at age 80, he is not done yet and offering to take over the recently. Oct 04, 2011 none have, until exvice chairman bob lutzs new book, car guys vs. Autoline detroit recently played host to bob lutz, and, as is always the case, the former general motors vice chairman dished out some great commentary. Spanning a fortysevenyear career with the big three and bmw, and after retiring from chrysler in 1998, he was asked back into gm, serving as vice chairman from 2001 to 2010, during which time it had filed for bankruptcy. Ive known bob lutz maximum bob for more than 20 years. Soon it will be the welltodo, to the amazement of all their friends, who still know how to drive. Jan, 2014 automotive executive bob lutz now with via motors talks about the vehicles hes seen at this years north american international auto show.
No one would call bob lutz a lifelong environmentalist. Jul 24, 2011 lutz s main argument is that companies, shareholders and consumers are best served by productdriven executives. After declaring bankruptcy during the recession of 2008, gm is back. Lanxess showcases hightech solutions at first mobility. Bean counters contains all the pearls of wisdom i would expect to see from bob lutz. With the bean counters firmly in charge, carmakers and much of american industry lost their singleminded focus on product excellence. Nytimes extended best seller list since publication in june. Bean counters is the best book written by an auto industry insider since iacocca in 1984 and deserves to be shelved alongside alfred pl sloans management classic, my years with general motors. Now comes an encore in the lutz on lutz genrecar guys vs. I cant say that i was completely surprised when, about two thirds of the way through bob lutzs new book car guys vs bean counters, i caught a sideswipe at myself and the truth about cars, which the retired vicechairman of gm describes as. Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz financial times. Because automakers eat so much capital, will we eventually see only four or five remaining. The title is misleading as this is a book about bob lutz, not the issues gm encountered before, during, and after its liquidity crises along with the rest of the.
With bob lutz taking over as via motors new chairman of the board, via motorss name shines a little brighter. Quality rules, consumers notice when the aforementioned bean counters decontent cars to save money, and styling really matters to auto shoppers. Bob lutz takes our questions on the volt top speed. Ceos knew that if you captured the publics imagination with great cars, the money would follow.
What does his book tell us about what really went on inside gm. Bean counters, lutz hammers his thesis on the big threes wall. Bob lutz, general motors this much i know motor trend. The bean station police department and the hancock county sheriffs office. To be sure, the conditions were not ideal for driving a plugin hybrid.
Bob lutz is now the chairman of the board for via motors. An excerpt from bob lutzs book car guys vs bean counters. The battle for the soul of american business kindle edition by lutz, bob. One of the most acute books about management and how companies work in practice that i have read in a long time. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading car guys vs. Finally retired from general motors as vice chairman he churned out a second book the first one was called guts and became a board member of via motors, which is converting fullsized gm suvs, vans and pickups to 100mpg plugin hybrids. Bob lutzs latest volt test drive the new york times. The battle for the soul of american business ebook written by bob lutz.
Lutz may 2 20 bob lutz car guys vs bean counters bob. Bean counters is a thoughtprovoking commentary from auto industry maven bob lutz. Bob lutz and his voltlike truck visit jay lenos garage. Com bob lutz, the former vice chairman of general motors, believes the auto industry is not long for this world. The battle for the soul of american business, and talk quickly turned to his role as it related to product development and highlevel. Bean counters the battle for the soul of american business. Bean counters bob lutz worked at a various number of car companies before returning to general motors in 2001.
Lutz s commonsense lessons with a generous helping of fascinating anecdotes will inspire readers at any company facing the bean counter analysisparalysis menace. After 40 years in the car business, including stints at all of the big three, bob lutz, at 79, is still standing. It was a pretty good read on a real bluecollar type industry, cars. Lutz has great credibility on these topics, but he also offers his environmental theories, which despite his. Gm is doing an uncharacteristically large amount of press. Sell used 1986 cadillac deville touring sedan super low. I served on his longrange planning committee when he was at general motors. Bob the charleston chevy guy, charleston, south carolina.
Bob lutz has served in top jobs at bmw, ford, and chrysler. Lutz, retired as vice chairman, of general motors, following a 47year career in the global automotive industry, including senior leadership positions at four of the worlds leading automakers and founded lutz communications, a universal business consulting firm with an emphasis on businesses in motion. Lutz has become an enthusiastic convert to one cause. The battle for the soul of american business, by bob lutz. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Bob lutz and donald trump with the 2006 cadillac xlrv at the new york international auto show i saw this interview with bob lutz in the september 2016 issue of car and driver cd. Former general motors executive bob lutz has written an article for automotive news that stresses that the end of the automotive era is near. Sloans management classic, my years with general motors. It saddens me to say it, but we are approaching the end of the automotive era. The battle for the soul of american business paperback may 28, 20 by bob lutz author 4. Mixed into lutzs flow of blarney and halfbaked pontificating is one of the most acute books about. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read car guys vs.
He joins morning joe to discuss his new book car guys vs bean counters, which. In 2001, general motors hired bob lutz out of retirement with a mandate to save the company by making great cars again. State enforcement actions fraud office of inspector. The green car guy who says global warming is car talk. This book is written to help people to understand the impact of climate change and discuss its effect. I always ditch the paper canopy and model my own as a tool, which i then vacuum form out of thin, clear plastic.
Ive worked in automotive groups as a technician where the management didnt even know how to change a spark plug. The general motors vice chairman does not believe in global warming, and he derided the prius as a p. A car guys car guy born in switzerland, hes best known as the impetus behind the dodge viper. Executives, once largely developed from engineering, began emerging from finance. After declaring bankruptcy during the recession of 2008, gm is back on track thanks to its embrace of lutzs philosophy. The battle for the soul of american business, picks up where lutzs earlier book, guts, left off, arguing that the rise of mit and. Blog bob lutz says kiss the good times goodbye, automotive. The keynote guest speaker is former general motors vice chairman robert bob a. He launched a war against penny pinching, office politics, turf wars and risk avoidance. Ive also been on several new car launches and several classic car events with him. At the tableif not running the meetingwhen most of the big decisions came down, the author, now in his late 70s, was often appalled by youthful beancounting mbas with their 4. Bean counters by bob lutz, 9781591844006, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Former vice chairman of general motors, bob lutz, has released a new book titled car guys vs bean counters. I understand lutz pushed pontiac to remove some modest plastic cladding from the g6.
From here he worked for bmw where he was the executive vice president of sales and marketing as well as a member of that companys board. Bean counters is really supposed to be about is the ignominious descent of one of americas great corporations into chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and status as a ward of the. General motors 78yearold product chief bob lutz insert car tsar, car guy, maximum bob cliche here announced his retirement shortly after the 2010 geneva motor show. He started his automotive career at gm in 1963 where he held senior leadership positions in europe until 1971. Jul 07, 2011 now comes an encore in the lutz on lutz genrecar guys vs. General motors vehicle exchange coordinator for rick hendrick chevrolet charleston. Bob lutz is perhaps americas best known auto industry executive, and a living legend in auto circles the world over. But when youre bob lutz, the rockstar of the automotive world, and the volt is like having a new album, then its time to promote. Lanxess showcases hightech solutions at first mobility day. Bob lutz is a former marine who worked for ford, general motors, chrysler, and bmw, usually as the resident car guy a product guru who could guide the bean counters toward automotive glory.
Bean counters, the normally outspoken bob lutz pulls out all the stops and settles a few scores. Lutzs main argument is that companies, shareholders and consumers are best served by productdriven executives. What matters, lutz argues, is having on board at least one automotive artist with the talent to design desirable new cars. Via motors is aiming to sell 50,000 hybrid trucks and vans a year by 2018, according to its chairman, bob lutz, as stated in a recent interview. So its no surprise that the subtitle of the book he has written upon retiring from general motors is an overreach.
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