Lutz Loves Holden

I love Holden, says GM product boss
Barry Park, The Age, 17/10/07

General Motors vice-president Bob Lutz has given Holden a glowing wrap after his trip to Australia last week.
Mr Lutz's comments were posted on GM's official 'Fastlane' blog, and show that he was impressed with the line-up of left-hand-drive cars coming out of Holden's design and development departments.
"I have never experienced an automotive company [such as Holden], including my three years at BMW, that has so much passion for excellence and dedication to the product," said Lutz. "It’s contagious. Oz is a nation where the 'car-guys' (both genders) rule, at least at Holden. I just love the palpable air of the "we want to win" spirit that this team exudes."
As part of his trip, Mr Lutz visited GM Holden's Lang Lang proving ground to drive future models.
''We sampled (Commodore-based) G8s in various states of tune, and they were fabulous," said Lutz. "We drove the Daewoo Veritas and the (Holden Caprice-based) Chinese Buick Park Avenue, both large, ultra-luxe executive transports created by the global rear-wheel-drive team.
"And we also drove ... other things in the rear drive hopper,'' Lutz wrote, no doubt referring to a mid-size-car architecture that is expected to underpin not only a Cadillac rival for the BMW 3 Series but also a Holden Torana.
One car he did provide details on was the Holden-designed Chevrolet Camaro.
''The car had just been completed and had had no tuning or finessing. But I loved the response, the sound, the steering and the brakes,'' Lutz said.
"On a side note, vice president for global design Ed Welburn was on the drive, too. Seeing his beloved Camaro as a real car … in near-final metal, glass, rubber and plastic … transformed from a visionary dream into a highly drivable reality… Well, it was almost too much for him. He broke ranks, ran over to it, and hugged it!"