In reference to the Fiero. If GM did a newer version of this, would it sell? Or SHOULD they even approach the idea?

Maybe a SC'd mid/rear V6 or Turbo 4 CYL two seaters. Or is the Solstice/Sky as far as they would go? AWD? Crash concerns w/ an 'empty' front end.

Just a thought.

 

is it needed now witht the solstice? I do think it would be cool.

 

Yes, A mid-engine would sell today. The fiero has a cult like following, look at Pennocks Fiero forum with over 13,000 members. www.fiero.nl
Just like Camaro, it is a car that people are passionate about. GM has just chosen to ignore us. The ybody corvette with a space frame and rear mounted tranny would be the perfect donor chassis. A reasonably priced rwd coupe would have little competition.

The solstice and sky have sold only 22,000 units combined in 2006 thus far according to GM Dealer Edge magazine. Everyone knows GM loses money on every solstice sold. Even if they wanted to increase production substantially, the time consuming process of making the hydroformed body panels wouldnt allow it to happen. The convertible market is much more limited in size than the coupe market would be. Convertible sales are much more seasonal as illustrated by the two solstices currently sitting at my local pontiac dealer.

 

One datapoint: Toyota MR2 was cancelled (again) last year.

And all Coupe sales are awful across the board (with the exception of the Mustang), so it's dubious. However, a retroish Corvair would be pretty cool.

 

True, it was cancelled. This version was only a convertible, had a starting price of 25k and was underpowered by today's standards with only 138hp. The interior of the car was very cramped for anyone tall. I believe they were mainly available with stick only. Something like half of all Fiero's sold were automatics.

 

You could move some. If only makes sense as an enthusiast car though, a smaller coupe or sedan... And GMs lineup isn't exactly lacking at the moment.

 

This may come as a surprise to some, but over 50% of fiero buyers were women.

 

Well, I think if Toyota thought they could have saved the car with a hardtop and an auto, they would have. (Truth is the thing was fugly, even by MR2 standards, so that's probably why it didn't sell.)

I'm not sure if there's much consumer preference for the engine position, but I can see the argument that there might be demand for a sporty, small, female-oriented coupe (something like the Mitsu Eclipse).

Is GM planning to ramp-up Solstice production, or is this just a loss-leader, image car?

 

I don't mean a Corvette, like an entry car for Pontiac with a nice performance tilt.

There is no shortage of roadsters or grocery getters.

 

There was talk about increasing Kappa production, especially when the Daweoo and Opel start their production. But I have not heard much since.

 

Production is ramping up for the Daewoo Kappa and Opel GT as you mentioned.

There is also another Kappa based vehicle in the pipeline that when it's unveiled, for the uninitated is going to seem like it came out of nowhere. I haven't followed it closely enough to know who's getting it, but it's not another roadster.

 

Josh knows what is going on but he is holding his cards closely on this one. Maybe someone should take him out and get him drunk, he might spill it then.

 

You can't really platform share a mid engine sports car and keep the price reasonable. Cadillac Cein is the only mid-engine I see worth building at GM