Designer of Chrysler PT Cruiser to Join GM

General Motors Corp. said it hired Bryan Nesbitt, who designed the hot-selling Chrysler PT Cruiser, away from DaimlerChrysler to head its Chevrolet design studio. Nesbitt, 35, is the latest young designer to join GM, which has been criticized for building too many bland vehicles. However, many of its recent concept vehicles have received rave reviews. The PT Cruiser has proved to be one of the most successful new model launches by the Big Three auto makers in recent years. Meanwhile, DaimlerChrysler said it will invest $300 million to increase production of the PT Cruiser to 310,000 units a year, a 35% increase. The 80,000 additional vehicles will be built at the auto maker’s Toluca, Mexico, assembly plant. A $300 million expansion in Toluca will be completed by late 2002 and will provide 1,100 more jobs, the company said. The car is also built in Graz, Austria.