Autoblog

click above image to see more of the increasingly exclusive Buick Enclave

General Motors has a hit on its hands with the big, beautiful Enclave CUV. People all over the country are trying to get their hands on Buick's luxurious iteration of the Lambda Ute. Rather than follow the time-dishonored practice of running as many copies of a hot model out the door as possible, GM's keeping production on the Enclave under strict control. In fact, even though some dealers have sold out of their Enclave inventory, GM will be reducing shifts at the Lansing plant that builds the Enclave. Bob Lutz explained the restrictions thusly: "We want to keep [the Enclave] hot... Nothing destroys the value of a new product faster than over producing." That's it in a nutshell, right there. The practice of tying production to demand is what Toyota and Honda tend to do. Take the Fit, for example. Part of the allure of that vehicle is that buyers often have to wait to get one. The same kind of "best kept secret" mystique surrounds the Enclave - you don't see them everywhere, and they're rather opulent once you finally get a chance to check one out. Exclusivity can also spur customers into paying full price, where before a glut of product would mean heavy discounts. Of course, GM can't afford moves such as restricted production and labor layoffs at every plant and on every model, but we hope this new tack pays off in boosting the General's image as well as its bottom line.

[Source: WSJ]

The UK's Channel 4 had the opportunity to sit down with Bob Lutz - General Motors' head of product development, for those living in seclusion - and started the interview by comparing him to Jeremy Clarkson. WTF, you say? It's the dominating physical presence and bountiful opinions of both men that causes the interviewer to draw a line between the two (we're guessing that the views of each on the Buick Lucerne would still serve as a useful means to distinguish them).

Being a Brit-centric outfit, one of the first questions asked by Channel 4 is that of Rover's future. Despite Lutz's prior ownership of several MGs, he doesn't seem interested in dragging his current employer into a bail-out of the failed British automaker. But the big guy does seem to have some sympathy for Rover's plight, stating that he "sheds a tear" for the brand and says that it was the British car for "non-poseurs".

GM's product - that which is built in both the US and in Europe - matches up to Toyota in a variety of attributes that are properly lumped together under the heading of "build quality", according to Lutz. Bob says that nothing in Toyota's line-up "excites me as a car guy", and claims that the same is true for Lexus as well.

Check out the rest of our play-by-play after the jump...