Lutz Plans to Retire From G.M. in May

[Blue_Tires]

DETROIT — Robert A. Lutz, the outspoken former Marine pilot behind many of General Motors’s most eye-catching and popular vehicles, plans to retire on May 1, the company said Wednesday.

Mr. Lutz, one of four G.M. vice chairmen, is also one of the few holdovers from before company’s brief stint in bankruptcy protection last year.

“The influence Bob Lutz has had on G.M.’s commitment to design, build and sell the world’s best vehicles will last for years to come,” G.M.’s chairman and chief executive, Edward E. Whitacre Jr., said in a statement. “I, along with many other men and women in G.M. and throughout the industry, have greatly benefited from his passion, wisdom and guidance.”

Mr. Lutz said in a statement that he was ready to retire because he had helped the company establish the long-term, “product-focused mindset” that it needed to succeed.

“I can confidently say that the job I came here to do more than nine years ago is now complete — the team I have been fortunate to lead has far exceeded my expectations,” Mr. Lutz said. “The absolute commitment to being a product-driven company is engrained throughout the organization — from the top down — and I am confident that, under Ed Whitacre’s leadership, the straightforward, singular focus on product will endure.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/business/04lutz.html

Isn't this like Lutz's fourth retirement?