Bob Lutz : General Motors, Volkswagen and Hyundai are the World's New Big Three

It's fall again, time for Bob Lutz to make headlines. Less than a month after "Maximum Bob" made his official comeback to General Motors as a consultant, the semi-retired car executive and onetime Marine pilot gave an in-depth interview to German monthly Manager Magazin.

Lutz was questioned about a variety of subjects that mainly concentrated on Opel and its relationship with General Motors, but he was also asked about the future of the industry in general, and whom he sees as being the major players.

According to Captain Lutz, the new big three in the automotive industry are General Motors, the Volkswagen Group and –wait for it- the Hyundai Group. And what about Toyota and the rest of the Japanese carmakers like Honda? According to the GM exec, Japanese automakers have lost it… Follow the jump for his (translated) response as well as the original Q&A.

Bob Lutz: “A while ago, many experts thought, the race for the top position in the auto business would be a dead heat between GM, Toyota, and Honda. This has changed. The Big Three are now GM, Volkswagen, and Hyundai. Toyota is in decline. The Japanese lost their bullet-proof quality image. Their cars aren’t especially pretty. Their driving dynamics is below the level of the best European and American cars.

GM on the other hand has improved its engineering, payroll and healthcare are way down after the bankruptcy. When it comes to platform sharing amongst brands, GM always has been absolutely competitive. Trust me: GM will give Volkswagen and Hyundai a tough fight.”

Original Q&A from Manager Magazin in German:
Manager Magazin: "Sie haben gesagt, Chevrolet sei die neben Hyundai Chart zeigen am schnellsten wachsende Marke der Welt. Wie wird General Motors Chart zeigen angesichts des gewaltigen Wachstums der wichtigsten Konzernmarke 2015 und 2020 dastehen?"
Bob Lutz:"Hervorragend. Früher glaubten viele Branchenexperten, GM, Toyota Chart zeigen und Honda Chart zeigen würden die Position der automobilen Nummer Eins unter sich ausmachen. Das hat sich geändert. GM, Volkswagen Chart zeigen und Hyundai sind jetzt die großen Drei. Toyota fällt dagegen ab. Die Japaner haben ihr kugelsicheres Qualitätsimage verloren, ihre Autos sind nicht besonders schön, nicht besonders reizvoll, und ihre Fahrdynamik reicht nicht an das Niveau der besten europäischen und amerikanischen Modelle heran.
GM dagegen hat sich technisch verbessert und die Ausgaben für Gehälter und Gesundheitskosten nach der Insolvenz deutlich gesenkt. Was den Einsatz gleicher Architekturen für mehrere Marken angeht, war GM schon immer absolut wettbewerbsfähig. Verlassen Sie sich auf eins: GM wird Volkswagen und Hyundai einen sehr harten Wettbewerb liefern."

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IAA 2011: Kia Rio's Presence in Europe with New Three-door Version

Although five-door versions of most B-segment cars are more popular in most markets, in order to satisfy those customers that don’t need the practicality of the two extra doors and prefer a more dynamic look, Kia launched a three-door version of its new Rio at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Like its more practical sibling, with which it shares the same dimensions (4,045mm long, 1,720 mm wide, 1,455mm tall and with a wheelbase of 2,570 mm), the Rio 3d has been designed with the European consumer in mind.
In most markets, the 3-door Rio will be available with the same range of powertrains, equipment and options as the five-door model. Buyers will be able to choose from four three- and four-cylinder engines delivering between 75HP and 109HP.
The most powerful engine accelerates the new Rio from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 11.5 seconds and offers a top speed of 183 km/h (114 mph).
The most efficient model in the range is the new EcoDynamics diesel that boasts an extremely low average fuel consumption of 3.2 lt/100 km (equal to 88.2mpg UK, 73.5mpg US) and an industry-leading CO2 emissions figure of just 85 g/km.
Kia expects the three-door version to account for nearly 20-25% of the Rios total European sales.

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IAA 2011: Kia's RWD GT Concept Gets Turbo V6

The all-new Kia GT Concept that will make its first public outing tomorrow at the 64th IAA is the South Korean company's first ever attempt to create a rear-wheel drive model. It is also the most powerful thanks to a 3.3-liter turbocharged V6 engine that delivers an output of 390HP and 534 Nm (393.8 lb-ft) of torque that are sent to the rear wheels via an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
Even though development of the concept began less than a year ago, in November 2010, Kia’s European design team has been considering a rear-wheel drive car for quite some time.
The South Korean manufacture's chief designer Peter Schreyer explains: “This concept allows us to explore exciting new design directions, as using a rear-wheel drive layout creates very different proportions compared to a front-wheel drive car. The classic front-engined, rear-wheel drive layout of a performance saloon has distinct appeal not just for the domestic Korean audience, but also for the European and American markets.”
According to Kia, the GT Concept draws inspiration from the 2007 Kee concept and the iconic GTs of the 1970s. Schreyer’s goal was to make sure that the GT’s proportions could not be mistaken for anything other than a rear-wheel drive performance saloon, that is why he pushed the front wheels as far front as he could, placed the cabin further back and created a short rear end.
Now all this sounds to us like Kia is paving the way for a production version. Schreyer’s comments about the four-seater sedan reinforces this impression: “One of the great things about working on this project was that this is a very real car. It felt good to work on a car that could roll down the road tomorrow,” says Schreyer.
So does this mean that Kia is actually mulling a production model? Schreyer certainly hopes so.
“It would be a dream to put it into production," says Kia's head designer. "It has a logical layout, with four seats and good luggage space, and it’s also engaging and dynamic and makes a strong statement.”
The last statement of the man who transformed Kia’s design is even more revealing about the chances of a production RWD saloon from Kia: “This is exactly the kind of car Kia should be making.”

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2012 KIA SOUL

 

The Kia Soul is a compact car designed at Kia's design center in California, unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, manufactured in South Korea and marketed globally beginning with model year 2010.The Soul uses Kia's corporate grille, known as the Tiger Nose, as designed by Kia's design chief, Peter Schreyer.

 

The interior features two semi-bucket seats in the front. In the rear there are flat-folding seats that can be moved in order to increase storage space.

 

The Kia Soul is sold with a six-speaker stereo system that includes a CD player, a USB port and Sirius Satellite Radio. Additional features available for upgrade include additional speakers, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls and Bluetooth for hands-free connectivity.

 

Kia Soul on the snow

 

Brown Kia Soul Front view

 

There are many custom upgrades for the Kia Soul. These include 18" alloy wheels, cruise control, leather wrapped steering wheel, racing stripes, "dragon" and "houndstooth" graphics, and LED turn indicators.

 

Driving Interior Kia soul

  

2012 Kia Soul