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Lutz dishes dirt on GM in latest Autoline Detroit

Bob Lutz sits down for Autoline Detroit - Click above to watch video after the jump
Autoline Detroit recently played host to Bob Lutz, and, as is always the case, the former General Motors vice chairman dished out some great commentary. Lutz was promoting his new book Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business, and talk quickly turned to his role as it related to product development and high-level decision making at GM. While on the topic of brand management, Lutz revealed a few rather interesting tidbits about his former employer:
All Chevrolet vehicles were required to have five-spoke aluminum wheels and a chrome band up front, as part of the Bowtie brand's overall image.

Buick Electra-X EV caught testing on U.S. roads in new spy photos

Spies captured what they say are the first shots of the production-bound Buick Electra-X electric crossover. Bound exclusively for China (last we heard, anyway), the Electra-X is underpinned by GM's new Ultium EV platform, meaning it's fundamentally related to all of the American automaker's next-gen electric models even if we won't get one exactly like this.  If you're a fan of GM's swoopy utility concept, we've got great news for you: it appears as though Buick's designers are bringing its design to production pretty much as we saw it originally. Our spies weren't able to get close enough to snag any shots of the interior, where we expect things to be a bit more toned down relative to the futuristic renderings offered of the concept, but we're prepared to be pleasantly surprised.  We've already seen some evidence of Buick layering elements of this new look (as inspired by the Wildcat EV concept) onto its existing models. Earlier in December, the Encore GX was spotted in the wild wearing the new front-end look. Both the Wildcat and the original Electra concept were stunners, so we're excited to see what Buick's designers can do with this language going forward. Sadly, we've yet to see anything as low-slung and sexy as those original concepts, but we can always hope.  Related Video 

Junkyard Gem: 1972 Buick Centurion Four-Door Hardtop

During the mid-to-late 1960s, General Motors made flashy, semi-sporty versions of each of its full-sized B-body cars. Oldsobile had the Delta 88 Royale, for example, while Pontiac offered the Grand Prix. The rakish big Buick of that period was the Wildcat, built through the 1970 model year. Just as the Wildcat shoved aside the Invicta, the Centurion appeared in 1971 to replace the Wildcat. Named after a famous 1956 concept car, production of the Centurion continued just through 1973. Just over 100,000 were built, and here's one of those rarities in a Colorado self-service boneyard. The Centurion was available as a hardtop coupe, a convertible, and a four-door hardtop sedan. It was at heart a LeSabre with a different grille and other cosmetic touches. Instead of the usual triple-shield Buick emblems, the Centurion got Roman-soldier badges. Perhaps the world's best-known Centurion is the '72 convertible driven by Kurt Russel's slimy-car-salesman character in the 1980 film, Used Cars. Kurt ends up selling his Centurion to a customer he "baited" from the rival lot across the street. In 1974, the Centurion was replaced by the LeSabre Luxus, a trim-level designation that Buick swiped from Opel. The only engine available in the 1971 and 1972 Centurion was Buick's 455-cubic-inch (7.5-liter) V8, renowned for its low-rpm torque. Power numbers for 1972 dropped considerably compared to 1971, mostly due to the switch from gross to net measurements that year; the base '72 Centurion 455 was rated at 225 horsepower and 360 pound-feet, while an optional higher-compression version with dual exhaust made 270 hp and 390 pound-feet. All Centurions came off the assembly line with three-speed automatic transmissions. For 1973, a Buick 350 (5.7-liter) V8 became standard Centurion equipment, with the 455 an extra-cost option. The original buyer of this Centurion probably regretted the single-digit fuel economy of the 455 when OPEC shut off the oil taps in October of 1973. Front Range Colorado isn't particularly rusty, but this car looks like it must have spent some time in a road-salty place like Wisconsin or Iowa. There isn't much left of the padded vinyl roof, standard equipment on all Centurion sedans and coupes. It would have been prohibitively expensive to make this car nice again, so here it sits. This radio played AM and 8-track tapes and cost $363 extra on a $4,508 car (that's $2,615 and $32,485 in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars).