• MSNBC/AP, Wednesday, January 2, 2008 11:45 AM

Because it takes years for a vehicle to go from a drawing to reality, General Motors has only recently seen the full impact of Bob Lutz's touch. Lutz--a former Marine captain and aviator who has been in the auto business since 1963--joined General Motors Corp. as vice chairman of product development in 2001.

At the time, the rational left-brained engineers and planners would develop the chassis, engine and transmission, and marketing would have its say. Only then would the more creative right-brained designers be called in to fit a skin on the outside--so late in the process that the result was usually a mediocre compromise. "It was an overly rational approach to the business," Lutz says.

Recently, the right brain has been in from the start, and the results are beginning to show in the marketplace. GM cars, trucks and crossovers like the Saturn Aura and redesigned Chevy Malibu are getting great reviews and are catching on with consumers.

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