We investigate a systematic design procedure of automatic rule generation of fuzzy logic based controllers for highly nonlinear dynamic systems such as an engine dynamic modle. By "automatic rule generation" we mean autonomous clustering or collection of such meaningful transitional relations from one conditional subspace to another. During the design procedure, we also consider optimaly control strategies such as minimum squared error, near minimum time, minimum energy or combined performance critiera. Fuzzy feedback control systems designed by our method have the properties of closed-loop stability, robustness under parameter variabitions, and a certain degree of optimality. Most of all, the main advantage of the proposed approach is that reliability can be potentially increased even if a large grain of uncertainty is involved within the control system under consideration. A numerical example is shown in which we apply our strategic fuzzy controller dwsign to a highly nonlinear model of engine idling speed control.d control.