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Report: GM trying to re-hire Bob Lutz

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, GM

General Motors is reportedly looking to re-hire none other than Bob Lutz as a consultant to vehicle development. Lutz, 79, left GM in May of 2010 after leading the company’s product development efforts for many years.

The push to rehire Lutz reportedly comes from GM CEO Dan Akerson’s initiative to rush development and reduce cost of its new crop of vehicles. The United States government, which currently owns one-third of GM, has apparently opposed Lutz’s re-appointment, with The Daily Beast saying that the U.S. Treasury is reluctant to re-hire Lutz on the grounds that paying him so close to his retirement could look like a “sweetheart payout.”

GM recently promoted Mary Barra, 49, to senior vice president in charge of global product development, even though she has very little experience in the field. By bringing Lutz back, GM hopes to regain an intelligent eye into strategies for quick product development, as well as marketing and design. Thanks for the tip, Phrime!

[Source: The Daily Beast]

Report: GM trying to re-hire Bob Lutz originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Porsche to hire 1,000 employees as it ramps up for Cajun

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Crossover, Porsche

2011 Porsche Cayenne nose

Porsche would like to double its global sales to about 200,000 per year. That’s an ambitious goal for a niche company, but Porsche intends to make things happen with the help of more money and manpower. AutoWeek reports that the German automaker plans to hire 1,000 employees by 2015. Half the workers will help build the company’s forthcoming small crossover, which has been given the working name ‘Cajun,’ while the other half will be engineers needed to develop new vehicles. An additional 500 workers could be added by 2018, provided sales targets are met.

AW claims that Porsche intends to expand its lineup from four models to seven to help reach its sales goals, while also forking over up to 750 million Euro ($1.01 billion in U.S. funds) to upgrade its Leipzig factory. The latter is believed to be the main candidate to build the Cajun when production begins in 2013.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Report: Porsche to hire 1,000 employees as it ramps up for Cajun originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Volvo to hire 200 in Sweden in expectation of higher demand

Filed under: Europe, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Volvo

2011 Volvo S60 lineup

2011 Volvo S60 T6 AWD – Click above for high-res image gallery

When the dust settles on 2010, Volvo anticipates global sales of about 380,000 units. That’s probably less than Volvo executives (and the new owners at Zhejiang Geely) were hoping for, but a global slump in auto sales is at least partly to blame. Fortunately, many industry analysts are expecting increased demand for autos in 2011, and Volvo apparently feels that the growing appetite for new vehicles will result in more customers at the local Volvo dealer.

Bloomberg reports that the Swedish automaker is hiring an additional 200 workers to increase capacity at the company’s Gothenburg plant. The move will help Volvo increase production from 48 vehicles per hour to 52. That doesn’t sound like a huge bump, but over the course of 365, days four vehicles per hour adds up to thousands of additional vehicles. Volvo will reportedly begin hiring soon, with hopes of filling all 200 positions by March.

Gallery: 2011 Volvo S60: First Drive

2011 Volvo S60

[Source: Bloomberg]

Report: Volvo to hire 200 in Sweden in expectation of higher demand originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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