Based on whatever RWD coupe is presented at the 2006 NAIS (sp?), do you think we should try and get folks riled up (i hope the design does this by itself). Do you think that this will be just another concept that GM is using to guage its effect? If we get enough people yelling I think we could push it into production alot faster than inticipated.

 

Design studies by their very nature are meant to guage public reaction.

The Solstice was one design study, but the reaction wasn't what GM expected. There was initially no plan to put the car into production, and the structure the concept was on was cobbled together from J-car bits & GM's scrap heap. The public loved it, Lutz pushed it, and it came out......err, will be out soon... or later.

Taking a flight of fancy, a car shown at this year's show based on a production chassis or it's variation could in theory make it to market quicker than the Solstice since it would already have the basis of a chassis, where as Solstice's had to be done essentially from scratch. If that car was based on a high volume sedan, then the business case for it would probally be a breeze as well.

In a hypothetical situation like that, if the ducks were lined up already, I think something like that could be in showrooms within 2 years afterwards if approval was given around the same time.

But that's an awful amount of "if's.

 

Do you really think that Lutz did not plan to push the Solstice from the begining? It was completely his idea and alhough it was a"concept" from the start, he always had his heart on building it.

 

Actually the Solstice was pinned the summer just before he got to GM. I used to know the name of the guy who pinned it, but I'd have to search for it now.

Lutz wanted a car to mark his arrival at GM in time for the auto show season, and he pushed to get the Solstice sketch to life. True story: he wanted both cars to be able to be rolled on to stage, and expected the coupe to be ready in time for a later auto show. What he got was a running convertible & a coupe in time for Detroit.

Since there were his 1st cars, he took them to heart. In that area, you're 100% right that he pushed it.... and the Solstice was also Bob Lutz's reality check with GM. I think he figured he could get the car to the showroom in 2 years or so, like he was able to do at Chrysler. Instead, despite all his pushing, and streamlining, and being Vice Chairman of General Motors, it still took 4 years.

He shouldn't feel so bad. Rick Wagoner is CEO of General Motors & hasn't been able to get a Cadillac coupe to market yet, though he 1st wanted one going shortly after he took over just before Bob Lutz got there.

 

45 months since Solstice was driven out at NAIAS until October 2005, the month we may......see a Solstice drive out of a Pontiac dealer.

A lot of if's is right.........

 

Heck, in reply to the name of this topic, "Can we pull a solstice"

I would answer, I hope GM does NOT pull a Solstice.

 

how long before people can accually see them in show rooms? dont they already have 9000+ requests for them? doesn't this push show room dates even farther back?

 

Change requests to sold preorders . 20K cap outa last , errrr , maybe a lil over 1/2 a year .

 

At least 1 has already been delivered, I thought I read about it on the board.

 

Solstice will begin showing up in dealerships in August.

 

That's pretty accurate. From what I recall, he put together a competition for the designers to come up with this roadster. The guy with what wound up being the Solstice entry, a German guy?, had penned the design a year or so prior as a roadster for another brand (I can't recall which). Lutz had him add some Pontiac touches to the front end to make it more identifiable. And true, he envisioned both cars being running concepts, but the coupe fell short of the mark and didn't even have a complete interior.

 

Fritz Von Hausen was the designer of the solstice, he has left GM recently for I believe Mazda.

 

Ok, 43 months, if that happens.

 

GM's "fast track" plan is 4 years

i'd hate to see the "slow track" plan

 

Just to play devil's advocate, GM actually did quite a bit in the 4 years it took to get the Solstice out. I mean, they designed a brand new platform for the thing. Considering that GM is still using the same platform for their midsizers as they did 15+ yrs ago, that the Solstice exists at all is a near miracle.