Lutz's Cadillac Puts On A Better Show Than Lutz.

[megeebee]

From AUTOMOTIVE NEWS:

Lutz's Cadillac puts on a better show than Lutz
'Maximum Bob' gathers media to praise viral videos, compare new CTS-V with competitors' wheels

Jonathan Schultz
Automotive News | October 30, 2009 - 9:28 am EST

MONTICELLO, N.Y. (AdAge.com) -- "Hi, I'm Bob Lutz, and this is the Cadillac CTS-V Drive Challenge."

General Motors Co.'s marketing chief dons his monogrammed helmet and puts Cadillac's 550-horsepower sedan through some warm-up laps at Monticello Motor Club, a members-only track. In what might have passed as a dismissible moment of Lutz braggadocio, "Maximum" Bob has challenged anyone with a four-door sedan to beat his 2010 CTS-V.

Though not a showman by trade, Lutz is bankable for amusing, bald-faced assessments of his employer, his critics and the auto industry at large. He infamously quipped to a room full of journalists in 2008 that global warming was "a total crock of ****," later clarifying that he's "a skeptic, not a denier."

Yet he's uncharacteristically self-deprecating on this race day.

Patrick Morrissey, GM's director of product and brand communications, deadpans, "He's got plenty of confidence in the car, but not so much in himself."

The Lutz dare was answered and propagated this summer by Gawker Media's car-culture blog Jalopnik, which is why Lutz is now pitted against lead-footed auto journos and whoever else has the cojones -- and the car -- to challenge him and his ultra high-performance Caddy at Monticello.

Good deal

Before race time, the 77-year-old Mr. Lutz sounded every bit the viral-media convert.

"This isn't one of those Evian baby videos that everyone passes around. But we've still gotten great pick-up on the blogs," he says, dressed in khakis and a red button-down with a Corvette logo embroidered on the pocket.

"Sure, it costs a lot to get all these cars up here and have all these people come, but it's still incredibly cost-effective. I mean, compared to making and getting air time for a 30-second TV spot, there's no comparison in cost terms."

Boston-based Modernista produced those 30-second spots at a time when Cadillac's redesigned CTS sedan was collecting car of the year laurels from multiple U.S. publications.

Yet the commercials, featuring a coquettish Kate Walsh questioning, "When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?" seemingly failed to capture their target, who continued mulling over Germany's Big Three luxury compact sedans: the BMW 3 Series, the Mercedes-Benz C Class and the Audi A4.

Early this month, GM split from the agency completely, which it had previously retained for its Hummer brand.

No joy in marketing land

"There's no joy pumping bullets into the marketing department. To see great cars butchered by bad marketing was the worst thing," said Lutz, who has taken control of GM's marketing. "Now I get to market our own stuff."

For all his cocksure quips, he has no delusions about his limitations as a brand custodian.

"I don't try to muscle the brand managers. If they want my input when it's time to make a decision, I'm happy to provide it," he said.

Nor does Lutz see Caddy fitting tidily within the eventual winning agency's automotive-client silo. "We need a full-service agency; we're a little bit different from club soda and tennis shoes," he said.

Come race time, the drivers break into heats. Jalopnik's road-test editor, Wes Siler, was considered an early threat to Lutz and all other contenders, but he struggles with his Mitsubishi Evo X's erratic power delivery, posting a disappointing 3:08 best lap time.

Meanwhile, a pair of deftly piloted BMW M3s set the early benchmark with sub-2:50 runs, while their more powerful sibling, an M5, doesn't even place. Despite his age, Lutz hammers the straightaways and displays nimble turn-in at the corners in his CTS-V automatic, finishing in a commendable 2:56.

He is bested by the BMWs, a stinging blow -- if not for the five other CTS-Vs on the racetrack driven by GM engineers and executives, which post solidly in the mid-2:40s, the day's fastest times.

While not necessarily a great day for Lutz, it is a grand day at the races for Cadillac.

SOUCE: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...plate=printart

[jzchev28]

amen! just because lutz's time wasnt the fastest doesnt make this event any less of a sucess....keep up the creative ideas GM!

[JBsZ06]

Lutz is a master! At 77 lets see how well you drive! LOL

Guys got b@lls and for that alone you gotta admire him..

[ZvetteGuy]

When I'm 77 I want to be just like Lutz!!!

[jbernie]

No doubt BMW is looking forward to all the advertising that they can make with these results...

BMW M3: We are fast enough that a mid 20s guy can beat a 77yo in a CTS-V.


oooo yeah... i am feeling it now... oh soooo goood.

Unless the CTS-V got absolutely hammered in the times there was no way they could really lose... with Mercedes Benz, Jaguar and even BMW pulling some cars Lutz was getting free publicity over automakers fearing the CTS-V.

[BigAls87Z28]

Ahem...the kid didnt beat all the CTS-V's, just Lutz.

[blank disk]

This whole challenge is a joke.

Who really cares about a limited production sedan that nobody can afford or want.

[goatgary]

Originally Posted by blank disk

This whole challenge is a joke.

Who really cares about a limited production sedan that nobody can afford or want.

Oh! That must be why Lincoln didn't show up. Affordable but not wanted at all.

[Parlay84]

Originally Posted by blank disk

This whole challenge is a joke.

Who really cares about a limited production sedan that nobody can afford or want.

Alot of people, obviously, since so many internet media outlets(automotive and non) have commented on this story. Just cause the car might be out of your reach doesn't mean the same applies to everyone else. At less than $70K this is within reach of ALOT of people.

[gmD]

While not cheap, the CTS-V is far from undesirable. This method of marketing when no other firm has been found is a good way to show the car excelling in the niche it was designed for.

[gmD]

Originally Posted by Parlay84

Alot of people, obviously, since so many internet media outlets(automotive and non) have commented on this story. Just cause the car might be out of your reach doesn't mean the same applies to everyone else. At less than $70K this is within reach of ALOT of people.

Couldn't say it better myself. The CTS-V is high on my list, whenever I can finally afford one.

[tgagneguam]

5th - Jack Baruth - CTS-V - 2:51:153

4th - Michael Cooper - BMW M3 - 2:50:424

3rd - Brian Redman - CTS-V - 2:49:596

2nd - Aaron Link - CTS-V - 2:48:902

1st - John Heinricy - CTS-V - 2:46:560

No high-po'd Jaguar, no Audi RS, no BMW M5. That sounds about right.

Originally Posted by blank disk

This whole challenge is a joke.

Who really cares about a limited production sedan that nobody can afford or want.

I think that's why AMG Mercs, M-powered BMW's, and the S/RS lines will be discontinued... Wait a minute. These companies do care about their limited production sedans that no one can afford. And so should Cadillac with its V-series.

[impala02]

Originally Posted by blank disk

This whole challenge is a joke.

Who really cares about a limited production sedan that nobody can afford or want.

Wrong on all accounts. You'd have a point if the V was panned by the media, but the entire package gets great reviews, from its looks, to its driving dynamics, to the quality of the interior. And a car that nobody can afford? You are joking, right? Do you even know what the CTS-V costs? Just because it doesn't cost $14,000 doesn't mean than nobody could afford it.

[WillCG]

Originally Posted by blank disk

This whole challenge is a joke.

Who really cares about a limited production sedan that nobody can afford or want.

If you don't have anything positive to say about this, then why the hell are you here?

Who really cares? I do. Why? Because there are a few auto enthusiasts out there who dig cars. They appreciate cars for their design, their performance, and the sheer fact that such cars even exist. Unlike, say, people who look at a beauty like a '55 or '57 Bel Air and say, "What's the point?"

So what if I can't afford one. I cheer Cadillac and GM for having the balls to develop and produce such a car in the first place, especially given the times we live in.

Not only that, this Caddy is but one GM car in a long line of performance highs, starting with the '64 GTO (which started the muscle car craze, as you likely know) and continuing with the SD-455 Trans Am (fastest production car in the 1970s), the Buick Grand National & GNX, the 20th Anniversary Trans Am (with the Buick Turbo engine), and, of course, the Corvette. All of the engineers and designers of these fantastic automobiles had balls to produce such vehicles.

[Rocket 88]

Originally Posted by WillCG

starting with the '64 GTO (which started the muscle car craze, as you likely know) .

That's a myth. The first muscle car was the '49 Oldsmoblie Rocket 88. You probably believe Henry Ford invented the automobile assembly line too. Hint: Ransom E. Olds, Olds Motor Company 1901... 7 years before Ford.

Anyway, Great Job by Bob Lutz. He did a great job (particularly as a 77 year old) in his performance, and a FANTASTIC job at generating some excitement around Cadillac.