CEDAR FALLS - Todd Parker is, perhaps, no different from any other car-crazy guy who fantasizes about driving that perfect vehicle.

The difference is, Parker can do something about it.

Parker, a 1988 graduate of Cedar Falls High School, is design manager of the accessory studio at the General Motors Design Center in Warren, Mich. It is his job to help Chevrolet customers find the right custom touches for their new vehicles.

Of particular interest to Parker is the new Camaro, which is back in Chevrolet showrooms after a six-year absence. The automaker is placing heavy emphasis on customizing this model and others, Parker said.

"The car business moves quickly, and the accessory business moves even faster," Parker said. "We are continually updating our process to bring better products that allow for greater customer personalization to market faster."

Accessories come in many forms, Parker said, from paintings, sculpture, even performance art. But, he added, they're increasingly looking to create their own "living" art out of their own individual spaces.

And the pressure to deliver is more intense than ever, he said.

"They are more intense and, as the competition grows, there are more people working in accessories and personalization areas," he said. "It gets more difficult. We have some of the most talented designers here at GM in the industry, so we're up to the challenge."

Parker is a 1995 graduate of the Detroit-based College of Creative Studies, which offers bachelor of fine arts degrees in 11 areas, as well as master of fine arts degrees in two fields.

His training is enhanced, he said, by the trend of automakers to develop customized accessories that they used to outsource to aftermarket firms.

"The personal products range from very expensive to integrated that make vehicles look different," Parker said, listing aftermarket wheels, stripe kits, interior trim panels and performance-enhancing accessories.

"If you're into performance, we have parts; if you're into luxury and function, we have parts," he said. "We want the customer to have exactly what they want and sell them at points of purchase, so they feel they can tailor the vehicle to their own needs, speak to their lifestyle."

Parker says he found his niche in the design business by accident.

"I went to Iowa State for three years in the architecture program," he said. "I wasn't that good at what I was doing and not very excited."

But late one night, he chanced upon a TV show on automotive design.

He said he was "amazed" at what he saw.

"I didn't even know automotive design was a job you could get," he said. "They showed the sketches and models that the students were creating, and I was hooked. I knew right then and there that's what I wanted to do."

Before arriving at GM in 1997, Parker worked out for design consultants Henry Dreyfus Associates in New York, where he did some design work for Deere & Co., among other clients.

At GM, Parker has been the lead designer on the Chevrolet Cobalt exterior and on the Malibu SS, as well as design manager on the Trailblazer and GMC Envoy SUVs.

But, his first love seems to be the Camaro.

"I had a chance to drive one over the summer, and it's the first vehicle that I've driven in quite a while that made me excited about it," he said. "The quality of the vehicle is world-class. The performance is world-class. The reaction of people as you drive by is unbelievable. I literally had people drag me off the road to take a look at it."

The financial downturn at GM - the federal bailout, bankruptcy and subsequent corporate restructuring - has only enhanced the pressure on GM designers to deliver products the public wants, Parker said.

"I think the new culture at GM has really fostered a sense of willingness to do things differently, maybe re-evaluate how you're doing things," he said. "You have better focus on the customer and on our key brands."