Autoweek posted an interview it did with GM's CEO, and though he didn't spill much, it had interesting points:

*Merging Pontiac, Buick, & GMC: "It's not impossible, no. Over time in most markets, we think that running those three together makes the most sense and if we get the bulk of the distribution channel in that line, we'll continue to look at that. Right now, because the distribution channels are the way they are and the product strategies are the way they are, probably it doesn't make sense to do it. So it wouldn't be an imminent decision."

*Can a division's marketing general manager make a car happen: "Not unilaterally. They can make strong cases for a vehicle, but they have to sell it to (Vice Chairman) Bob (Lutz). I think that works well. Bob is personally engaged in the day-to-day product decisions, and I think that's helped us. I think it's made us faster. "

*On a potential Chevy SS: "If it's done, it's got to be done well. What doesn't do very well is to put a decal on, say it's an SS and charge $500."

*Bob Lutz's new vehicle development process: "We had done a lot of work in the area of design freeze to start of production. That's where we went from 43 months to 24. That runs pretty well. What Bob has done is in the advance area, in the pre-design freeze. What Bob has done there is (to say), "What you guys had before really developed a lot of interesting options, but it took a lot of time. I think a few of us can look at all the options very quickly and say we're pretty sure three out of seven are going to be non-flyers, so let's not spend any time on those." He's taken a lot of time out."

*SAAB: "You mean nice product, no money?"..."The reason not to say that is we just invested in a new product, which will spawn a product family that we can make money on. So it would be a silly time to stop. More fundamentally, we think the market is growing relatively more at the top than at the bottom. Saab is a brand which plays in the upper ranges, and if you talk to people who play in that range, the Saab brand is attractive to a lot of people who are otherwise not GM intenders. So, from that angle, if we can provide them with a broad enough range of products, the distribution level that I think we've been lacking and the right cost so they can get to the right price point, we think the business is a good business for us to be in."

*The prospect of having fuel cell cars on the road by 2010: "We will have real cars on the road powered by real fuel cells well before then. I think the issue is when are you going to have many of them, and when are they going to be economic? And I would say 2010 is a good, in my parlance, stretch target. It's a very stretch target, but it's a good thing to stimulate us"

The whole interview: http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content...._code=04455914

 

I suppose he's right. Perhaps it does better to put a decal on, say it's an SS and charge $5000.

 

Now that's funny!

Who'd ever fall for that trick?!

 

I'm not going for it, unless I get a fake hood scoop and some fancy floor mats!

 

It may not be actually brand engineering, but what he says in this article sounds very very close.

http://autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?p..._code=05923844