This week, we mourn the loss of the Volvo C30. #RIP
- Toyota dealerships don’t want to sell electric cars because it’s too much work
- Find customer insights by user testing
- How Romney could attack Obama’s auto bailout
- Toyota is more American than you think
- Cars, not poisoned candy is what parents should be worried about on Halloween
Bob Lutz, legendary gear head and businessman who has worked at BMW, Ford Europe, Chrysler and General Motors tackles the challenges he faced during the decline of General Motors in his book Car Guys vs. Bean Counters. He writes about the disorganized management, layers upon layers of red tape and the embarrassing debacle known as the automotive bailout when General Motors pseudonym became Government Motors.
The book has gotten a bad rap because Lutz blames a large chunk of GM’s downfall on the penny-pinching financial types who were given charge of the automotive design. These folks were focused on cost-cutting, systematizing production and making the most money on each car produced, even if that meant sacrificing quality. As a result, Lutz contends, General Motors was building vehicles notorious for wide body gaps between panels, cheap interiors and being, well, really ugly.