technology

GM 'missed the boat' on hybrid technology, senior officials says

Monday, January 24, 2005
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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Summary

General Motors missed a chance to position itself as a technology leader when it passed up early opportunities to develop hybrid vehicles, Vice Chairman Robert Lutz said recently. "We failed to appreciate what Toyota has basically treated as an advertising expense," he said in press reports. While Toyota sold 53,991 hybrid vehicles in 2004, GM hopes to sell 2,500 new hybrid pickups in 2005.

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Details

General Motors Vice Chairman Robert Lutz said the automaker missed an opportunity to market itself as a technologically savvy company capable of producing hybrid vehicles. Lutz said GM "missed the boat" on a marketing opportunity with hybrids -- an opportunity Toyota Motor Corp. has played to its advantage. "We business-cased it, took a hard, analytical look and thought the engineering and investment were irresponsible vis-a-vis our shareholders," he said. "We failed to appreciate what Toyota has basically treated as an advertising expense." Lutz said GM was doubtful the business case for hybrids would work. In hindsight, "we should have said, 'We'll lose $100 million a year on hybrids, but we'll take our advertising budget of $3 billion, make it $2.9 billion and treat it as an advertising expense,' " he said. While Lutz said he finds it hard to view product as a form of advertising, "Toyota very cleverly has used hybrids to gain an improved perception of the brand." While Toyota continues to sell more hybrids each year -- Toyota sold 53,991 hybrids in 2004, more than twice the 24,627 it sold in 2003 -- GM is just starting to unveil its hybrid technology in its full-sized trucks. Peter Savagian, GM's engineering director for hybrid powertrains, says GM sold 500 retail hybrids in the western states and Florida in 2004. Savagian says GM wants to sell 2,500 across the United States in 2005. Lutz said the hybrid market has room to grow. "Since we've made a major commitment, I don't want the market to go away."

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About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health author and award-winning journalist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, and he is well known as the creator of popular downloadable preparedness programs on financial collapse, emergency food storage, wilderness survival and home defense skills. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2010, Adams co-founded NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing site that has now grown in popularity. He's also the founder and CEO of a well known email mail merge software developer whose software, 'Email Marketing Director,' currently runs the NaturalNews email subscriptions. Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org

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