"Yellowstone" proponent to create global e-business enterprise for No. 1 automaker.

General Motors Corp. appointed controversial executive Mark Hogan Tuesday to transform the company_s automotive operations into a global e-business enterprise. Hogan will oversee the automaker_s attempt to place a wider array of company products and services at the consumer_s fingertips. That includes consolidating current efforts that allow GM customers to purchase their car or truck online from dealers, with future projects like accessing the Internet or e-mail from GM automobiles under one electronic mall. Other GM innovations -- such as Onstar, the company_s advanced communication -- and current online supplier programs also will be featured as part of the strategy, Hogan said. However, the company doesn_t plan to circumvent its dealers and sell cars directly to customers as part of this strategy, at least not yet, a company spokesman said. Company officials said the world_s No. 1 automaker_s extensive dealer network won_t be harmed by the new approach. Instead, GM hopes to integrate individual dealer e-commerce initiatives with its own efforts. GM already runs more than 100 consumer Web sites around the globe that recorded 3.8 million unique visits in June alone. Hogan sparked a outcry of criticism from United Auto Workers officials last year when he publicly supported Project Yellowstone, a new manufacturing proposal that would replace aging GM factories with newer plants using modular assembly techniques and a fraction of the current workers. The Yellowstone proposal would allow independent suppliers to construct and provide large sections of each vehicle. Hogan was quoted as saying the new process would save the company roughly $2,000 per vehicle in the United States.