http://blogs.motortrend.com/6447961/...zak/index.html

This guy is clueless. Obviously he let's a difference in opinion on certain things distract him from a few important facts.

By definition if someone is supposed to be anti- something it means they are the opposite. Electric power steering was tried by Lutz with the Epsilon cars such as the 04-08 Malibu/Classic, and G6. They moved away from it due to problems with the technology. I'm not saying that it can't be perfected as somethings have due to technology improvements and the fact that electronics is something GM has never been the best at at least in their original attempts. The six-speed that Ford will be using is a joint venture that took place between them and GM. Loosing weight is a good idea, the only thing is it could have a back lash if they cannot engineer safety as well. GM was first under Lutz to offer GDI in a V6 power plant to attempt to replace V8s ergo again it isn't "anti-Lutz."

Since this guy seems to be purely implying that anything this new guy at Ford thinks is a good idea must be a good idea, he has simply proven how he lacks a proper understanding of marketing, consumers, market history, and car company mistakes. Note to the "Yes Man," look up a car called the Ford Probe and read what it was intended to do. A little lesson of common sense, people who are die hard RWD V8 vehicles are not going to be satisfied with an NA or turbo V6 & I4 FWD/AWD car, if they were, the 3000GT/Stealth, Eclipse/Talon/Laser, FWD Monte Carlo/Grand Prix, Stratus/Sebring coupes, FWD Mercury Cougar would have been successful. It would be an incredibly stupid move to get rid of a car that sells generally over 150K units a year. Here are some Lutz style improvements that should be implemented instead. Invest in a MDS system for the Triton/Modular V8s and V6s for that matter, add GDI to the V8s, use a six-speed manual and automatic for fuel economy gains. Also, offer a Flex Fuel offering on the V8s for crying out loud. These engines are commonly modded and the higher octane option would be welcomed.

Trying to cover for your stupid decision to pick that as a truck of the year? Too bad, I'm not going to allow you to get by with it. The Ridgeline gets the same fuel economy as a 5.3L Silverado which can tow a whole bunch more not to mention the mid-sized trucks that get better fuel mileage and have equal or better towing like the Colorado. The problem isn't creating the vehicle, it is getting it to sell. Also, the reason why people go with higher capacity isn't always founded on need, it is founded on having better control over what you are pulling. The Pilot might not have been a bad idea as evidence of the car-based SUVs and crossovers, but your stretching awfully far on that one.

And how is this anti-Lutz? Under his time at GM, they have developed many hybrids and recently developed systems with Chrysler, Daimler, and BMW. Ford is relying on the enemy for theirs. Who is better prepared IF this is how things turn out. Let's forget about the evidence that the only case where hybrids succeed is in hybrid only variants. Nevermind Lutz work on the Cruze.

We didn't buy Geos, we didn't buy Festivas, Aspires, Echos, Celicas, etc. I'm not saying there isn't a market, but I'm saying it is limited. It is a dangerous and foolish strategy to go full force into one direction because generally what happens is the market shifts and the Big Three are generally always behind on this one and get caught with the wrong models for the wrong times. The other underlying issue is, is this affordable? For years GM and Ford built compacts and sold many but didn't make any money on them.

Also again, how is this anti-Lutz. Let's take a look at Lutz as a whole.

Chrysler: The FWD Intrepids were thanks to him. The extremely fuel efficient Neons were also thanks to him. The Stratus/Breeze got amazing fuel economy at the time in their base model.

GM: Malibu/G6/Aura gets the best fuel economy due to being the first to offer 6-speed with an I4 on non-hybrid models, Malibu/Aura have hybrids, Tahoe and sister models have hybrids, Silverado has a hybrid, etc.

Lutz is not a person who should be modeled on how not to run a company. He should be the model of who to be. You want an Anti-Lutz I'll name one.

Dieter Zetsche transformed Chrysler from the fuel efficient, competitive, profitable, diverse company that it was and left it nearly dead with repetitive products, no fuel efficient models, controversial styling, badge engineering on everything, letting powertrains go forever without updates, cheap interiors, etc.

Also, ask yourself this. Who is in a better position between Lincoln and Cadillac. Cadillacs appeal now to people of all ages, they are getting BMW and Mercedes drivers to take a close look at them and consider them. Who are buying these Lincolns? The same demographic that buys Buicks who used to buy OLDSmobiles and buys Mercurys. The MKZ is a decent attempt but would never be taken seriously by most luxury buyers. When was the last time Lincoln gave the Town Car a true powertrain update? The Bush administration (no not that one, his father). The MKS is questionable if it will succeed or not, plus the fuel mileage is pretty sad.

I'm not here to say that GM is perfect because of Lutz because it isn't and Ford is in good shape...for now..., but the point is Lutz isn't the reason why GM is in trouble and if Ford isn't careful they may get into trouble AGAIN because they are offering too much of the same stuff that nobody wants if the market shifts. Diversity is the answer for a diverse market and country plain and simple.

Okay I'm done![sm=rant.gif]

 

Good rant and on target. As I have gotten older I have been more aware of how politics and advertising play a bigger roll in what people buy. Like lambs they follow the piper. If the piper has someone else pulling the strings then... Cadillac is a good example. I watched them over the years transform the image of Cadillac. One of lack luster luxury to a Performance Luxury. And today they have just that image. So it goes hand in hand. I follow the beat of a different drummer. I feel the need... the need for speed. Or just an apperance of said speed The american people hold the key in their hands as to how this will play out. Who do you love?

 

Thank you. Unfortunately it seems to be getting worse. What concerns me is companies like GE have virtually unchecked control on the flow of information. They own a news network that uses fear tactics to scare people in their news segments, then conveniently they have commercials for the "solution." I seriously want to throw my remote into the television and pull out a barf bag after I have to endure their pile of garbage commercials (but then I don't want to have to go out and pay them for a new one either so I just shout at it instead). I'm sure Edison would be as well if he saw what his company was doing today. And don't expect Uncle Sam to be a trust buster, Uncle Sam enjoys his donations from them too well.[:@] That's all I going to elaborate on that.

What I enjoy are cars that I believe are well balanced vehicles and serve a purpose in the market. I can see the merit and enjoy most product segments, even ones that culture tells us to loathe. I like minivans despite what others tells us about them because they are comfortable for long trips 8 hours or longer, they can reasonably sit 7 or 8 passengers comfortably, when design correctly they are safe, they get good fuel economy and current offerings aren't underpowered (they will never be mistaken as a muscle car, but that isn't why you buy a family hauler anyway), they offer a good room if you need it for business purposes, and they can have AWD if the manufacture decides to offer it. I'm not a fan of 7-passenger SUVs, not because of the reasons why many people do, but because they make them unbearable for final row passengers. My aunt and uncle have an Explorer and I have learned to hate that thing in just a few times riding in it. There is no leg room at all in the rear and the seats on the floor (translation: a return to the miserable state you were in riding in the back of station wagons, except I think those were more comfortable. To me, these are based on a person's vanity. They let these dumb images dictate what they should buy. What they get is a better image and 4-wheel drive if that is what they need, in exchange for a much higher price, lower fuel economy, slower acceleration in some cases, uncomfortable interior, more maintenance, and in some cases more reliability issues.

Muscle cars have their place as they have room for 4 or 5. They have lots of fun power and currently good interiors and options. The fuel economy is better than many cars with smaller engines and less room and they are safer than many other possible options.

As long as it gets better fuel economy and costs less than the next car larger, I like an economy car. What I don't like are types like the Aveo that gets worse fuel economy than the next larger car (the Cobalt) despite having a smaller engine, these beg the question of why they are even being produced.

I don't like hybrids as they are a distraction from the solution. They cost more than they save, they are NOT providing a true alternative fuel, and they do not resolve environmental "problems."

I like the idea Flex Fuel vehicles just not the way they are doing it. It should be done on Premium required vehicles as it can better reap the benefits than an ordinary vehicle. I also think that they should start to make E85 powered cars in selected markets. I also think it is stupid to make a requirement that all state or government vehicles should be flex fuel when they are NOT using E85 in the models. It's simply illogical.

I like FWD cars for their capabilities in snow. I like RWD for performance. I like AWD for weather and performance purposes but don't like the fuel consumption.

True trucks have their respective purposes

True SUVs in their respective sizes and built for the right purposes I like as well.

More than anything else, my primary concern is I get tired of snobby, know-it-all elitist like this guy who tares down a person who has done great things just because they don't like his views on a few things and chastises him for a few models they don't appreciate while ignoring all the models and ideas he contributed that the other company is now going to use. I also don't like are how little these snobs generally know. The memory length of these people is generally the length of their granola bar, if that long. They forget about failed ideas like the Probe and if you bring it up, they scoff and say it will work this time because they said so without having a underlying reason as to why. They write articles about vehicles you can tell they hate like Diesel trucks complaining non-stop about the noise and mock the fact that many of the owners enjoy the sound of a diesel. Every vehicle should have 3 or 4 valve per cylinder and be a DOHC configuration, and the smaller the better. They hate traditional pushrod engines. They ignore the significance of MDS systems as it doesn't fit their mold. People like this are too close minded to be objective and they lack the passion for a true diversity of vehicles as they only like certain types, and they are frankly out of touch. I may not like all types of vehicles, but I can appreciate a wider variety than these people do and frankly that's sad as I'm not being paid to be objective as they are.

Something else I would like to elaborate on, I have nothing against SOME of these ideas, I just don't like the premise being used here. I love the idea of this new Taurus SHO:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ook/index.html

I was never a fan of the last Taurus SHO as it never made sense to begin with (at a displacement of 3.4L why bother making it a V8? It costs more, uses more gas, will have higher insurance premiums, weighs more, etc.) as it never seemed to be a true extension of the first two SHOs. This lives up to it and I hope it is successful. I just don't want to see them ruin the Mustang is all. Even if I'm not crazy about the styling of these current ones inside or out, it is still part of the American Heritage that I want to see live on. I also want them to bring over the Falcon so then we can have a fun comparison between a Charger, G8, and Falcon.

 

Get used to it..Socialism is here to stay.