GM Design Boss: Still No Production Plans for Buick Riviera Concept

Welburn was speaking in a wide-ranging Web chat on the corporate GM FastLane blog. When asked if the new GM would consider the popular Buick Riviera Concept, with its signature gullwings, for production, Welburn responded: "It was a great opportunity for our young design team in Shanghai, China do [sic] develop a great concept vehicle. We don't have plans for production of the car, but it is having a healthy influence on the design development for other Buicks."

Buick is one of the four surviving brands in a post-bankruptcy GM. "Buick is experiencing a design renaissance and is more romantic in it's [sic] execution," said Welburn.

Welburn spent much of his time describing which vehicles would not see the light of day.

When asked "when is the [Corvette] C7 going to be introduced," and "has the styling been finalized," Welburn responded: "The Corvette is a real important car for us and we take its future very serious [sic]. The concept we built for Transformers 2 was purely a concept and not going to be produced."

Regarding Chevrolet, Welburn noted that the 2011 Chevrolet Spark is "well on it's [sic] way to production. It is just one of a family of new small and mini-size cars we are developing for Chevrolet."

He spoke enthusiastically of the recent online voting for the four Chevrolet concept vehicles, noting that "over a million people voted."

"We are exploring other creative means to do the same thing again," Welburn said.

A lineup of other GM execs will make themselves available on the FastLane blog this month, including Buick and GMC boss Susan Docherty, who chats live at 1 p.m. EDT on July 30.

Inside Line says: You have to give GM credit for parading its executives out there to answer questions from employees and the public. Ford and Chrysler do nothing of the sort. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent