100 GREAT BUSINESS IDEAS • 73Personal qualities such as instinct, experience, and intuition can
be used to defy market research and create a previously untapped
niche in the market.
The idea
Market research is often hailed as the main factor that should drive
decision making. However, instinct, personal experience, and
intuition are just as vital, especially in diffi cult times.
This was recognized by Bob Lutz, who, as president of Chrysler
during the late 1980s, found sales in America and abroad
weakening. Critics claimed the organization was uninspired and
lagging behind competitors. Bob Lutz believed the answer was to
develop an innovative, exciting car. Stylish, with a powerful ten-
cylinder engine and fi ve-speed manual transmission, the Dodge
Viper was given a premium price of $50,000. Many advised that
no American-made car would become popular at such a high price,
and that the investment would be better spent elsewhere. Lutz’s
idea was based on nothing more than personal instinct, without
any signifi cant market research. He had to overcome considerable
internal opposition, as this approach to decision making was
not typical at Chrysler. However, the Dodge Viper proved to be a
massive commercial success, even appearing in a number of video
games as an elite racing car. It changed the public’s perception of
Chrysler, halted the company’s decline, and boosted morale.
Bob Lutz’s belief that the radically different Dodge Viper was the
right decision for Chrysler was a triumph of instinct over rationality.