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By Andy Tarnoff Publisher E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Andy Tarnoff

Published July 14, 2009 at 5:12 p.m.

Tags: gm, caprice, pontiac g8, bob lutz

I regularly check out Edmunds.com's "Inside Line" microsite, as I am the prototypical "area man always in process of buying, selling car" as The Onion once so eloquently parodied.

An article today really caught my attention, entitled, "Lutz: Pontiac G8 May Be Rebadged As Chevrolet Caprice."

I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of modern American cars. I've blogged about this before; with the exception of a few Jeeps and the Ford Mustang, there isn't a model from the Big Three that really fires me up. I reserve the right to like the Chevy Volt, assuming it ever arrives.

That said, I've read a lot about the soon-to-be-killed Pontiac G8. Some have even called it the best Pontiac ever made.

For that reason, it bodes well for the "New GM" to keep the car in its lineup. But re-branding it as the Chevy Caprice?

I can't be the only person who read that and said, "I would never, ever own a Caprice."

One has to wonder why American car companies don't launch a boutique brand, like Toyota's Lexus, Nissan's Infifiti or Honda's Acura. And no, I'm not talking about Saturn. I mean something that the type of car buyer who opts for an import would flock to.

Mind you, the G-8 / Caprice idea is being floated by 77-year-old Bob Lutz, who was just named to a key position at GM as vice chairman responsible for the automaker's brands, marketing, advertising and communications.

I don't want to be ageist, but does a company emerging from bankruptcy really need a guy pushing 80 in charge of branding, marketing, advertising and communications? He seems exactly like the kind of guy who would buy a Caprice.

Lutz, the guy who says global warming is a myth, calling it a "total crock of sh*t" last year, is actually coming out of retirement for this job. He worked at BMW in the '70s, but most recently served as chairman of GM North American development, a post he held since 2001.

In other words, it was under his watch that GM fell apart.

Look, I'm not saying that all of GM's problems are the fault of Lutz. But bringing an old executive out of retirement to reinvigorate a company emerging from bankruptcy, and immediately taking the company's best car and dooming it to failure as a Caprice -- well, I have a hunch how this will play out.

American car companies must break from the past and move forward with fresh ideas. With Lutz, it looks like GM is headed toward more of the same.

Based on its glowing reviews, I'd consider the G8 for my next car if it was rebadged into something interesting. But as a Chevy Caprice, forget it. That model will be reserved in my mind for taxis and police cars -- not one of the finest vehicles the company has ever produced.

15 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by CoolerKing on July 21, 2009 at 8:31 a.m. (report)

I can't believe you guys think ALL of the Mustangs are bad. What about the GT's? The Shelbys? Steven McQueen's 390 GT in "Bullitt"? Granted they have been subpar since and Ford attempted doing "special edition" Bullitt style models which are overpriced. If I had the cash, I'd spring for that new Dodge Challenger R/T. Hemi and a classic look.

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Posted by sandstorm on July 16, 2009 at 3:54 p.m. (report)

BITCHIN CAMARO, BITCHIN CAMARO I ran over my neighbors, BITCHIN CAMARAO, BITCHIN CAMARO, Now it's in all the papers. My folks bought me a BITCHIN CAMARO with no insurance to match; So if you happen to run me down, please don't leave a scratch. I ran over some old lady one night at the county fair; And I didn't get arrested, because my dad's the mayor. BITCHIN CAMARO, BITCHIN CAMARO Doughnuts on your lawn BITCHIN CAMARO, BITCHIN CAMARO Tony Orlando and Dawn When I drive past the kids, they all spit and cuss, Because I've got a BITCHIN CAMARO and they have to ride the bus. So you'd better get out of my way, when I run through your yard; Because I've got a BITCHIN CAMARO; And an Exxon credit card. BITCHIN CAMARO, BITCHIN CAMARO Hey, man where ya headed? BITCHIN CAMARO, BITCHIN CAMARO I drive on unleaded

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Posted by Broner on July 16, 2009 at 11:55 a.m. (report)

sandstorm, I'd agree with you more if you substituted "Mustang" for "Camaro". Mustangs are sweet 16 presents for rich girls and dudes with pornstaches.

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Posted by sandstorm on July 16, 2009 at 8:06 a.m. (report)

you would have to have a really small wiener to want to be seen driving around milwaukee's lakefront in a camaro.

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Posted by piere212 on July 15, 2009 at 8:23 p.m. (report)

I really like OMC, I really do, but I can't help myself here. Tarnoff, get your story straight. Bob Lutz was NOT responsible for the fall of GM, if anything, it was his ideas that that kept it going for the last few years. Lutzs theory is that the American auto makers need to reinvent brands that people develop emotional attachments to, like the muscle cars of the 1960s and 1970s. (Have you seen the 2010 Camaro? Youre honestly telling me you wouldnt want to be seen driving around Milwaukees lakefront in that car?!?). Lutz is one of the only men that insisted the imperative nature of GM improving the QUALITY of their vehicles, to match the Japanese. Since Lutzs arrival in 2004, GM has vastly improved in this arena. The 2008 Malibu is rated as one of the most reliable cars out there, beating even the vaunted Camry. As far as boutique brands, Andy clearly has no clue. Ever hear of Cadillac and their resurgence over the last few years? Im pretty sure it was Lutz that rebooted the Cadillac line to include the CTS, which is much more youthful and sporty than your Grandmas Caddy. The Escalade? I dont think I have yet to see one professional athlete, rock star, or celebrity that DOESNT drive one. As far as the name on the G8 being Caprice, the SS version of the Caprice is known as one of the fastest cars ever created. Wouldnt it be fitting that the G8, which replaced the Grand Prix brand of the now defunct Pontiac, be kept around, seeing as all of the costs are sunk into its production? And lets not forget the Volt. I admit, I am skeptical about the ability of GM to sell this car in the mid $20k range. They probably have to go for $40k just to break even, and at $40k, you've just priced a lot of people out of the market. This is why these types of cars are what bankrupts an automaker, foreign or domestic. Consider Toyota, maker of Andys favorite, the Prius. What does a modestly-equipped Prius go for these days? I'd say $20-25 grand. It probably costs about that or slightly more to make these things than TM can sell them for; for last quarter, TM was swimming in $914M of red ink, before taxes, on $3B in revenue. Back-of-envelope, that means they lost about 26% per dollar of revenue. GM lost about the same amount per dollar of revenue last quarter. Even in good times, TM was profiting about 7% per dollar of revenue. This is a pretty thin pre-tax margin, with almost no room to spare. Obviously, this is probably not apples-to-apples, because of incentives, cost structure, etc. But it does mean that even the vaunted Japanese and their smaller vehicles are not immune to razor-thin margins and red ink. Bottom line, TM cant survive without the larger vehicles, and from what Ive read, their bigger vehicles are not as good as good old American vehicles. Predictably, your next statement will probably be that people dont want these large gas-guzzlers. Really? Even when gas was $4.30/gal, take a wild guess at what the top two selling vehicles in America were. Ill give you a hint: it wasnt the Prius or Civic. They were the Chevy Silverado and the Ford F-150 pickups, most with extended cabs and short beds. Guess why? They have UTILITY! A concept unfamiliar to the bohemians at OMC who walk, bike, or bus to work, some people LIKE living out of the city, away from it all to raise a family with SPACE and SAFETY. With living farther away from the urban centers, they need means of transportation to transport their families, pick up groceries, do yardwork, drive to a vacation comfortably, etc. And as far as pickups? You will never eliminate the market for those. Ever. If President Government insists that GM or Fiat-Chrysler stop making these and start making smaller cars to meet his ridiculously aggressive CAF standards, Ford will be the winner. Ford will have to only produce one of the Fusion, Focus, or Fiesta lines to offset CAFE standards resulting from their production of the Explorers, Expeditions, F-150s and Navigators. Because Ford will be the only maker of light trucks left, we, the US taxpayer will have allowed our elected crooks to flush more than $100B down the toilet with GM and F-C.

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