The topic for the moment is Robert Lutz, lately head of marketing at General Motors who is (a) being kicked upstairs; or (b) graciously stepping aside--in the current, latest reorganization of GM. The Wall Street Journal calls him a "veteran auto guru" who has "relinquished [his] duties;" the New York Times (though definitely not the Journal seems to detect a whiff of tragedy. Per the Times (Bill Vlasic): "[T]here is no operational role for Mr. Lutz in the new era. He has no direct reports ... People familiar with the latest executive changes said that Mr. Lutz was a casualty of the youth movement..."
Let's review the bidding. Lutz is 77. He has been in the biz 40-plus years; per Wiki, he oversaw "the Dodge Viper, Plymouth Prowler and Chrysler LH platform automobiles;" also the Ford Sierra, and the Ford Explorer (okay, maybe he wrote this stuff himself). He's had just about every interesting job in the industry.
He'd already retired once; he was called back as part of the rescue effort last year. And now he gets to sit around and mouth off all day with no command responsibilities? Hey, where do I sign up (hello, Dean?).
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