2008 Woodie Awards
Auto industry will suffer for clean car debate
Brady Turley/Guest Columnist
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Opinion
If anyone has dropped a bomb on the automotive industry lately, it most likely came from one source: industry heavyweight Bob Lutz.
Some of you might know Bob as the current chairman of GM North America. Others might know him for his production of concept cars, such as the Dodge Viper and Cadillac Sixteen.
Either way, you should know him for his latest statement, posted on autogreenblog.com, which might fuel another great debate on the topic of global warming. Lutz called the issue a "total crock of s-t," and added that he was a "skeptic, not a denier."
For some people, it's a call to arms; in their minds, global warming is 100 percent true. However, the massive amount of attention drawn to global warming notwithstanding, we all know that just because a group of people think something is true doesn't make it a fact.
Bob knows this, as do many people who have been too shy to stand up to public opinion.
Still, Lutz not only discredited global warming, he added: "I'm motivated more by the desire to replace imported oil than by the CO2 (argument)." That's a mouthful from the world's biggest automaker, and it probably has his PR people working overtime.
But it needed to be said.
With this in mind, how many of you out there believe in global warming? If you do, what is your motivation for believing? Many, I think, tend to follow "public opinion" and not base their beliefs on facts and research.
Those who doubt the existence of global warming have good reason. The Earth's climate had changed many times even before there was industry and automobiles. How was that possible if people hadn't been able to previously pollute the environment?
There are many more questions one could ask about this topic, but those are better saved for a Friday night with a glass of scotch and a Davidoff Double 'R'.
The real kicker here is that beliefs about global warming will really come back to kick consumers in the butt in the future. The EPA wants fleet-wide mileage to reach 35 miles per gallon by 2020. The amount of money required for the research and development that goes into such a task will go into the cost of a new car. Before long, an affordable new car will probably be nonexistent because of this hybrid power, cell hydrogen technology. To top that off, the cost of having such a car repaired will probably skyrocket because it's going to take a technically savvy mechanic to work on that kind of vehicle. If you have seen dealership costs lately, start crying now because it won't get any better.
What people (even large automakers) don't understand is that there are better ways to get MPG's than by making and using hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles. Anyone remember the Geo Metro? It might not have been the fastest car in the world, but it would easily top the Prius' 48 mpg with its 58 mpg rating, and could still cruise at 70 mph without a problem. All it took was the combination of a lightweight car and a small displacement engine.
It's time that people stepped up and joined the argument over emission standards and global warming, or we all might have to bite the bullet later.
Some of you might know Bob as the current chairman of GM North America. Others might know him for his production of concept cars, such as the Dodge Viper and Cadillac Sixteen.
Either way, you should know him for his latest statement, posted on autogreenblog.com, which might fuel another great debate on the topic of global warming. Lutz called the issue a "total crock of s-t," and added that he was a "skeptic, not a denier."
For some people, it's a call to arms; in their minds, global warming is 100 percent true. However, the massive amount of attention drawn to global warming notwithstanding, we all know that just because a group of people think something is true doesn't make it a fact.
Bob knows this, as do many people who have been too shy to stand up to public opinion.
Still, Lutz not only discredited global warming, he added: "I'm motivated more by the desire to replace imported oil than by the CO2 (argument)." That's a mouthful from the world's biggest automaker, and it probably has his PR people working overtime.
But it needed to be said.
With this in mind, how many of you out there believe in global warming? If you do, what is your motivation for believing? Many, I think, tend to follow "public opinion" and not base their beliefs on facts and research.
Those who doubt the existence of global warming have good reason. The Earth's climate had changed many times even before there was industry and automobiles. How was that possible if people hadn't been able to previously pollute the environment?
There are many more questions one could ask about this topic, but those are better saved for a Friday night with a glass of scotch and a Davidoff Double 'R'.
The real kicker here is that beliefs about global warming will really come back to kick consumers in the butt in the future. The EPA wants fleet-wide mileage to reach 35 miles per gallon by 2020. The amount of money required for the research and development that goes into such a task will go into the cost of a new car. Before long, an affordable new car will probably be nonexistent because of this hybrid power, cell hydrogen technology. To top that off, the cost of having such a car repaired will probably skyrocket because it's going to take a technically savvy mechanic to work on that kind of vehicle. If you have seen dealership costs lately, start crying now because it won't get any better.
What people (even large automakers) don't understand is that there are better ways to get MPG's than by making and using hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles. Anyone remember the Geo Metro? It might not have been the fastest car in the world, but it would easily top the Prius' 48 mpg with its 58 mpg rating, and could still cruise at 70 mph without a problem. All it took was the combination of a lightweight car and a small displacement engine.
It's time that people stepped up and joined the argument over emission standards and global warming, or we all might have to bite the bullet later.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Jake McLaughlin
posted 2/21/08 @ 3:29 PM CST
Hear! Hear! A cogent argument that a bizarrely hysterical world will not countenance. The other facet of the coin is the broadly accepted but fallacious argument that oil is a resource being so rapidly depleted that it deserves the costs and agonized cries it creates. (Continued…)
Brady Turley
posted 2/25/08 @ 9:57 AM CST
Im glad I'm not the only one who understands this. I hear too much of that global warming is true stuff. You should join the facebook group I started. (Continued…)
Caddie Retortrho
posted 2/27/08 @ 11:33 AM CST
I'm glad that Lutz is out on the forefront battling this himself, where PR departments, and the marketing departments are just lying down, and being crushed by movement of ignorance pushing the hoax known as "Man Made Global Warming" . (Continued…)
Brady Turley
posted 2/27/08 @ 9:39 PM CST
Now that he has spoken out, maybe they won't only cover those who say global warming is true. Polluting from sports cars isn't how most people think. The Corvette is 1 mpg less on fuel mileage than a v-6 malibu, which is pretty dang good. (Continued…)
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