"Up until four or five years ago, it was like GM was four different car companies," Welburn said in an interview after the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. "I mean, there was some interaction, but not a whole lot. The design studios in the individual regions were not linked. Now, we have one global design studio."

The result, he said, is a more inclusive environment where a bigger pool of ideas from 11 design teams - in Germany, Sweden, Australia, India, South Korea, Brazil, China, California, and Michigan - can be considered.

"We can now link up all 11 studios and simultaneously consider a design," Welburn said. "It really helps us understand the needs of the regions and what regional perspectives they can bring to the whole."