After much speculation and an aborted retirement attempt last year, the legendary Bob Lutz will retire from GM for good on May 1st of this year, according to the Detroit News.

One of the most colorful and forceful figures in Detroit in at least a generation, Lutz has worked, at one time or another, for all three American car makers and was the driving force behind such notable vehicles as the Dodge Viper, the Pontiac Soltice and the Chevrolet Volt.

No official statement has been forthcoming from either GM or Lutz, which is driving speculation regarding the retirement. He had been critical of limits on executive pay packages in the wake of GM’s bankruptcy and subsequent government oversight of the company’s operations. He also had found himself at odds with other GM executives over projects such as the Cadillac Converj which Lutz believed should be brought to market but which GM officially canceled just this week.

--M.D.