Lutz Influence at GM Expected For a Generation

Bob Lutz Retires from General Motors Corp. at the end of the year, but his influence on vehicle design, particularly in the interiors, will be felt for years to come, says a top designer at the auto maker.

“This is Bob's last year with us, but his influence on how General Motors develops products will really be felt for a generation,” David Lyon, executive director-interior design for North America, says in a speech at the conference.

An iconic industry veteran, Lutz rejoined GM as vice chairman in 2001 and assumed responsibility for global product development in 2005.

Lyon asks the crowd to indulge “a little hero worship” of Lutz. “He is an automotive connoisseur, and has very deep convictions about the role the interior plays in the ownership experience,” Lyon says.

With many OEMs, it is rare to have “a top officer in the company” engaging designers in lengthy discussions about grain on an instrument panel or the ergonomics of a seat recliner. Yet, that's what Lutz routinely has done, Lyon says.

“He really cared and understood the product,” he says. “Under his guidance and, let's say, infectious desire for excellence, we went from, I think it's fair to say, near the bottom of the interiors market to world-class in one product cycle.”

For context, Lyon recalls the previous-generation Chevrolet Malibu sedan. “On paper, this car should have been a winner,” he says. That earlier Malibu, designed before Lutz arrived, undercut the competition on price, yet boasted slightly larger dimensions.

“We talked to customers in focus groups — this is a very pragmatic customer. They told us the styling really didn't matter. And we absolutely took their word on that,” Lyon says, drawing chuckles from the crowd.

The new award-winning Malibu, reflecting Lutz's influence, has been a home run for GM and Chevrolet, selling at higher volumes, at an average of $3,800 more than the previous car, Lyon says.

And while focus-group feedback apparently did little to improve the previous Malibu, the new one had no focus group at all, he says. “Actually, it hit a focus group of one, Bob, and he loved it.”

The all-new '10 Buick LaCrosse, slated to go on sale this summer, also demonstrates the global product-development strategy hatched by Lutz.

Design studios in Shanghai and North America collaborated on the car and its “artfully done” headliner, exhaust tips, steering wheel, cluster and door panel, Lyon says. “I really feel with this vehicle, all these elements combine to create one of the most artfully designed GM vehicles since 1960.”