Bean counters, the normally outspoken bob lutz pulls out all the stops and settles a few scores. Gm brands, vehicles do poorly in reliability survey gm authority. Once that happens, lutz said, only a minority of people will want to buy their own selfdriving vehicles, clinging nostalgically to the feeling of autonomy a car confers on its owner. Nytimes extended best seller list since publication in june. Bean counters is a thoughtprovoking commentary from auto industry maven bob lutz. The battle for the soul of american business, by bob lutz. Listen to unlimited audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android.
Its been said that bob lutzdetroit shaman, veteran of general motors mad men era, and inveterate hamoften attracted as much attention as his cars. Bob lutz, the auto industrys 85yearold bad boy, goes off on elon musk and president trump please read the article before voting autopilot. Jun 15, 2011 former vice chairman of general motors, bob lutz, has released a new book titled car guys vs bean counters. The era of driverfocused bmw cars is over thanks to the bean counters. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Bean counters is the best book written by an auto industry insider since iacocca in 1984, and deserves to be shelved alongside alfred p. 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.
This book, written in 2011, and released in paperback this spring with a new. It was a pretty good read for his time at gm from about 2001 through the crisis time. Rebadge the cadillac cts and ctsv as a commodore and it will sell, maybe not huge but it will sell. Jul 21, 2011 we breezed through an early copy of bob lutzs new book. The battle for the soul of american business, and talk quickly turned to his role as it related to product development and highlevel decision making at gm. Some of these custom show cars were made especially for tv shows and celebrities. He joins morning joe to discuss his new book car guys vs. Sloans management classic, my years with general motors.
I try to keep it car related, and this falls in to that category. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading car guys vs. Ann arbor, mi robert lutz, general motors, car guys vs. General motors struggled in the 2019 consumer reports auto reliability survey, with. The era of driverfocused bmw cars is over thanks to the bean counters by gabe beita kiser interview comments at least thats what the man behind. One of the most acute books about management and how companies work in practice that i have read in a long time.
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. Lutz may 2 20 bob lutz car guys vs bean counters bob lutz. He started his automotive career at gm in 1963 where he held senior leadership positions in europe until 1971. Bob lutz returns as general motors adviser get the latest. The battle for the soul of american business 2011 by bob lutz portfolio 8. People kate hinds wnyc new york public radio, podcasts. Bob lutz, a former gm executive who championed the volt, was interviewed this morning on the brian lehrer show about his new book, car guys vs. Chinas ecommerce giants convey robots to convey orders in the midst of coronavirus flareup. Read high voltage the fast track to plug in the auto industry by jim motavalli available from rakuten kobo. General motors hired bob lutz out of retirement with a mandate to save the company by making. The saturn folks did their research and came to the conclusion that saturn buyers wanted to be anonymous. 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. An excerpt from bob lutzs book car guys vs bean counters. Bean counters, the normally outspoken lutz pulls out all the stops and settles a few scores.
An illuminating read by a true car guy and an excellent business leader. But he saves his most poisonous venom for the beancounters, the finance people at gm. Best of lean blog 2011 by mark graban leanpub pdfipadkindle. Purchase used saturn sky redline 2007 in seattle, washington. Roadside americana page at spirit of america bookstore.
Best and worst newcar values from consumer reports give bob lutz a little bit of time and a big idea, and he will create for the world the kind of vehicle i would like to own. A legend in the car industry reveals the philosophy thats starting to turn general motors around. He launched a war against penny pinching, office politics, turf wars, and risk avoidance. Global fintech bargains declined 4% in 2019 as china speculations fell strongly. Descriptions were added by someone else but i corrected some of them. Bean counters by bob lutz, norman dietz for free with a 30 day free trial.
The battle for the soul of american business kindle edition by lutz, bob. Bean counters contains all the pearls of wisdom i would expect to see from bob lutz. Bob lutzapproved via xtruck offers 800 hp, 100 mpge. Bob lutz, the auto industrys 85yearold bad boy, goes off. Outspoken autoindustry veteran, bob lutz, has called on vehicle collectors to buy a tesla model s while theyre still available, insinuating the silicon valley startup isnt far from its demise. The car guys held sway, and gm dominated with bold, creative leadership and iconic brands like cadillac, buick, pontiac, oldsmobile, gmc, and chevrolet.
Bob lutz, the guy cracking the whip to make sure the chevrolet volt gets built by 2010, spent some time behind the wheel of a volt test mule and couldnt resist the obvious pun, calling it. Car guys vs bean counters is an enormously entertaining account of how lutz. Kent kresa, chairman emeritus, northrup grumman this book is a true insiders look at the auto industry. Future of commodore driven by you page 3 just commodores. Bean counters, he discussed the inception of the chevy volt, how it progressed through design concepts, was unveiled to the world in 2007 to widespread acclaim over its look but with very mixed responses to its thennew lithiumion battery design, something toyota called dangerous, and then when the.
Author bob lutz spent 47 years in the auto industry, and he ended his career as vice chairman of general motors. When lutz got into the auto business in the early sixties, ceos knew that if you captured the publics imagination with great cars, the money would follow. Bob lutz returns as general motors adviser get the. Bean counters by bob lutz, 9781591844006, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz financial times. Robo taxi dream inches forward as mercedes, bosch will test autonomous sclass in u. He joins morning joe to discuss his new book car guys vs bean counters, which. Most new massmarket cars sold in brazil are flex fuel capable. In 2001, general motors hired bob lutz out of retirement with a mandate to save the company by making great cars again. About the book robert lutz, general motors, car guys vs. Bob lutz drives the volt, calls it electrifying wired. The battle for the soul of american business lutz, bob on. The era of driverfocused bmw cars is over thanks to the bean. Actually this story is from the lutz book bean counters vs car guys he wrote a few years ago. I think dagosa had mentioned it in one of the threads. On sunday i happened to tune in to bob brinkers moneytalk radio show when former gm vice chairman and car guy extraordinaire, bob lutz, was on promoting his new book.
An extended cab is available as well as a 114hp i4. 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. Stories from the sales frontlines page 75 car forums at. Jul 07, 2011 now comes an encore in the lutz on lutz genrecar guys vs. Purchase used 1958 cadillac eldorado brougham in colorado. Jun 24, 2011 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 a web site that often offers anything but. Lutz has a reputation for speaking his mind and straight shooting. I try to keep it car related, and this falls in to that. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Bob lutz has written an important diagnostic book on the demise of general motors. A behindthescenes look at the robustly competitive race to dominate the market for electric cars, the largerthanlife.
What does his book tell us about what really went on inside gm. Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz ft business book of. Volts a money loser and, bob, answer a question, please by ralph kalal, on march 20, 2008, 10. Mixed into lutzs flow of blarney and halfbaked pontificating is one of the most acute books about. Right at the beginning of the book, he makes a reference to a product planning meeting with some saturn and some buick people. Bob lutz recently stopped by to see jay leno at the comedians big dog garage, and the legendary auto executive has brought along his latest. How bob lutz got gm to tighten up its panel gaps gm authority. The era of driverfocused bmw cars is over thanks to the. See more ideas about custom cars, cars and weird cars. Oct 04, 2011 none have, until exvice chairman bob lutzs new book, car guys vs. I highly recommend bob lutz s new book car guys vs bean counters. While on the topic of brand management, lutz revealed a few rather interesting tidbits about his former employer. Bean counters bob lutz worked at a various number of car companies before returning to general motors in 2001. Ex ceo of gm bob lutz who was also once on the bmw 3 series development team has taken notice and wasnt shy about.
It is a very good read and tells of the condition and. In bob lutzs latest book, car guys vs bean counters, the veteran bmw, ford, gm, and chrysler executive explains his. The guy is a little bit full of himself but it shed some new light on how gm got in trouble, how the foreign brands got a leg up during the cafe period, how. The 79yearold recently published a book on his time at gm, car guys vs. Or how to get burned in the car business without really trying. The automotive future will not be as bleak as bob lutz thinks written by harvey briggs november, 2017 last week, automotive news published a thoughtprovoking essay by bob lutz about the future of personal transportation and the automotive industry.
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