Lloyd Reuss, a former GM President, has passed away at the age of 86 years old.
Reuss, whose son Mark Reuss is the current GM President, passed away on April 21st, 2023. Earning a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Missouri, Reuss served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for two years as a first lieutenant, and later joined GM as an engineer in 1957. Not long after, he moved to the Chevy division in 1959.
Reuss continued to climb the General Motors ladder, and was eventually named GM Vice President and Buick General Manager in the late 1980s. It was during this period that GM began to modernize its factories, with large investments in advancing machinery. Reuss was a major proponent of these investments.
In 1990, Reuss was named GM President under former GM Chairman and CEO Robert Stempel. Unfortunately, this duo didn’t last much longer than a few years.
“Lloyd Reuss was a talented executive and leader of GM and was also a strong force for good in the community with his service, dedication and tireless efforts on behalf of others,” current GM CEO Mary Barra was quoted as saying. “My thoughts and deepest sympathies, along with those of everyone at General Motors, are with Mark and the entire Reuss family.”
GM EV1
An interesting piece to note is that Reuss was a major supporter of the GM Impact concept car, which eventually morphed into the GM EV1. This vehicle is notable because it was the first mass-produced all-electric vehicle of the modern automotive era.
“He worked hard, yet always had time for us,” the Reuss family said in a statement. “A role model of integrity, fairness and will be remembered by many for giving back. He lived an amazing life and for that we are eternally grateful.”
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Comments
A good man. He and Bob Stempel would have turned around GM if the board had given them the chance. Too bad they paid the price for Roger Smith’s bad management over the past decade so when the recession hit in late 91 to 92 GM was in a bad shape. May Lloyd Reuss rest in peace, my heartfelt condolences to Mark and the Reuss family.
May he RIP
My condolences to the Reuss family.
Think ahead with the EV1 Electric Auto. Sure many other power sources. RIP God Bless him and Family
The man that brought performance and handling back to Buick. May he rest in peace.
Lloyd was responsible for a lot of great product and innovation at Buick throughout the 1980s. The more youthful styling and focus on technology really reinvigorated the brand and generated some great sales numbers. When Ed Mertz took over Buick, he pivoted the brand back towards its more ” traditional” buyers, but the great products (in particular LeSabre & Regal) still generated tremendous sales success deep into the 1990s. His focus on refining the Buick V6, first with turbo charging and ultimately developing into the highly-respected 3800, garnered Buick’s long-term quality & dependability reputation for nearly 25 years. From one GM family to another, condolences to the Reuss’.