GMI says Kappa platform done
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GMI says Kappa platform done
http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f...xed-r-d-68685/
Any comments on this? I guess the importance of this depends on whether they're just moving to Alpha or totally dead.
Any comments on this? I guess the importance of this depends on whether they're just moving to Alpha or totally dead.
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,209
And the hits just keep coming for Pontiac. The G8 and the Solstice are the only cars they have that are worth driving. The G8 isn't going to last very long, and without a halo car like the Solstice, Pontiac won't have much reason to exist. Unless, of course, they get an Alpha car or three.
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,600
From: Pewee Valley, KY
I don't think the Kappa cars are just going to stop being made. I logically expect the current Kappa cars to stick around until either: the platform no longer meets mandates, is out classed, or is replaced. Either way the current cars aren't going away soon and will likely get at least a restyle before being killed.
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,400
From: Michigan's left coast
When my friend bought his Solstice GXP, my first peek under the hood pretty much confirmed that GM was spending way too much money on certain areas of the vehicle. There are simply some very expensive parts on that car that have to contribute to some serious financial pain at a volume of perhaps 20K/year.
I suspect that the current Kappa won't be around for long if indeed it's not a money-maker, although I would like to know how that $10K/year loss was calculated. If that number includes engineering costs, tooling, and what-not, then I'm not surprised, but if that figure represents the gross margin, then that's an amazing F-up.
I suspect that the current Kappa won't be around for long if indeed it's not a money-maker, although I would like to know how that $10K/year loss was calculated. If that number includes engineering costs, tooling, and what-not, then I'm not surprised, but if that figure represents the gross margin, then that's an amazing F-up.
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From: Michigan's left coast
He's been kicking *** with it in local autoX competitions, so he's quite happy with it. I expect the mod bug will be biting him soon, which should provide all the entertainment one would expect from a turbocharged engine with a stout foundation.
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Joined: Mar 2001
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From: The Golden State
First of all, does anyone realize that the Solstice has been in production for 3 years... only a year newer than the Cobalt & Mustang which are both getting replaced very soon?
The Kappa is also essentially a Corvette. No, it doesn't have 400 plus horsepower, balsawood floors, or tires wide enough to hide medium sized animals behind them, but in every other way, the Kappa is essentially a Corvette. That means it probably cost nearly as much to make (save the electronics, power everything motors, and some of the more exotic pieces being used). Even though the Kappa is much shorter than a Corvette, it's roughly just as wide and if you add a V8 drivetrain from the Corvette and the Vette's comfort items, a Solstice weighs within a grocery bag's weight of the Corvette.
In short, there is no need for a Kappa II (not to mention it's something of a miracle we got a Kappa 1.
Kappa was concieved as a highly adaptable chassis, but in the end it wasn't. To create the Nomad or the Saturn Curve would have required a massive reworking of the Kappa, so therefore, the Kappa became a car that could only be a sports car. That pretty much limited it.
There is no need to revise Kappa for 2 reasons.
1. One can decontent a Corvette chassis and save development money assuming GM wants to continue making Solstices and Skys.
2. The Kappa is already a top drawer chassis. It has excellent suspension, a great structure, and the current chassis can continue for a long time and still be ahead of the class.
There is a new Solstice coupe coming this year. GM is really throwing advertizement dollars at the Solstice as the face of Pontiac in competition from IMSA to drifting. Kappa isn't going anywhere for at least a few years.
But by then, we're talking about a 6 year old car.
If it's killed then, it's more likely that it's run it's life cycle than anything else.
The Kappa is also essentially a Corvette. No, it doesn't have 400 plus horsepower, balsawood floors, or tires wide enough to hide medium sized animals behind them, but in every other way, the Kappa is essentially a Corvette. That means it probably cost nearly as much to make (save the electronics, power everything motors, and some of the more exotic pieces being used). Even though the Kappa is much shorter than a Corvette, it's roughly just as wide and if you add a V8 drivetrain from the Corvette and the Vette's comfort items, a Solstice weighs within a grocery bag's weight of the Corvette.
In short, there is no need for a Kappa II (not to mention it's something of a miracle we got a Kappa 1.
Kappa was concieved as a highly adaptable chassis, but in the end it wasn't. To create the Nomad or the Saturn Curve would have required a massive reworking of the Kappa, so therefore, the Kappa became a car that could only be a sports car. That pretty much limited it.
There is no need to revise Kappa for 2 reasons.
1. One can decontent a Corvette chassis and save development money assuming GM wants to continue making Solstices and Skys.
2. The Kappa is already a top drawer chassis. It has excellent suspension, a great structure, and the current chassis can continue for a long time and still be ahead of the class.
There is a new Solstice coupe coming this year. GM is really throwing advertizement dollars at the Solstice as the face of Pontiac in competition from IMSA to drifting. Kappa isn't going anywhere for at least a few years.
But by then, we're talking about a 6 year old car.
If it's killed then, it's more likely that it's run it's life cycle than anything else.
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 2,030
From: Frankfort, KY U.S.A.
First of all, does anyone realize that the Solstice has been in production for 3 years... only a year newer than the Cobalt & Mustang which are both getting replaced very soon?
The Kappa is also essentially a Corvette. No, it doesn't have 400 plus horsepower, balsawood floors, or tires wide enough to hide medium sized animals behind them, but in every other way, the Kappa is essentially a Corvette. That means it probably cost nearly as much to make (save the electronics, power everything motors, and some of the more exotic pieces being used). Even though the Kappa is much shorter than a Corvette, it's roughly just as wide and if you add a V8 drivetrain from the Corvette and the Vette's comfort items, a Solstice weighs within a grocery bag's weight of the Corvette.
In short, there is no need for a Kappa II (not to mention it's something of a miracle we got a Kappa 1.
Kappa was concieved as a highly adaptable chassis, but in the end it wasn't. To create the Nomad or the Saturn Curve would have required a massive reworking of the Kappa, so therefore, the Kappa became a car that could only be a sports car. That pretty much limited it.
There is no need to revise Kappa for 2 reasons.
1. One can decontent a Corvette chassis and save development money assuming GM wants to continue making Solstices and Skys.
2. The Kappa is already a top drawer chassis. It has excellent suspension, a great structure, and the current chassis can continue for a long time and still be ahead of the class.
There is a new Solstice coupe coming this year. GM is really throwing advertizement dollars at the Solstice as the face of Pontiac in competition from IMSA to drifting. Kappa isn't going anywhere for at least a few years.
But by then, we're talking about a 6 year old car.
If it's killed then, it's more likely that it's run it's life cycle than anything else.
The Kappa is also essentially a Corvette. No, it doesn't have 400 plus horsepower, balsawood floors, or tires wide enough to hide medium sized animals behind them, but in every other way, the Kappa is essentially a Corvette. That means it probably cost nearly as much to make (save the electronics, power everything motors, and some of the more exotic pieces being used). Even though the Kappa is much shorter than a Corvette, it's roughly just as wide and if you add a V8 drivetrain from the Corvette and the Vette's comfort items, a Solstice weighs within a grocery bag's weight of the Corvette.
In short, there is no need for a Kappa II (not to mention it's something of a miracle we got a Kappa 1.
Kappa was concieved as a highly adaptable chassis, but in the end it wasn't. To create the Nomad or the Saturn Curve would have required a massive reworking of the Kappa, so therefore, the Kappa became a car that could only be a sports car. That pretty much limited it.
There is no need to revise Kappa for 2 reasons.
1. One can decontent a Corvette chassis and save development money assuming GM wants to continue making Solstices and Skys.
2. The Kappa is already a top drawer chassis. It has excellent suspension, a great structure, and the current chassis can continue for a long time and still be ahead of the class.
There is a new Solstice coupe coming this year. GM is really throwing advertizement dollars at the Solstice as the face of Pontiac in competition from IMSA to drifting. Kappa isn't going anywhere for at least a few years.
But by then, we're talking about a 6 year old car.
If it's killed then, it's more likely that it's run it's life cycle than anything else.
The only sore spot for these cars is the lack of cargo space. The Kappa's need the rear chassis re-engineered to make way for an acceptable trunk. Then the Kappa's sales may increase.
Last edited by 30thZ286speed; Sep 3, 2008 at 10:37 PM.