GM’s Lutz, auto industry icon, talks retirement

Automotive industry icon Robert A. Lutz wants to retire from General Motors Corp. after the company brings a plug-in electric car to market, possibly sometime in 2010, he said Tuesday.

The 75-year-old Lutz, now GM's vice chairman for global product development, is shepherding development of the Chevrolet Volt, which the company sees as a mainstream electric sedan that can be recharged by plugging it into a household outlet.

"I'd like to see the Volt launched because I think that is an absolutely critical product," Lutz said in an interview with The Associated Press. The company has set sometime in 2010 as a loose date to roll out the Volt.