GM plans significant increase in ad spending

"We had a culture that was somewhat overly focused on not making a mistake," he said.

Lutz said GM would keep working with its existing roster of advertising agencies that includes Leo Burnett Group and Campbell-Ewald.

But Lutz was sharply critical of an ad that has aired in recent weeks for the new Buick LaCrosse that shows a Hollywood crew preparing the sedan for a photo shoot.

"It makes me cringe to watch," he said. "Car ads about car ads, it seems to me are not what we should be doing."

GM emerged from bankruptcy last month under the majority ownership of the U.S. Treasury after receiving $50 billion in aid to finance its turnaround.

(Reporting by Kevin Krolicki; Editing by Gary Hill)