Send to a friendJeff December 6th, 2006 8:57 AM Link
I’d love to have one, though I’d prefer a Shooting Brake (à la the Volvo 1800 ES) rather than the sloping hatch of the prototype. A bit more utility (roof rack, anyone?), and better rear visibility.
We Ask Lutz: Does Pontiac Have A Solstice Coupe In The Works? How About A Retractable Hardtop?
Written By: Chris Paukert
Could Pontiac be planning a production Solstice Coupe? Back in 2002, General Motors showed both roadster and coupe versions (in concept form) of what would become the fetching little Pontiac, but to this point, only the droptop made it to showrooms.
I had the opportunity to talk with GM design czar Bob Lutz Tuesday night at a GMC media event in San Francisco, and asked him whether a coupe version was still in the cards. While Lutz stopped short of unequivocally agreeing, he smiled wryly and said:
With vehicles like the Solstice, you have to ask yourself… what do you do when the ‘new’ wears off? What do you do two-to-three years from now? Do you give it a facelift and bend the sheetmetal differently, or do you do an additional bodystyle?
Naturally, I suggested that consumers would likely want the coupe to see the light of day, saying that such a derivation would free up some of the utility in the car (the current car’s trunk is oddly shaped and prohibitively small) while simultaneously appealing to more hardcore drivers. Lutz:
“That’s our thought. If we did it, it would look exactly like the Pontiac Solstice Coupe Concept Car that we had at the ’02 show. Remember it? The orange one.” “It was always our intention to kind of do that… we just had to manage the investment on the Solstice the first time around. Adding a coupe bodystyle would be a very logical thing to do. It would also make it very good for racing, where it’s doing well any way.”
(Click through for Lutz’s thoughts on a possible Solstice retractable hardtop model)
When questioned whether the Solstice would get a retractable hardtop like its Mazda MX-5 archrival, Lutz was more frank:
We’re not going to do that. It’s so antithetical to what we want to do… which is light weight, low cost, simple, uncomplicated, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
So there you have it – a coupe looks promising, but if you’re holding out for a hardtop convertible Solstice, you might want to start looking elsewhere.
17 Comments
Reilly Brennan December 6th, 2006 10:14 AM Link
I’m thankful that they’re making decisions on deleting weight. The coupe would be nice, but I would prefer more of a previous M Coupe-look (as Jeff suggests above).
Mena December 6th, 2006 11:15 AM Link
None of the current owners expect or want a Solstice with a retractable hardtop. This isn’t a Miata. But a coupe would be VERY nice!
Pontiac Solstice Coupe In the Works | eGMCarTech the CarTech Mag - brought to you by eGadgetMag December 6th, 2006 11:40 AM Link
[…] Source: Winding Road […]
Automotive Articles Magazine » Just another WordPress weblog » Blog Archive » Lutz definitely up for a Solstice Coupe December 6th, 2006 5:46 PM Link
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Car Crowd » Blog Archive » Lutz definitely up for a Solstice Coupe December 6th, 2006 5:47 PM Link
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Mike December 6th, 2006 7:31 PM Link
GM is concerned about “light weight” when the Solstice weighs 400 pounds more than an MX-5?
Austin December 6th, 2006 9:53 PM Link
I’d really prefer they spend a bit tidying up their current Solitice/Sky designs. That means a practical “one-handed” folding top. And at least trunk space that one might reasonable expect even in a second car.
What is it with GM? It reminds me of the Camaro with the weird storage “well” and the “cat” hump in the passenger footwell. Or the all too frequent off-center/off-axis steering columns in many GM models. They are willing to accept the oddest packaging and design compromises that you can’t ever image Toyota, Honda or Hyundai (or even Ford) accepting on their worst days.
Thinking about the above votes for shooting brakes…that’s a perfect solution for the SSR…and put a Nomad badge on it. Back seat required, of course.
Austin December 6th, 2006 9:59 PM Link
I probabably should add that I very much like the Solstice Coupe exterior design. But much as I liked the Solstice off the bat, the Sky has grown on me so much that I now prefer its more interesting lines. And the interior dealed the deal because it looks less low rent. So a couple of interior tweaks may also be due the Solstice.
Jeff Cain December 7th, 2006 5:08 PM Link
Agreed with what’s said here. The Solstice is quite nice looking - beautiful, in fact - but the lack of any room whatsoever and the damnably cheap plastics on the interior keep it off my list. What about that freakin’ Rubick’s Cube roof? Ack!
Sit in a Miata/MX5; it blows the Solstice out of the water, feeling like it’s worth at least $15k more. And that’s too damn bad because I am happy that the Solstice is here, but sad that it remains a half-baked GM product.
C’mon GM; give us cars without the need for excuses and we’ll buy them. Live up to your old tagline - SWEAT THE DETAILS.
Lutz definitely up for a Solstice Coupe - Automobile Blog December 16th, 2006 5:08 AM Link
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Jimmy S. April 6th, 2007 4:30 PM Link
The Solstice is indeed a beautiful car. While it does have some cheap parts, we need to respect it for what it is. I would love to own a GXP Solstice or even a base model.
It is great news that it out sold the Miata, and a Coupe would be even better.
It almost reminds me of the Alfa Romeo Spiders of the early 90’s. They both look outstanding, have moderate performance (base sol.), and offer a fun top down experience.
Lutz definitely up for a Solstice Coupe-- Ride Care Depot May 2nd, 2007 11:25 AM Link
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Bill Leavens June 7th, 2007 11:00 PM Link
I would buy that car in a heartbeat.
And I would buiy it even quicker if it had a small turbodiesel in it.
Done properly it could be a 50 mpg autocrossing commuter for taking the long, winding road home.
A Solstice coupe would show us all that GM was finally being run by folks who love cars and understand that some of the customers do, too.
The current generation Corvette is a bases loaded home run. This car would go a long way toward spreading that kind of spirit down to the rest of us.
Please Uncle Bob?? Please!?
Winding Road » Archive » Report: Solstice Coupe Cometh, CAFE Threatening Pontiac Plans July 31st, 2007 10:56 AM Link
[…] To that end, Automotive News is confirming that the popular Solstice convertible is slated to receive a fastback model for 2009, along with some higher-horsepower four-cylinder options. For 2011, a reworked and restyled model is expected. Regular WINDING ROAD Daily News Site readers will recall that we first broke this story back in December, when a glib Bob Lutz all but confirmed the plans for a tin-top Solstice during a GMC Acadia media drive. […]
Pontiac to build Solstice Coupe | The Garage July 31st, 2007 1:08 PM Link
[…] The folks at GM are working hard to resurrect all of their brands within their respective niches. Pontiac hit a home run when they released the drop dead sexy Solstice roadster and now it looks like they have plans to build upon that model’s success. Way back in December, the internets got all fired up when Bob Lutz told the folks at Winding Road that a coupe version of the Solstice was in the works. In fact, at the time, Lutz went so far as to say “If we did it, it would look exactly like the Pontiac Solstice Coupe Concept Car that we had at the ’02 show. Remember it? The orange one.” […]
Lou Welke August 9th, 2007 4:24 PM Link
Being a owner of a 2007 Pontiac Solstice GXP I can say that there are a very few negative things about this car.
If you have the 5 speed manual you may find that you need to have a higher RPM when taking off in 1st gear or you will bog down and possibly kill the engine.
I have done this on occasion and now I raise the rpm’s enough so sometime I lay a little rubber in the takeoff
if I dump the clutch too quickly and with the cost of these tires you don’t want to do that too often.
Not having enough room is something you give up in exchange for the design.
Lou Welke
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