Pontiac Delays G6 Convertible
Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:36 am
Quote »Pontiac delays G6 convertibleRetractable hardtop requires some re-engineeringBy Robert Sherefkin and Jason SteinAutomotive News / February 28, 2005DETROIT -- General Motors has delayed the launch of the Pontiac G6 hardtop convertible, and engineering problems appear to be the culprit."Initially, it was supposed to start in September," says Pat Sweeney, president of UAW Local 5960 at GM's Orion Township, Mich., assembly plant, where the G6 is built. "But that was pushed back a few months until sometime in January."Sweeney declined to discuss what caused the delay. A supplier familiar with the project says GM is having trouble building a retractable hardtop on a unibody vehicle.But GM spokesman Stefan Weinmann insisted that GM had always planned to launch the vehicle in January."We announced at the L.A. auto show that we would produce the vehicle in early 2006," Weinmann said. "That is still the case. Nothing has changed."The G6 must be re-engineered because it was not originally designed to be an open-air vehicle, the supplier says. The convertible needs a stiffened underbody, and the interior must be redesigned to store the hardtop.These engineering problems led GM to delay the vehicle's launch by 14 weeks, the supplier said.Karmann USA Inc. of Plymouth, Mich., will supply the hardtops.Pontiac had planned to bring out the G6 in waves. The sedan debuted last year; a coupe is due this summer, followed by the convertible.Source: Automotive News