Bob Lutz Sounds Off On Latest Chevrolet Silverado
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Bob Lutz, a man who doesn’t shy away from saying what he feels, had some things to say about the T1-generation Chevrolet Silverado. That is the new truck that began for the 2019 model year.
The former GM product chief spoke with Automotive News (subscription required) and in an interview published Sunday, had some things for GM to chew on.
“I think the product could have been better,” Lutz began. From there, he took shots at the uninspired interior that so many have bemoaned about since the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado debuted. The 87-year-old industry titan said during his nine years at GM he was certain he “cured” GM of cost-cutting for interiors. He explained he always preached to GM executives that money spent inside is money well spent.
“I tried to convince GM that the interior is where the buyer spends the ownership period, not the outside,” Lutz recalled.
That said, he noted the new Silverado is probably a great truck from the engineering side of things, but there’s little doubt the customer will likely be disappointed by the interior. Putting resources into the cabin, where the customer sees and touches things most of the time, is crucial. Here, Lutz alluded that GM dropped the ball, and compared the new Silverado’s interior to the Ford F-150 and Ram 1500.
He called the Ram’s cabin “drop-dead gorgeous” and even gave the Silverado’s exterior a minor shellacking. “It doesn’t have the same visual impact” as the Ford or Ram, Lutz commented. The F-150 is also one product cycle behind the latest Silverado.
On if Chevy’s third-place finish in the sales race should worry GM, Lutz said he’s not close enough to the numbers to know if Ram is truly spending too much to “buy” market share. However, if the Silverado remains a “hard sell,” it definitely worries Lutz.
He wrapped things up with an overarching slap to GM interior design and compared the ethos to the designs that pre-dated his arrival.
“I cannot believe that GM is trying to get away with these low-cost interiors.”
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Source: Automotive News
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They could have done better both inside and out…. The manual tilt telescopic wheel on the higher end interiors is a joke. Ford Lariat has it, the older GM Trucks have it why did it get dropped? The mirrors on the door are also not very attractive along with so many parts on the front of the truck, cant we make that flow better, looks like a mess of aftermarket parts slapped on!
GMC front is much cleaner but those wheel openings looks like they were confused on which way to go.
the mirrors are one of the best parts of the truck!
I love the way the interior looks, but it just screams cheap feeling! The shifter feels cheap (I love the concept of a column shifter, but the one in the last gen and the SUVs was much better), the center console feels cheap, the buttons are way too small…..I thought GM was all about “being able to use everything with gloves on?!
The last 2 gen truck interiors were fantastic!
I think he is just echoing what has been said about this truck since December ’17. It’s just not GM’s best effort.
He’s echoing what everyone is saying but GM is deaf… imo GM will be back in financial trouble in 5 years or less. When folks spend their money, tens of thousands, and one vendor sells crap and others provide value… what does common sense say? That’s why it’s so incredulous this “strategy” at GM continues.
It’s insane…
Yep in BK because everyone who buys a truck have DSS (dashboard stroking syndrome)….?
Yes, yes, yes! Cadillac interiors from 40 years ago have a more high-end feel that their interiors do today. The T-1 interior, like the new Cadillac interiors, appear to be recycled components and designs from other models and past generations.
Lutz used to say that GM could spend a few hundred more on their interiors or they could take off a few thousand in rebate to the consumer to get folks to take their cars; it was the company’s choice. For a while they were spending the money on interiors and things were improving but the Barra era has seen the cost cutting return. She would’ve been trained during Roger B. Smith’s tenure so perhaps she learned from the best. Even at 87, I’d say send Lutz back in as car czar.
You see! This is why I miss this guy at GM. He should be CEO even at 87 years old! The frigging bean counters are back again in full force at GM and its showing in mediocre interior design and materials. Lutz knows the essence of GM, he knows of the days when GM’s divisions went all out for the wallet of the consumer who were penny pinchers back then. Why step backwards with interior design?
Sooooooo what have I been saying here for Years about Interiors?
Most important part in todays Market. Most customers have no clue what Powertrain their vehicles have nor do they care unfortunately. They all care about interior Materials and Interior Technology.
GM not only took the knife to the interior of the new trucks but also stripped away several features that were std and that competitors already have std on there mid trim level models. No light in the glove box or the visor mirror. The driver doesn’t even get a visor if I remember correctly. No leather steering wheel and it only tilts no telescoping. No power seat. No rear seat armrest. A std 4 cylinder engine with the volume 5.3 costing an extra 1395. Even expected items like XM radio, HD rear camera, extra USB ports etc are optional on top of the already $2315 AllStar or Texas upgrades that puts back some of these de-contented items. So to get a truck that is somewhat competitive with the others you have to move right up into the 52-53K range for the volume selling LT 4 door 4X4 and that still doesn’t include extra cost paint, the wheels are only 18″ in size and the interior is class trailing. Add in the paint, moonroof, leather seats and 20″ rims and suddenly your getting close to 60K. Is it any small wonder this has been reduced to 3rd place.
Lutz hit the bullseye with his assessment! It blows my mind why GM would purposely put a third place interior in their new T1 trucks! Sure there are some who don’t care or won’t notice but there are just as many that do. Ignoring half the market is not a good sales strategy. I’ve always owned GM trucks and want to keep it that way but I don’t see myself getting into a new T1 until they do an extensive MCE. The bean counter mentality at GM has simply got to to stop!
I can disagree to a few points on the interior. I have an ’18 F150 Fx4 crew in the V8. Power, looks, features are great. But one thing, the driver seat. If I adjust my self or have any butt movement, the springs squeak. Then there’s the bend on the top right panel in the dashboard.. looks melted. The plastic covering the door panels are laffable. So, don’t dig on Chevy for something that is pretty much the norm. And, make up your mind; do you want a good truck that’s less than 100K or do you want perfection and pricetags?? can’t have both…
I agree with Mr Lutz. I own a 2016 Sierra, looked into trading for a 2019 Silverado.
Plain black interior, Silver or white exterior were the only available choices. No new tailgate, $50K, and $23K trade in, on my much nicer GMC put me right back on the road, with a much greater appreciation of my “nice 2016 GMC”
I bought a GM warranty, and might try to trade again in 3 years.
Ditto. After looking at 2019 Sierra and Silverado products,styling and prices, I’m keeping my 2016 Sierra SLT Crew Cab.
I agree. I looked at a 2019 the other day. I’m keeping my 2015.
Anyone else sick and tired of the same old cliches being told and re-told all over again? I don’t care if its Bob Lutz or the guy next door, FCA has good marketing and thats about it. If you tell a lie enough times, it becomes “true”. I don’t see any specific examples of how the Silverado’s interior is in any way worse than anything else? Please, tell me precisely, what button, what panel, and what switch are worse. Have you looked at a mid-level RAM, sat in one? To me, they actually seem about exactly the same as any other truck.
You, sir, are sadly mistaken. A simple touch or tap of the dash materials show there is a clear difference. The Limited uses real leather and metals, and the Longhorn uses real leather and actual barn wood, all while I feel like I’m in a school bus in the Silverado- even in the High Country. I could give you multiple examples, but for comparison’s sake, let’s consider the sound systems. GM made no effort to make improvement(s) from their previous generation truck. Without question, they just slapped the old, 7-speaker system into the 2019 Silverado. Ram, however, went the extra mile. They flew music executives from Nashville to Auburn Hills to help them develop their new, 19-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system. These people spent over ONE THOUSAND HOURS fine tuning the sound system alone! It’s the attention to detail that makes Ram the better truck interior. The quality of materials and options speak for themselves. There were no corners cut, and it is going to pay off for them. As somebody who desperately wanted to buy a Silverado, I refuse. I just pray that they have a mid-cycle refresh in a couple years that will address these issues.
For fact checking:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dalebuss/2018/04/28/ram-harman-kardon-enlist-nashville-icon-dave-cobb-to-fine-tune-audio-in-cab-of-new-1500/#723ccbac304f
Lutz, is right on. GM truck interiors are crap.
I’m actually pissed off my 2016 Silverado had a rewind and a FF on the Radio which was great, to rewind over the air stuff.
They actually removed the FF and the Rewind “because there was no room to put it on the screen” WHHAAATTTT can you rewind what you just said?? And ” the customers didn’t want it” HUHHH?” This is from a GM REP at SEMA. Maybe he meant the IC chip didn’t have enough room…. LOL Im a software engineer and there was no room to put it on the screen when you have one already that works with the CD player.
You guys know you have one, right? it’s that miniscule slot below the the low resolution 1980’s 8″ screen
I bought 2018 Silverado because Direct Injection (which it requires more maintenance), the 6sp transmission that didn’t forget the learning algorithm, and had projector lights which I found out that Chevrolet had to put HID lights because the halogen bulbs didn’t even meet NHTSA standards.
I always buy LT’s because the VEGAN cheap interior, I haul lots of office machinery that I don’t want to get beat up in the cargo box. On my 18 the interior is VEGAN also except the current one the VEGAN interior is super thin and really cheap feeling.
My son has an LTZ and it looks just as cheap… I guess we would have to buy the High Country, if not just because the HUGE emblem that would match the 2lbs Gold chain around our neck.
The GM (AL) just stood still and used the interior drawings from 10 years ago. Then they called the Pasadena School of art and asked for failing students so GM doesn’t have to pay them, after all they would be apprentices.
Like the YOUNG man that invented the folding tailgate for the Sierra trucks that hits the hitch when folded, good way to get your tailgate customized, and knowing GM, they will blame the owner because after all they put a sticker telling you not to do it….
But nevertheless GM’s have always been my favorite cars. Yeah, I know I’m crazy but I tell my therapist that I was not my mother’s favorite son, even though I was the only son…
PS.. GM (AL) After Lutz.
So you’re pissed, but keep buying their trucks.
Why do you keep saying VEGAN though?
It’s a sarcastic remark, because anything you buy that it’s supposed to be3 leather and we call it vinyl, the manufacturers of vinyl wearables like waterproof boots they called that VEGAN… so the customers that are vegetarian feel warm and fuzzy when they see that word… I bought a pair of hiking boots, I Didn’t want to spend $200 bucks for a good ones, so I went to Big5 and bought some VEGAN ones for 19.99. I wear them working in the yard, and I wear thick socks and they are great…
you don’t seem overly bright, sort of like a beef taco in a dark alley. Maybe ICE can help you fit in somewhere? I’m guessing that border wall wasn’t good enough to hold you back this time. Move on, Einstein
Why the ICE remarks, wall remarks, name calling, and more bigoted innoundeos. Do you know me? do I know you?
How about the diatribe vomited from your brain into the post you wrote.
Just by reading my post you should know that i have a fairly good grasp on the English language.
And I’m not used to getting a plethora of derogatory remarks on my posts.
Please learn to respect others so they can respect you back.
In a library you can learn about our country’s history of immigrants.
Be humble, you’ll be respected
you literally just posted something that made basically no sense, not even close.
You own a 2016 silverado, yet you also bought a 2018 because “direct injection”? Engines didn’t change, makes no sense.
VEGAN interior? You mean cloth? Can’t you just say cloth? Doesn’t make sense.
Interior didn’t change between 16 and 18. Doesn’t make sense.
They did not change the FF and RWD buttons. No sense.
Nothing you said makes sense. At all.
GM trucks are a terrible value. Get the better value Ram.
Maximum Bob is right. Unfortunately, its not just the Silverado, interior design and quality are down across the entire GM group.
Please go back to work Bob.
Refreshing to read an industry guru speak his mind. People are polarized regarding Bob Lutz. They revel in putting people like him in catagories because he’s a little dangerous. You know, he speaks his mind about people’s pride and joy and the truth can hurt. Keep going Bob. Stir the ashes, fan the flames, add some more wood to the fire. He is from a time where men and woman walked with a mission. Say the tough things that force all of us to admit that the truck we want so badly to be head and shoulders above the rest is not. He should be on speed dial for GM, Ford and FCA. Or you can just dismiss his comments and hide in your shell, in the basement, with pictures of your favourite vehicles taped to wall. (Like I did when I was 10 years old). BTW where is the article where Bob states his opinions regarding Ford vehicles styling. I seemed to miss it when looking at the articles)
One day when Mr. Lutz has leadfooted it down the great highway into the sunset for the last time, there will be a sigh from many. And I believe that some of those people who always dismissed him will say good riddens, but somewhere deep inside will reflect and think to themselves that he was right about many aspects of the auto industry, not perfect, but critically correct.
Just talked to long time FORMER GM truck owner about his new Ram. Told me interior is so much nicer than GM. By the way, he bought a reg cab short box. Last year for those at Ram, too.
I was over at my friendly neighborhood Chevy dealer a few days ago; I wanted to see what all the hoo-hah was about regarding the 2019 interiors. Even taking into consideration the FACT that a Silverado is a TRUCK, I found the interiors laughably ugly and cheap-looking. Just… cheap. A phrase passed through my mind that some of my fellow elderly folks will recall: “If it’s Mattel, it’s SWELL!”
About the only saving grace I can think of is: GM had some very toy-ish looking interiors in the early 2000s, but, the cars still on the road still have original radios, and seem to work. A friend’s 2000 Bonneville being an example I know.
One thing I’ve not seen brought up in any of the comment threads or fora: for at least the past two years, GM has deleted the ability to store phone numbers in the OnStar telephone. It was present until 2018. Now? Gone.
Digital memory is so cheap to produce that there is no excuse for the removal of this feature; storage is just not an issue. The programming to allow storage and retrieval was mature, and paid for. GM gave me several excuses, including “everyone uses their cell phones!”. Uhm, then… why provide a discrete OnStar phone in the first place?
I stated earlier when this truck was initially introduced that Mr. Lutz along with Ed Wilbourn should have stayed at GM for as long as they possibly could, but by reading his statement above, it appears that they did not take this man’s ideas to heart, that along with many other reasons caused him to step down and retire. At this point, it’s a sure bet that GM clearly gets the message on the “Luke-Warm”reception that this truck has received and we can only wait to see what the response will be during it’s Mid Cycle refresh for 2021/2022.