GM's Bob Lutz - Company Has "No Plans" To Answer Prius Hybrid

[hatrack]

DETROIT (CNN/Money) - General Motors Corp. has no plans to try to answer the success of the Toyota Prius, the critically-acclaimed gas/electric hybrid car, said Robert Lutz, GM's vice chairman of product development. It just doesn't make environmental or economic sense to try to put an expensive dual-powertrain system into less expensive cars which already get good mileage, Lutz said at the North American International Auto Show.

The Toyota Prius, now in its second generation, can get 55 miles out of a gallon of gasoline. It has won several awards including North American car of the year at the auto show, Motor Trend's 2004 car of the year as well as making Car and Driver's top ten list. Toyota sold 24,627 of the vehicles in 2003, a 24 percent increase from 2002 sales.

EDIT

Lutz also argues that it doesn't make economic sense for consumers to pay several thousand dollars more for hybrid cars that get up to 30 percent better fuel economy. "Hybrids are an interesting curiosity and we will do some," he said. "But do they make sense at $1.50 a gallon? No, they do not."

EDIT

Sunday Toyota Motor Corp. introduced its first light truck hybrid, a version of its Highlander SUV, due out this fall. On Tuesday, its luxury Lexus brand introduced its first hybrid, the RX400h SUV. While Toyota executives wouldn't give numbers for average fuel economy of the hybrid SUVs until testing is completed, they predict these vehicles will get better mileage than the average gas-powered compact car."

EDIT

http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=communique&newsid=4759

Obviously, GM's on the right track - after all, you just can't argue with three straight years of shrinking market share and declining sales!

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. The American Car Companies are in trouble. Could this......

be the end for them??? The problem is that Detroit is in bed with BIG OIL and Bushco. They would do nothing to hurt them. Oh Well, at least Toyota makes a F-A-R Superior product to GM's!

:eyes:

[evworldeditor]

2. Meanwhile Larry Burns admits he's test driving ....

the new Prius. BTW... Larry is the head of GM's R&D, so I'd expect him to be checking out the competition.

I've driven the new Silverado mild-hybrid, actually little more than a 42-volt vehicle with auto stop/start and a couple 110 volt power outlets. In a drive around the Long Beach Convention Center last November, I quickly discovered a potentially embarassing "clang" in the drive train when you do a "rolling stop." It appears to occur when the computer turns off the engine, thinking the truck is about to stop and then as you apply the accelerator, the electric starter-generator kicking in while the drive shaft is slowing down.

I am told on good authority that GM is working on a fix in future versions, but the first 500 off the line will have this annoying little bug.

Bottom line in my view is that GM is discovering that building a really transparent hybrid is a lot harder than they care to admit and Toyota will continue to have at least a 5 year lead over them. Of course, I just heard a rumor this week that GM has made a major hybrid breakthrough, so maybe the game will change, but as usual, if they did achieve some breakthrough, they are keeping it close to their breast... and I suspect they bought it off of someone.

[hatrack]

3. I've also read that Ford is having major problems with the Escape hybrid

Apparently, they outsourced a number of the hybrid system components and are now having the devil's own time getting everything to synch up. Regenerative braking has been a particular problem, though they may have gotten a handle on it by now.

Toyota, on the other hand, did everything in-house, spent the money up front and are now reaping the rewards of a solid, reliable system.

Oh, and one more tidbit - bumper-to-bumper, Prius V. 1.0 had 330 patents, and V 2.0 has 370. Detroit may arrive at the hybrid party only to find that Japan has already signed the guestbook and left.

[uberotto]

4. Americans love to buy cars that make sense...

that's why they buy 6,000 lbs. of SUV, with it's high price tag and all of those anti-security features, so they will have enough room for those three bags of groceries they will get when they go grocery shopping.

[ajacobson]

5. GM is banking on future technologies superior to hybrid

GM researchers are focusing on point-to-point vehicle teleportation. The scientists do admit that the technology is two or three hundred years down the road...but oh daddy, when its ready...

</sarcasm>

Actually, I looked at hydrogen fuel cell prototypes at last year's North American International Auto Show, pretty interesting but a long LONG way from seeing a dealer showroom floor. This years NAIAS opens to the public on Saturday, at least this year the hybrids will get more attention, with the Prius getting car of the year. There really wasn't much focus on hybrids last year.

[treepig]

8. teleportation is all fine and dandy in theory

but in practice there can be unforeseen complications . . .

[Kolesar]

6. Bush*s chief of staff, Andy Card, was a GM lobbiest

Consider that more than half of Bush's administration came from the energy industry. They have a profoundly corrupt revolving door with polluting industries.

[Atlant]

7. What a Yutz!

We'll see if consumers agree with his vision when
cheap oil starts running out.

Atlant