GM’s Prototypes Tout Innovative Styling

General Motors Corp. will make a convincing display of newly energized styling at major auto shows over the next six months, analysts said. GM introduced nine prototypes in a global teleconference last week. They included a Chevrolet roadster with a Corvette engine and a pickup-style cargo bed, a low-price Chevrolet car built off an S-10 truck frame and a Saturn sport-utility vehicle with seats that fold into the floor to increase cargo space. The vehicles show that GM is moving faster to enter developing market niches before its competitors, said James Hall, an analyst with the AutoPacific Group in Southfield, Mich. Bringing such vehicles into production could help it halt its slide in market share. The designs are the result of several changes inside GM in the last five years, including cutting development time to as little as 18 months. The company also has a central staff--rather than separate divisions--select new models in an effort to eliminate gaps and overlaps in its lineup.