Fritz Henderson was scheduled to be the keynote speaker for the 2009 LA Auto Show, but after his surprise resignation a day before his speak, Vice Chairman of Global Product Development Bob Lutz was announced as Henderson’s stand-in.
Lutz began his speech joking about being a “last minute replacement,” but the rest of the speech took a more serious tone while he outlined the new initiatives and technologies that GM and its products will be focused on over the next few years. Quelling concerns about the troubled Detroit automaker, Lutz opened by highlighting a number of recent successes including; reducing labor costs, creating a leaner dealer network, repaying federal loans earlier than expected, and reducing the overabundance of nameplates from 48 last year to only 30. Lutz said the goal is not only to produce a leaner GM, but also to produce only the best products possible – even if that means reducing brands and dealers.
GM’s recent May the Best Car Win campaign was a great campaign that really captured the point of the direction of the New GM. The campaign helped emphasize fewer, but better brands and vehicles and Lutz reiterated that mission during his keynote address.
Following a quick overview of the move to create a leaner GM, Lutz elaborated on the push towards offering greener and more fuel efficient vehicles, which was largely the theme of the entire show. With 98% of the world’s automotive energy derived from oil, GM is investing heavily in research and development in order to improve the combustion engine, create more ethanol and biofuel engines, and produce more hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
For an automaker that just underwent bankruptcy, these are expensive and lofty undertakings. However, perhaps due to bankruptcy, GM clearly realizes that the future of the industry, and GM’s success, revolves around new technologies and new risks. Ultimately, taking that risk will also help to ensure the success of electric vehicles, and ensure they don’t maintain mere novelty status.
Investment by the OEMs is of course one hurdle to overcome regarding the widespread adoption of EVs. But the other hurdle is building the infrastructure that will support EVs. This means automakers will need to work closely with utility companies and municipal governments to build recharging stations in parking facilities and inside parking meters to give drivers plenty of places to recharge their vehicles.
With fuel efficient vehicles like the 40 mpg Chevrolet Cruze, the upcoming Chevy Spark subcompact, and of course the electrically driven Chevrolet Volt, the New GM seems to have rededicated itself to producing in-demand vehicles that don’t skimp on technology and quality.
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For the latest developments on new Chevrolet cars keep reading.
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