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Quote »'Solstice' to star on 'Apprentice'Pontiac's roadster will get exposure tonight on TV ahead of its summer debut.By Ed Garsten / The Detroit NewsTonight's episode of "The Apprentice" promises high drama in the boardroom, but only after those vying to work for Donald Trump first battle it out in GM's high-stakes gamble to use the TV show to make the new Pontiac Solstice a star.Following in the product-placement footsteps of Domino's Pizza, Burger King and Sony Playstation, GM and the Solstice will play a leading role in the hit show that attracts an average weekly audience of 13.7 million viewers.The two-seat convertible, which debuts this summer, is the focal point of the task facing the final six players.Everyone on the team that comes up with the best promotional brochure for an upcoming Solstice sales campaign gets to stay another week. As usual, Trump will fire someone from the losing team.NBC says the banished player breaks out in tears, the normally gruff billionaire takes pity and "a sincere, tear-filled moment ensues."General Motors Corp. may be able to stop crying over slumping sales if demand for the Solstice matches early positive reviews.GM is counting on the little car to build buzz for Pontiac, its performance division. Sales are down 17.1 percent this year.The Solstice will be produced in low volumes with a starting price of $19,995."For a car as special to us as the Solstice, it just seemed like a very breakthrough way of surprising people in that youthful and professional audience," said Mark-Hans Richer, Pontiac marketing director.GM and The Donald have worked together before. Trump upstaged GM's own high-wattage star, product czar Bob Lutz, at the New York auto show last month during the unveiling of a performance version of Cadillac's XLR roadster.GM has also tried TV stunts before to showcase new products -- with lackluster results. A starring role in the hit CBS reality show "Survivor" failed to help generate robust sales of the Pontiac Aztek.And after Oprah Winfrey gave away Pontiac G6s last fall to everyone in her audience -- at an estimated cost of $7 million to GM -- the exposure failed to ignite sales of the car.It has been estimated that companies pay $2 million to $4 million to have their product featured in "The Apprentice."Making a new car the star of a television show represents more than simple product placement, GM's Richer says. He calls it "product fusion.""Our products become a visceral part of the entertainment product ... they become one and the same."Just how successful the gambit is depends on the quality of the vehicle, says Art Spinella, president of Bandon, Ore.-based CNW Marketing Research.Spinella said the Solstice looks to have star quality all over it and its prominent role on a hit television show may be just the ticket to boost sales of the entire Pontiac lineup.

The 3 guy team was a bunch of tools!Out of 150 pics they got only one interior shot and one blurry pic. What did they use, the blurry pic! They also used words like SEXY in the brouchure and had pics of women sitting on the cars front end. Hello, GM NEVER uses "sexy" and woman sitting on their vehicles. It is all about the car!!!!! Plus they just had Pontiac on the cover. No mention of what car it was. The three idiots doomed themselves when the one jack-hole that got voted off, said "a three guy team and a car, we will win!"Yeah he was the same one that made up words like "Interiorly", "Exteriorly" and called the car a Solster...The winning team did a great job and I want to see the brouchure.

winning team? how about winning person? the other 2 did squat!!!i would have loved to have the chance to do that project, design is what im good at, especially if i had a photographer on hand!!

Right on, SHE did a great job! The other two checked out on the project...

For those who didn't follow the rest of the series. Kendra was hired. The same girl who did ALL the work for the Solstice brochure.Her prize: a $250,000 one-year apprenticeship. And her very own Pontiac Solstice.Check out the commercial here: Pontiac Ad: "Congratulations Kendra." [WMV, 1.29 MB]