(September 2, 2011) DETROIT — General Motors today announced the retention of former Vice Chairman Robert A. "Bob" Lutz to provide counsel to the senior leadership team of the company. 

Lutz will be available to executives on a part-time consultancy basis effective immediately.

He brings a wealth of experience built over the course of more than 40 years in the industry, including two stints at GM. He has also been a senior executive at Ford, Chrysler, BMW and was CEO of Exide Batteries.

Lutz has been providing advice to GM executives informally since retiring from the company in 2010

Lutz returned to GM in 2001 as vice chairman in charge of product development. He’s credited with a revival in GM products that has been vital to the automaker’s emergence from its 2009 bankruptcy.