Bob lutz book car guys

He launched a war against penny pinching, office politics, turf wars and risk avoidance. When bob lutz got into the auto business in the early 1960s, ceos knew that if you captured the publics imagination with innovative car design and topquality craftsmanship, the money would follow. In his book, car guys versus bean counters, he chronicles the very wary gm of 2001 through its first stillborn turnaround, its acquisition by the american and canadian governments and its new born. Bob lutz would, im sure, proudly describe himself as a car guy to his core. Bob lutz to the max is a talk show for a modern audience, built to cover race, politics, generations and ideology. Bean counters, which has many lessons from his tenure with general motors. While a top executive for bmw, ford, chrysler, and gm, bob lutz has always been outspoken. Recently, i blogged about bob lutzs new book car guys vs.

Among other aircraft, he owns and pilots an aero l39 albatros an advanced czechoslovakian jet fighter trainer and an md500 helicopter. This book should be required reading for every young person who seeks a. He launched a war against penny pinching, office politics, turf wars, and risk avoidance. The battle for the soul of american business by bob lutz is a good book to realize that in business all you need is a. In his 2011 book, car guys vs bean counters, robert a bob lutz charts the decline of the once great company and describes his decadelong struggle to rescue it. After legendary designer and carguyscarguy bill mitchell. The guy is a little bit full of himself but it shed some new light on how gm got in trouble, how the foreign brands got a leg up during the cafe period, how.

The battle for the soul of american business paperback may 28, 20 by bob lutz author 4. After declaring bankruptcy during the recession of 2008, gm is back on track thanks to its embrace of lutzs philosophy. Bean counters, the normally outspoken bob lutz pulls out all the stops and settles a few scores. Bean counters the battle for the soul of american business by bob lutz available from rakuten kobo. I was very interested to learn bob lutzs point of view on events at general motors back to the sixties. I think dagosa had mentioned it in one of the threads. I too requested a book and tore through it over the past week, enjoying lutzs direct voice and keen insights into his time at general motors as well as the.

Thats probably why he was never the chief executive because he refused to play the game. The car guys held sway, and gm dominated with bold, creative leadership. Bob lutz has written an important diagnostic book on the demise of general motors. He has lived in the most inner circles at ford, bmw. This book should be required reading for every young person who seeks a business degree. Lutz the writer, like lutz the executive, remains a master salesman, and what he sells best in car guys is nostalgia for a bygone detroit. Car guys offers to the reader an insiders glimpse into an industry gone wrong, but one that is far different from what we saw as recently as 2008.

One of the most acute books about management and how companies work in practice that i have read in a long time. I have been in love with american cars since my childhood in cuba. In car guys, lutz argues that detroits steady decline can be blamed on the fact that there arent enough bob lutzes anymore. The battle for the soul of american business kindle edition by lutz, bob. Lutz is known as a collector of classic automobiles and military jets.

The car guys held sway, and gm dominated with bold, creative leadership and iconic brands like cadillac, buick, pontiac, oldsmobile, gmc, and. Bob lutz had a legendary 47year career as one of the most respected car guys in history. Retiring in late 2010 as vice chairman of general motors, he currently runs bob lutz communications. The auto media has been receiving its advance copies of bob lutzs forthcoming book car guys versus bean counters over the last few weeks, and have been leaking some of the more provocative statements and conclusions from it. According to bob lutz, that is a fairly good description of gm when he arrived in 2001 as vice chairman in charge of product development. Bean counters makes the point that gm was doing fine until in the mid 1970s the mbatrained finance. The car guys held sway, and gm dominated with bold, creative leadership and iconic brands like cadillac, buick, pontiac, oldsmobile, gmc, and chevrolet. A legend in the car industry reveals the philosophy thats starting to turn general motors around. After 40 years in the car business, including stints at all of the big three, bob lutz, at 79, is still standing. It was a pretty good read for his time at gm from about 2001 through the crisis time. Further, he maintains a collection of motorcycles that include a suzuki hayabusa, a bmw k1200rs, a bmw k1200s, a bmw r1100s, a bmw k1 and a bmw hp2 sport. That applies equally to the current management of gm. Mixed into lutzs flow of blarney and halfbaked pontificating is one of the most acute books about. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions.

What follows is a digest of that book, supplemented with additional information where appropriate. In this, his second book, lutz describes his efforts to wrest control of the oncemighty gm from the management schooltrained senior executives, the socalled bean counters who had, he alleges, brought the company and its products into serious disrepute before he rejoined as vicechairman in 2001. What made the experience of listening to car guys vs. During his 47year career in the auto industry, he worked for gm, ford, bmw, and chrysler and hes a legend in. Still, the books basic problem was alltoo familiar in the world of auto executive coverage. Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz ft business book. When lutz got into the auto business in the early sixties, ceos knew that if you captured the publics imagination with great cars, the money would follow. Bean counters by bob lutz, 9781591846222, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. He joins morning joe to discuss his new book car guys vs bean counters, which.

Any car nuts with desire to understand what has happened to the american car industry should read this book. The fate of empires and search for survival part one. After nearly 40 years as a ceo at marriott, i love to read about how others lead. In 1965, he notes, french national tv produced a fawning. Look for his inspirational, upcoming book, car guys vs. Sloans management classic, my years with general motors. An excerpt from bob lutzs book car guys vs bean counters author bob lutz spent 47 years in the auto industry, and he ended his career as vice chairman of general motors. Bean counters contains all the pearls of wisdom i would expect to see from bob lutz. The one man who has probably had more impact and insight into the american auto industry is bob lutz a legend in his own time, the 47year veteran of the auto industry,has a.

I have also followed the stories on this cocky but extraordinary car guru bob lutz since his days at chrysler, a true hero of the car industry and an honest reporter of. Bob lutzs unabashed perception of the auto industry were very inspiring and informative. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading car guys vs. He is charismatic sometimes to a fault and engaging. He joins morning joe to discuss his new book car guys vs bean counters, which focuses on how auto companies lost their way and how they can recover their lost greatness. His insights into gm and the auto industry in general through the dark ages are worth the price of admission. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Author bob lutz spent 47 years in the auto industry, and he ended his career as vice chairman of general motors. Car guys vs bean counters is an enormously entertaining account of how lutz returned to gm to help turn the company around.

Bean counters is the best book written by an auto industry insider since iacocca in 1984 and deserves to be shelved alongside alfred pl sloans management classic, my years with general motors. Perhaps the book would have been better served by the title bob lutz vs. An excerpt from bob lutzs book car guys vs bean counters. My year service on the gm board ended about a year after bob came aboard.

Bob lutz looks back on the career of the man who made volkswagen group one of the largest automakers in the worldby any means necessar by bob lutz aug 16, 2019. Finally retired from general motors as vice chairman he churned out a second book the first one was called guts and became a board member of via motors, which is converting fullsized gm suvs, vans and pickups to 100mpg plugin hybrids. Bean counters is a thoughtprovoking commentary from auto industry maven bob lutz. Bob lutz is the guy who rode into gm in 2001 like wyatt earp to clean up a design and product development system that had spawned some of the worst looking vehicles to ever come out of detroit. The title is misleading as this is a book about bob lutz, not the issues gm encountered before, during, and after its liquidity crises along with the rest of the. This book goes through bob lutz history with gm and how he saved or. When bob lutz got into the auto business in the early 1960s, ceos knew that if you captured the. Business consulting ann arbor, mi lutz communications. He held senior leadership positions at four of the worlds leading automakersgm, ford, chrysler, and bmw. All the books listed for the financial times and mckinsey business book of the year. Lutz may be retired, but his influence lives on in this book as well as in gms current and upcoming product line. Automotive leaders knew if you captured the publics imagination with innovative car design and top quality craftsmanship, the money would follow.

Now in his late seventies, bob lutz knows his auto industry history, and his latest book, car guys vs. I cant say that i was completely surprised when, about two thirds of the way through bob lutzs new book car guys vs bean counters, i caught a sideswipe at myself and the truth about cars, which the retired vicechairman of gm describes as. Lutz built a career as a staunch opponent of bureaucracy and by placing the utmost importance on knowing the product as well as the customer. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. In 2001, general motors hired bob lutz out of retirement with a mandate to. The battle for the soul of american business he says it was the mbas that knew nothing about the car business but. Wh en bob lutz got into the auto business in the early 1960s, things were simpler. Former gm product boss skewers management and business. When bob lutz got into the auto business in the early 1960s, ceos knew that if you.