Bob Lutz's "Icons and Idiots" - Autoline After Hours 205

If it exists in the automotive world, he's got an opinion on it. And, he won't be afraid to tell you what he really thinks. The man of the hour is the cigar-chomping, helicopter flying, car guy's car guy Bob Lutz. He's just recently been inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame and has authored a new book, "Icons and Idiots." We'll be picking his brain about the state of the automotive industry with no particular agenda in mind, but make no mistake, this will be a wide-ranging, engaging discussion with the man who couldn't mince a word if he wanted to. Joining John McElroy in studio is co-host Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and Csaba Csere from the Valvefloat Group.
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[@AHAUGHT]

We needed that next hour. Bob should be an after hours guest every month.

[@yelp1000]

Agreed ... I've been following these guys Csaba, John and Lutz (and now Peter)- in one way or another for decades now it seems. Awesome to have them all in the same room chatting away.

[@brandoYT]

product improvement - new grill/front end - sounds like a GM exec. to me - making US great again, thanks Bob.

[@MrChevybaja]

can't get enough bob

[@ramblerandy2397]

Roughly 6 years later and a lot has changed. The car industry is turning upside down and there's no stopping it.

[@americanflyer4126]

I just read Icons and Idiots and it's a great book. There are a lot of books out there about leadership but for a car guy, this one is perfect. Lutz talks about the influential leaders in his life and career. He talks about their styles, idiosyncrasies, characteristics; what made them great (or not) leaders. The backdrop is the history of the auto business through the 60s to 2010. Lutz was instrumental in the development of many of the great cars of this period. He worked with the top executives at GM, Ford, Chrysler and BMW. But the most important thing I learned from reading this book were the lessons on leadership. In the appendix he rates each leader on his leadership traits and it is fascinating. My favorite quote from the book is: "Leadership is definitely enhanced by the emotional component; followers can be so enraptured by a skilled, manipulative demagogue that they will place their own sense of critical judgement on hold and do anything the leader asks, unquestioningly". This was in 2013.

[@nikita-dh5je]

How about Bob Eaton, no chapter on Bob Eaton from Bob Lutz.

[@keimo2007]

i love these stories lutz told.. watching 2nd or 3rd time.

[@michaelkane732]

great show

[@johnoberle9750]

Chrysler would have been a far greater company had Bob Lutz got the job. Anything good rolling out the doors of GM you can thank Lutz.

[@MaliciousSRT]

I use to have 4-speed auto's as well. Silly things would rev at 3000 RPM going down the highway sucking back fuel. 8-speed isn't overkill, its the right amount of gears for all the scenarios. In the Jeeps case it gets 31 MPG highway. Yes, 31 MPG from a 5200lb SUV with a 7500lb towing capability.

[@carlosg1165]

great show love listening to bob

[@GimliTehDwarf]

Does the 3rd guy(Peter) talk or just fix his nails?

[@7926645]

Go Bob!

[@SomeTechGuy666]

His advice aged like milk. GM doesn't even sell cars anymore.

[@weegeemike]

Theyre starting to regret cutting their entire car line with gas prices being $4-$6

[@macioluko9484]

@12:50 Yes they are. They are choosing the all-American Tesla!

[@Brandespada]

46:28 No, it was not Patton, it's a centuries-old French saying

[@MaliciousSRT]

Great show, have Lutz on more often.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

My car has an automatic transmission. I don't know how many gear ratios it has, but at freeway speeds, between 65 and 70mph, the revs seem to be between 2500 and 3000 rpm.

[@tankmoham6772]

I have a 2011 Hyundai sonata bought it from carmax and it's still under factory warranty and it had 80000 miles

[@AndrewEG]

love listening to bob, he's such a wise guy!

[@Samsgarden]

Gotta agree. American cars have come along in leaps and bounds.

[@Lovejazz01]

Wow, a question was asked “ will GM ever build a mid engined Corvette…. DONE! Finally!!

[@ulisscarple]

Consumer Reports is not nearly as authoritative as people might think. Years ago CR rated a certain Buick model as much better in terms of drive train durability than a similar Oldsmobile model. The fact was that both cars as GM products had exactly the SAME engine and transmission.

[@AnthonyTolhurst-dw1nc]

Concur. Consumer Reports are nothing more than over hyped opinion based bullshit, with every second word being NEW. If these had any value at all to the industry, it would only be in marketing, paid for by the manufacturer in the form of brown paper bags. Most car journos are full of waffle, nonsensical bullshit, and arsehole opinions that ultimately deliver vacuous hot air. If their statements had any value at all, the humble basic transport would now be a supersonic ride to mars and back on one litre or fuel. The glossy paper that these rags are printed on cannot even be cut up and used for shit paper! The generation of garbage created begins to exceed some countries’ GDP! People never grow up. Period. A car is a personal mode of transport, not a fun fair thrill.

[@MaliciousSRT]

Chevy makes a Cruze diesel and there's also a new Ram 1500 diesel, and Grand Cherokee...both with 8-speed autos.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

8 speed automatic? That sounds like overkill. My Toyota Corolla has a 4 sp automatic.

[@95blahblahhaha]

Lutz just loves to hear himself talk 🙄🙄

[@jonlevandky7817]

Can you do better?? Go get em if you could

[@fensterlips]

Maybe but I love listening to him talk too. It’s dated now, as I watch it, but still very interesting.

[@95blahblahhaha]

@@fensterlips It is somewhat cool to hear but it's not like he did exactly the best job at GM with his time there either though

[@somjittechalee1684]

👌👌👌🙏🙏🙏

[@JspookSS]

Need more maximum Bob!

[@SamtheSham2000]

uh how about the Toyota Tundra

[@ikeike2]

Bob, you were part of the problem.

[@michaelvecera8394]

How so? Lutz was an advocate for quality products and good design. In a world of legacy thought processes, Bob Lutz was the opposite. If anything he was instrumental in saving a good portion of the North American auto industry

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I wish diesel powered cars and small trucks were available here in the United States. Will they sell well? Maybe, maybe not. I would think it'd sell if properly advertised. But I've come to believe that if a car is available with a certain engine, people will buy it. I also believe that if there are places to service the car for maintenance, then they'll want to keep the car. The problem is that most of the car makers don't seem to realise that.

[@Samsgarden]

I think Chevy is heading for another crisis

[@glencecil293]

Bob Lutz, the short sighted guy tried to kill the electric car.

[@AnthonyTolhurst-dw1nc]

An entire world war can be fought and won in 6 years. What is it with motor cars that takes 6 years to conceive, design, tool, build, market and finally get right? Fuck me, what a total waste of man hours doing nothing more than playing with expensive toy sets.

[@AnthonyTolhurst-dw1nc]

Gee mate, you sound like your leader trump. You should work for him, if you’re still around.

[@jimanderson9938]

I just love Tesla's business plan: build cars that cost more than you sell them for. Enforcer is the idiot in the room.

[@macioluko9484]

I hope you can see now that Tesla’s business plan is to profitably accelerate the transition to sustainable transport.

[@Lovejazz01]

Well, as of March 2023 , Jim’s opinion is not fact ….

[@jaylieber1868]

No wonder Lee Iacocca didn't pick him for CEO of Chrysler. This guy will put you to sleep, boring as hell. No one would follow him. A high position yes, CEO though.... no. Very nice guy though it seems.

[@jonlevandky7817]

Lol yes like Bob eaten who sold out to Diamler. Lee even said in an interview he regrets making bob eaten in charge and not bob Lutz