GM's 'Maximum Bob' tells of his green epiphany

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Robert A. Lutz, vice chairman at General Motors, has long been considered one of Detroit's ultimate "car guys," for whom no vehicle could be big enough, powerful enough, or fast enough.

He is the father of the V-10 Dodge Viper and has championed automobiles like the 1,000-horsepower Cadillac Sixteen, a V-16 concept coupe that Lutz said would have fulfilled his longstanding goal of designing a high-powered car to match the finest European models.

Now Lutz, known by his "Maximum Bob" nickname around Detroit, says he has a new dream car.

Speaking at a taping of "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me!," the quiz program on National Public Radio, Lutz declared recently that the Chevrolet Volt, the hybrid-electric concept car that GM unveiled at this year's Detroit auto show, may be among the most important vehicles that GM has ever developed.

"This is now what I'm more excited about than I was about the Dodge Viper," Lutz said. "I think this can bring about the revolution and really make us independent of foreign oil and solve all the other problems."

With the same enthusiasm that he has long used to describe high torque ratings and engine displacements, Lutz touted the Volt's mileage, which he estimated will reach 151 miles per gallon, fueled by a combination of electricity and gasoline.

His comments drew a huge round of applause from the NPR audience at the Michigan Theater here.

The prospect of Lutz going green represents a sharp reversal. After all, he has often mocked environmentalists, saying that except for "a few nuts in California," no one cared about the impact of cars on the environment.

In 2003, he described Toyota's hybrid-electric Prius as a public relations stunt -- although he admitted he wished GM had a similar model -- and declared GM's most important car to be the Chevrolet Corvette.

That same year, GM showed off the Cadillac Sixteen, a concept sports car commissioned by Lutz. It sported a 32-valve, 13.6-liter V-16 engine and a steering wheel logo carved out of crystal.

GM never put that car into production. But it is planning to build a new version of the Chevrolet Camaro, its 1960s muscle car, starting next year.

And in February, Lutz showed off a big rear-wheel-drive concept sedan, the Pontiac G8, at the Chicago auto show, and said Americans still wanted powerful cars.

But GM is also moving ahead with the Volt, even though it hasn't yet developed the lithium-ion battery that is needed to power it. Even so, Lutz has said GM hopes to sell it by 2010.

"We're actually going to put it into production," Lutz told the NPR audience. "I think it could be one of the most important things we've ever developed."

His apparent conversion is a hit with Dan Becker, head of the global warming program at the Sierra Club. "We take all epiphanies," Becker said.

But Becker noted that Lutz has questioned the existence of global warming. And Lutz does not appear quite ready to cut back on his own carbon footprint. He still owns two fighter jets, flies a helicopter, and has a stable full of sports cars, including the second Viper ever produced (the first went to Chrysler's former chief executive, Lee A. Iacocca).