GM exec stands by calling global warming a "crock"

[UpInArms]

Source: Reuters

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp Vice Chairman Bob Lutz has defended remarks he made dismissing global warming as a "total crock of s---," saying his views had no bearing on GM's commitment to build environmentally friendly vehicles.

Lutz, GM's outspoken product development chief, has been under fire from Internet bloggers since last month when he was quoted as making the remark to reporters in Texas.

In a posting on his GM blog on Thursday, Lutz said those "spewing virtual vitriol" at him for minimizing the threat of climate change were "missing the big picture."

"What they should be doing in earnest is forming opinions, not about me but about GM and what this company is doing that is ... hugely beneficial to the causes they so enthusiastically claim to support," he said in a posting titled, "Talk About a Crock."

<snip>

As part of a campaign against higher fuel economy standards, Lutz wrote in a 2006 blog posting that forcing automakers to sell smaller cars would be "like trying to address the obesity problem in this country by forcing clothing manufacturers to sell smaller, tighter sizes."

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN2237297620080222?sp=true

[Ano Genitus]

1. That's not a bad idea, selling smaller clothes.

[UpInArms]

4. can that wait 'til summer gets here

'cuz it's too cold for smaller clothes today :)

[Fridays Child]

7. Making smaller clothes will force obese people to lose weight...

...just like dumping paraplegics out of their wheelchairs will force them to stand up. And maybe we should refuse to provide insulin injections to diabetics. That'll teach them not to have too much glucose in their blood.

/sarcasm

[bulloney]

23. And let's eliminate proctologists.

That'll eliminate all of the world's as- oh never mind!

[stanwyck]

17. Any woman will tell you

the stores already are doing this. Size "O" exists. And many mall stores don't stock beyond a size 12 -- which just happens to be the average size of the American woman. I wear a 10 and often that's the LARGEST size available. Plenty of 2s and 4s. I bought workout T-shirts last week and got the "L" size though I'm 5'7" 140 lbs. So, the smaller clothes thing...it's happening.

[Ano Genitus]

18. I wouldn't have known that. Are shoulder pads still easy to come by?

(I ask because I'm imagining you dress like Barbara Stanwyk, which may be totally wrong!)

[stanwyck]

20. Sadly, shoulder pads have not made

a comeback since their infamous 1980's "Dynasty" popularity. I do have an ankle bracelet like Barbara wore in "Double Indemnity".

[bulloney]

24. I remember getting into a debate about the "petite" sizes of women's clothes.

Some of the dresses were like tents. I told my wife that something that large should not be labeled "petite."

It's obviously some psychological ploy by the clothing industry to draw the large women to their line.

[boilinmad]

64. Petite...

..is only related to the height of the woman, not the size. They are just cut shorter. Its like a mans 48 short suit. Large, but just cut shorter.

[Binka]

56. I Am A Size 4 on the bottom But I Need A Size 10 up top

I can never buy a unit suit. I have very broad shoulders as I am a swimmer but my hips are tiny. Plus the pants in size 4 are fine around the waist but they are always 2 inches too short. Clothes made in China are not meant for my body. I am 5-9 for fucks sake these clothes are for women 5-4.

[wtmusic]

68. Er, excuse me

Global warming -> women's clothing sizes

Y'all win the prize for Most Random Topic Redirect of 2008

:applause: :toast: :applause:

[elehhhhna]

2. Interesting clothes/suv analogy --

I've thought for years that our attraction to SUV's is b/c we are so dammned fat, and SUV's are roomier.

[madrchsod]

3. lutz is a fucking idiot

that`s the only good thing i can say about him....

[Blue_Tires]

11. +1

[fascisthunter]

5. He's Determined to Lie Right to the End

He knows Global Warming is real and dangerous. he just finds making a profit more important than the environment he lives in. All addicts deny the reality even though that substance they abuse is killing them. They lie about it's addictiveness and it's dangers all to continue getting that fix.

Greed is a sickness.

[Jeffro40]

27. To the end of what?

He won't really see the effects of warming in his lifetime - you may not either.

[natrat]

35. um...open your eyes,read a newspaper,read b/w the lines there is ample evidence currently

[Jeffro40]

I don't need your advice, I didn't say that

I didn't say it wasn't true, I said Lutz would die before he sees it.

Stop it with your fake superiority - I don't need a lesson from you.

[fascisthunter]

53. As I Said Before... Greed is a Sickness

sad

[liberal N proud]

6. He is going to ride GM all the way down

[lurky]

8. GM lost $39 billion dollars in the last quarter.

That's roughly $5,000 per SECOND going down the toilet. Listening to this guy talk, I am beginning to understand why.

The problem is cultural.

[Jeffro40]

28. You really don't know what you're talking about

Most of that was a tax write down - they didn't actually lose that.

Mstly though I'm sick of people being happy when businesses fail. You DO understand that's people's jobs you're snickering and having fun with don't you?

[Sodbuster]

32. Tax write down

Jeffro- Can you splain for the rest of us how GM is able to Write Down this amount without having to spend it.

[Jeffro40]

36. Sure, ifyou need it

Most of it was from tax credits they received, though they can still show it as a "loss" even though it was never actually spent. It's a pretty standard way of avoiding income taxes for big companies.

[Sodbuster]

49. I guess I do need an explanation....

Sounds like you know what the tax credits GM received are for. What are they for specifically? What is the government (you and me) giving GM a credit for? Don't mean to sound dense.

I have to agree with the following poster. I don't see anybody laughing about people losing their jobs.

[wtmusic]

71. While he's at it he can explain what part 30,000 layoffs

play in their sophisticated tax writedown scheme.

onedit: welcome to DU

:bounce: :toast: :bounce:

[lurky]

48. Who the fuck is snickering?

You don't see a cultural problem in GM management? You haven't noticed that their heads are so far up their asses that they just drove the car off the cliff? Are you a GM executive or something?

Most of that was a "tax write down", which means that they were playing accounting games that bit them in the ass. There is no way this can be spun as a good thing.

[fascisthunter]

54. .

[nebula]

9. I wonder where this guy is from?

[Jeffro40]

30. According to your map he's from America

Detroit, to be precise.

[wtmusic]

10. He's admitted the only reason they're building hybrids is for PR.

Lutz the putz.

[Jeffro40]

29. Who cares why?

What, you think they're altruistic? That's funny.

[wtmusic]

33. Has nothing to do with altruism

Has to do with having the vision to recognize a trend. Lutz is blind as a bat.

[Jeffro40]

37. But they ARE producing the hybrid

So what's your point? Just to bust on GM?

[wtmusic]

42. Their hybrids are worthless

Underperforming & expensive. But they do have a little green leaf emblem on the back.

[CRF450]

51. A hybrid Tundra wouldn't be any better than the current hybrid Silverado.

21mpg city is pretty damn good for a vehicle that weighs 7-8000lbs.

[wtmusic]

69. You bet it would

Thanks to the bullshit "status metal" that GM includes gratis on every one of their guzzlers, the curb weight of a Silverado is 2,000 lbs heavier than a Tundra.

[Jeffro40]

58. Name one hybrid that ISN'T worthless

They all are. Even the Prius is a waste. It pollutes more to make the battery than it saves.

[wtmusic]

70. "It pollutes more to make the battery than it saves."

Too funny -- that pathetic line. Now I know you're full of shit.

Link, anything? Even something from a GM brochure would be an improvement.

:rofl:

[TheWraith]

12. Rational people stand by calling GM exec "an asshat."

Somebody needs to start compiling a list of people who've managed to sink big corporations through massive total incompetance. Lutz and Carly Fiorina could be the first names on the list.

[predfan]

13. A friend loaned me a collection of David Brinkley ( as in "Good night, Chet,

Good night , David) one minute musings from their show. In 1983 he spoke a new report about the greenhouse effect, in which scientists predicted the poles would melt and the oceans would rise. Fortunately, he said, scientist predicted it would take about 200 years or so. Nice try.

[Tesha]

14. Lutz the Yutz, still clueless after all these years. (NT)

[sakabatou]

38. His friends say he's a klutz.

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. And this would be one of the GM execs which has missed every

marker that could have driven the company away from the cliff?

[Divernan]

16. The Japanese & Euro auto makers continue laughing all the way to the bank.

nt

[Uncle Joe]

19. Bullshit, if this clueless idiot can't bring him self

to believe the overwhelming peer reviewed scientific evidence of the day regarding an issue so critical to life and death it self on a global scale, G.M. will never do squat under his "leadership", except slowly go down hill and lose market share to the 21st century companies more willing to adapt to reality.

One other quibble with his asinine analogy, fuel for automobiles is finite and limited to the dead dinosaur remains they can pump out of the Earth, that's why Americans and Iraqis are dying to this day.

The material for clothing can be grown over and over and it's production isn't destroying life as we know it at least not on the scale of carbon belching automobiles.

[pleah]

21. Of course they are! Their sales are tanking and they are trying to convince

people to buy their over priced cars. Cars that are not even close to being fuel efficient. How many
people did they just lay off?

[f the letter]

22. Did he actually say that? With reporters present?

Way to go Bob Lutz! hm...

[bulloney]

25. I'm done with GM. Bought a Venture minivan.

In less than 80,000 miles, they had to tear the engine apart because of some seals leaking fluid. I didn't want to buy a GM before that purchase because I had so much trouble with the previous GMs that I owned. Owned a Cutlass that leaked radiator coolant into the oil at less than 75,000 miles. Owned a Buick that had a bad EGR valve that the dealership wouldn't replace, even though it was still under warranty. It had less than 60,000 miles. Had a Chevy Lumina that needed its transmission rebuilt at around 50,000 miles.

I don't beat on my cars and I service them regularly and tell the service departments to take care of anything that is even beginning to look or sound bad.

The only reason I bought the Venture was because my brother in-law worked for GM and he begged me to buy it under his employee discount plan.

I don't care if they offer to give me the vehicle. I won't drive a GM again.

[Jeffro40]

31. The Venture was crap - that's what you get for being cheap

and buying the cheapest van they sell.

[tabasco]

40. I bought the cheapest Toyota they sell.

I've had it for seven years with only routine maintenance. 40-45mpg.

Too bad GM can't do that.

[wtmusic]

72. Now I've heard it all

GM's crappy products are the fault of the parsimonious customers who buy them.

Whoo. Desperation is never pretty.

[yardwork]

77. God forbid that a customer should expect a product to work as advertised.

[Kolesar]

74. I don't believe a word you said

I read your other posts on this forum

[Name removed]

26. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[trthnd4jstc]

34. GM and Ford both screwed themselves by not putting out Electric Vehicles.

The Auto Industry screwed up big time because of not putting out electrical vehicles. Back in 2002, I went to an Electrical Expo where there was an electric 1 ton cargo van. I was told it would cost $38,0000.00, but there were only limited supply. Also GM has had the Volt since the 80's, see "Who killed the Electric Car?", but it seems that corporate loyalty was more important than providing the public with an alternative to the internal combustion engine. I also knew of a fellow, who killed himself, who came up with a fuel injection system for the Ford Mustang that allowed an average of nearly 60 miles to the Gallon, Highway. I think he got around $80,000.00 for his invention. He was depressed for months after that. I also heard of an Electrical Engineer who disappeared who had a means of converting peoples vehicles for $1800.00 1990's money, to electric vehicles. An engineer told me about him, said he was threatened for weeks before disappearing. What I am getting at is that Big Auto shot itself in the foot not providing the American People with alternatives to the Vehicles they were selling.

[Jeffro40]

39. 2009 Production of the Volt is on track

By this time next year I'll be driving a plug-in electric vehicle from GM, the Volt. I'll power it from my solar and wind array.

[liberal1973]

41. Lutz should be fired.

He is clearly a far right idiot.

I what to thank the idiot for helping me to determine to not buy a GM product. I'm looking to acquire a new car. GM were considered but not anymore.

My next car either will be a Hybrid Toyota or a Hybrid Lexus.

Again Lutz should be fired. One other it shows why GM had limbaugh and the douche hannity in ads.

Lutz and GM a crock.

[wtmusic]

43. Wow, you'll be even ahead of GM

who has already stated they won't be out until 2010, at the earliest.

You building it yourself?

[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[wtmusic]

67. You're a GM employee getting a hand-built prototype?

Ha! Good one. Or maybe it explains your blind allegiance. Or maybe you're another marketing shill hired to invade blogs (you must know OKIsItJustMe, or maybe you are him. I really don't give a crap).

There are plenty of reasons to trash other companies but GM makes such an inviting target. Lutz says "Global Warming is a crock of shit" he is just plain fucking wrong. He might as well say "gravity is a crock" or "the earth is flat". When someone with that reach of influence makes an absurd, uninformed comment solely to better his shitty bottom line he does it at the expense of an irreplaceable environment that my kids and your kids are going to have to live in. If he's so goddamn knowledgeable I'm sure he would have no problem debating Nobel Prize winner Al Gore on the subject.

Speaking of asshats -- is being one now a requirement to work there?

[Canuckistanian]

44. Fuck GM

Of all the cars I've owned, I've NEVER owned a GM product.

They've always been the WRONG car company for my driving needs.

Too big, too wasteful on gas, uninspired designs and pushy marketing.

That's GM in a nutshell.

That, plus "Who Killed the Electric Car" turned me OFF GM forever.

Let them die. Sorry about all the jobs, but it's a new era now.

Evolve or die.

[fshrink]

45. So this guy

talks shit in public right and left, adds a blog to it, continually runs his mouth filled with partially hydrogenated statements and somehow would wish not to be talked about? This guy is a human SUV.

[goforit]

46. My Prius and Honda Civic hybrid has felt REAL goooooood for the last 7 years!!!!

PH@#K yYU GM!!!

You Union boys and Gals..... GM has royally screwed you over.
A huge debt just to unemploy all you union memebers and outsource and get rid of alllll pensions!!!

[goforit]

47. Hey!!! Le'ts buy Bob Lut a crock fill it up with ....welll.... you know.....

his wish come true....

L OL!!!!

[sofa king]

50. Dude, so are your cars!

[depakid]

52. No surprise that company's been teetering on the brink of bankruptcy

and management has NO ONE to blame but themselves for their idiotinc American exceptionalism....

[ohio2007]

55. Turning aluminum into hydrogen

http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/New_Aluminum_Rich_Alloy_Produces_Hydrogen_On_Demand_For_Large_Scale_Uses_999.html

pour more research into the fuell cell tech breakthroughs

[greenman3610]

57. worst case: GM tanks, toyota buys them, they get some good management for a change

[Kolesar]

65. Toyota recalled more autos than they built last year...eom

[NoGOPZone]

60. That makes two things Lutz knows nothing about.

Turning a profit and now science.

[daleo]

61. It's hard to get a person to admit the facts

When his job depends on ignoring them.

[and-justice-for-all]

62. Shuff it up your ass Lutz!

GM, along with Toyota and Ford had perfectly sound EVs. And what did they do with them after OPEC and shurb(mostly) through a fit about the California mandate??! Bush threatened to sue California over it and the GM, Toyota and Ford all 'recalled' all their leased EVs and simply destroyed them all.

All auto manufacturers are in bed with Big Oil, not a conspiracy but a fact.

[boilinmad]

63. The "big picture"..

...is that Lutz is a big fat greedy asshole that should shut his piehole.

[Kolesar]

66. If GM does not "win" with efficient vehicles, their market for automobiles will collapse

People will start adjusting their lives so that they drive a lot less if and when the price of gasoline doubles again. The concept of high school students having a car to drive to a minimum wage part time job will be history. Some business models will collapse if they cannot turn a profit when gasoline is $6.00/gallon.

Sales of automobiles will drop below 17,000,000 and keep falling. GM better find a product consumers can afford to operate or their company will shrink. And so will all the other automakers.

GM's battery powered technology and two-mode hybrids put them definitely ahead of the competion.

[Amonester]

73. Yeah, but that extreme-RWs like Lutz WANT their companies to shrink:

they'll get MULTI-MILLION $$$ in bonu$$e$ like the Wall Street crook$ do.

[Kolesar]

75. And lose his stock options? Kind of silly

[hay rick]

76. obesity problem

Okay. so we have to go on a diet. How come GM still wants to sell everybody muumuus?

[Xenotime]

78. Because they make their fucking money off SUVs which tear up the planet

Of course they say it is a crock.