Name recognition is one of the easiest ways to get your product notices and with Bob Lutz taking over as Via Motors new Chairman of the board, Via Motors’ name shines brighter. VL Automotive, an automaker that takes Fisker Karmas, replaces the hybrid system with a beefy GM LS9 and (finally) makes the Fisker go as fast as it looks, is Bob Lutz’s current project. So, selling converted General Motors tucks (pickups, vans and SUVs) that can run on electricity seems logical – right?
Bob Lutz, former vice-chairman of General Motors, is an industry rock-star when it comes to name recognition. While he’s not up there in media coverage with the likes of Alan Mulally (President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ford Motor Company) and Elon Musk (CEO & CTO of SpaceX and CEO & Chief Product Architect of Tesla Motors), he is known to many consumers and car-buffs.
The big change for Bob Lutz is the overall business model and mission statement that Via Motors abides by: sell converted hybrid trucks to fleets in bulk. VL Automotive was a personal coach builder and Bob Lutz’s stint at GM saw him working on many sport-cars like the Pontiac Solstice. Can he comfortably move over to Via Motors and help their bottom line? We’ll see – in the next few years.
In the meantime, check out this video of Via Motors at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show.
