Report: GM to put e-commerce chief in charge of future products

DETROIT - The executive in charge of General Motors Corp.&#39;s electronic commerce and Internet activities will oversee future vehicle development for the automaker, according to a published report. <br> <br> Mark Hogan, 50, group vice president in charge of e-GM, could be named to the newly created position as early as this week, The Detroit News said in Tuesday editions. He will report to GM Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz, 69, the former Chrysler Corp. executive who joined GM in September. <br> <br> GM said last week that it was shaking up the structure of its vehicle design process, and would announce changes soon. <br> <br> Lutz has said GM&#39;s design process relied too heavily on research, unwanted and costly features, and not enough on style. He said he envisioned a strategy in which GM would come up with an attractive design first, then focus on engineering. <br> <br> GM officials declined comment on Hogan&#39;s future with the No.1 automaker, or his role in helping reinvent the vehicle development process. Hogan, who joined GM in 1973, also declined to comment. <br> <br> But sources told The News that Hogan is the first among a younger generation of GM executives to be tapped by Lutz for new or expanded roles on the automaker&#39;s vehicle development team. <br> <br> &#34;There are a number of passionate product people who will come to the fore,&#34; one GM official said. <br> <br>