GM Rushes to Meet Huge Demand for Solstice
Date Posted 11-03-2005
PONTIAC, Michigan — General Motors said it will hike production of the 2006 Pontiac Solstice by adding a third shift at its plant in Wilmington, Delaware. At least two sister cars are going into production next year at the Wilmington plant, and a fourth could be added in 2007, company sources told Inside Line.
Even though deliveries to customers started just three months ago, Pontiac dealers can't keep up with demand for the Solstice, one of the few bright spots at GM. Pontiac has received more than 15,000 orders for the car, even though it had planned to build only 20,000 units in the first year.
GM will add production of the all-new 2007 Saturn Sky early next year at Wilmington. A version of the Sky appeared at the SEMA show in Vegas this past week. The Sky shares most of its chassis and powertrain components with the Solstice but gets unique sheet metal.
The Sky, in turn, will spawn a companion model for Opel in mid-2006. The European variant may be christened Opel GT. Vauxhall is also expected to get a version of the same car, rebadged as the Lightning. The Opel GT is expected to break cover next spring at the Geneva show.
GM also is considering production of yet another variant off the rear-drive Kappa platform — a two-seater for Saab that could revive the Sonnet name. The car reportedly has not been approved for production, but insiders say it would likely share the 200-hp supercharged 2.0-liter I-4 that is being developed for the high-performance Solstice GXP that's anticipated in 2007.
What this means to you: The early runaway success of the Pontiac Solstice has persuaded GM to boost production and add more sister vehicles to the mix.
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