GM may ax Bugs Bunny ; Warner Bros. contract for special-edition minivan is in doubt.(Brief Article)

Automotive News, May, 2002 by Geist, Laura Clark

General Motors Vice Chairman Robert Lutz is hacking marketing costs, and the next victim could be Bugs Bunny.

A GM source said a contract between GM and Warner Bros. requires the automaker to pay ``around $400'' to the movie giant for every Warner Bros. special-edition Chevrolet Venture minivan it sells.

Peter Langenhorst, Venture marketing director, acknowledges such costs don't sit well with Lutz.

The automaker is negotiating a contract that may not include continuing the Warner Bros. minivan, Langenhorst confirmed. The five-year contract was set to expire March 2003 but has been extended to June 2003.

``I'm understanding that Mr. Lutz has commented that the Warner Bros. relationship was a potential (cut) to save costs down the...

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