Solstice Set for Early August Sales

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by The Car Connection »Solstice Set for Early August SalesReports of the Pontiac Solstice’s supposed delay have proved somewhat exaggerated. Contrary to recent reports that the new Pontiac roadster would be delayed until after the end of the critical summer season, the first two-seaters will actually roll into showrooms during the first week of August. “It really is coming this summer,” said John Larson, general manager of the General Motors division. The first 1000 cars will go to the people who placed early orders as part of a promotion on Donald Trump’s popular TV show, The Apprentice.Exactly how long it will take to deliver those cars is unclear, as GM intends a slow and cautious ramp-up of production. Though Pontiac was able to hold the base price of the Solstice down below $20,000 by using many off-the-shelf components, the car also introduces some challenging new technology. That includes the first automotive use of hydroforming to shape large pieces of sheetmetal. In all, Larson told TheCarConnection.com that Pontiac has taken in nearly 9000 “sold orders” so far, which is well ahead of the company’s expectations – and exceeds the total number of Miatas sold by Mazda last year.Pontiac officials are being cautious about sales and production plans, though insiders hint they’d like to get volumes up as high as 1500 roadsters a month, or close to 20,000 annually, but even at significantly lower volumes, they believe the Solstice will help kick-start the revival of the troubled Pontiac division. —Paul A. Eisenstein