• Detroit Free Press, Tuesday, February 10, 2009 10:30 AM

An auto critic once wrote that Bob Lutz was "the auto industry's most quotable and charismatic executive in a town where charisma is scarcer than banana trees." Now the 76-year-old legend, who spent the past 7½ years trying to breathe new life into General Motors at its vice chairman, plans to retire at the end of the year.

"I would say that for a person like me who thrives on the challenge of anticipating ... customer desires and has a certain knack for doing vehicles that please people in the marketplace, there's ... unquestionably an environment where the future products are going to be increasingly driven by regulation," Lutz tells Tim Higgins.

Lutz will transition into a new role effective April 1 as vice chairman and senior adviser, providing strategic advice on the automaker's global design and key product initiatives until his retirement at the end of the year. Tom Stephens, currently evp of global powertrain and global quality, will replace Lutz as vice chairman of global product development.

Read the whole story at Detroit Free Press »