Bob Lutz moves to senior advisor role, will retire at end of '09

Shucks, things are bound to be a heck of a lot less interesting without Bob Lutz around. According to General Motors, the automaker's own Car Czar will transition from his current role as Vice Chairman - Global Product Development to the position of Vice Chairman and Senior Advisor on April 1 and officially retire at the end of the year. The automotive world is sure to be a quieter place.
Lutz's absence means that there will be some very big shoes to fill in GM's executive ranks, and GM's Board of Directors has responded by promoting Thomas G. Stephens to Lutz's vacated role, again effective in early April. Past vehicles brought to market under Lutz's watch at GM include the 2004 Pontiac GTO, the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky duo and, most recently, the Pontiac G8 sports sedan.
One major project that won't quite be completed when Lutz leaves is the Chevy Volt, a vehicle championed by Lutz since its debut as a concept back in 2007. GM's product line may change somewhat as a result of Lutz's retirement, but we'll all surely miss his eminent quotability just as much.
[Source: General Motors | Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty]