I wonder how this bodes for the Solstice? Is it a sign of the beginning of a trend, or is it a hiccup?

 

Eh,

Corvette sales are still strong, and Crossfire sales have been decent from what I understand (didn't look up numbers).

They are really using the Z4 as an example... I think that car has polarized a lot of buyers by it's design.

I think Bangle gets a little too much bashing sometimes, but the Z4 is odd looking... overdone or something.

 

Solstice at $20K has nothing to worry about.

They're talking about a bunch of dried-up, wheezy old German clunkers--SLK, Boxster ($50K with 217HP--wow, just wow), Z4 (UUUUGGGGLLLEEEEE!!!!), and the ancient S2000/2200/did-they-change-it-looks-the-same-mobile.

 

True, the article focuses on the Z4 but to be fair the Corvette and Crossfire are available in other body styles beyond pure roadster. Miata would be a vehicle for direct comparison given that it is likewise available only as a roadster. There was no mention as to how well that car is selling - or not.

On a sidenote, personally I can't say that I am drawn to the new BMW look. For me, the trunk designs of the 5, 6 and 7 series cars really detract from what could arguably be described as attractive styling, turning me off to the cars altogether.

 

That's a good point... I was thinking "two-seaters", and not strictly roadster-only offerings....

 

Those other cars seem over priced and some are odd looking(Z4), The Solstice is $20,000 and should sell well

 

I think this is more of a problem with the top-end of the segment and products that have grown stale in general. With new entries on the way (Boxster, Miata, Solstice, Audi, etc) the segment should see a rebound.

 

The Miata is only selling around 10000 units here annually, which makes GM's decision to produce the Solstice very questionable. Now if only someone can convince them to build an affordable mid-engine, there would be little competiton in that segment.

 

Your logic makes little sense. Front engined, mid engined...the question is really do 2 seaters sell in great volume. Enthusiasts know the difference between setups but not in such vastly superior numbers that it will make a difference.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the MR2 Spyder is mid-engined, has virtually no competition, and sells less than Miata!

 

The MR2 spyder has absolutely no cargo space. The miata is at least usable for a road trip. I'm sure this is a factor. Still, I don't know why sports cars in general don't sell so well and why boring cars and suvs sell by the truckload. I think I understand even less the people that claim to be enthusiasts and drive them... you know... the guy we all know that claims to be really into cars but drives a 4-door accord with an automatic transmission and the base engine.

 

Mark, you should brush up on your marketing. Gm managed to average 73,000 fiero's sold each year of production even with the recall problems, almost no corp support and no production convertable model. The front engine Corvette has never even sold 70000 units in one year. For comparison the 70,000+ units is equal to what the mainstream Monte Carlo sells today. The Solstice is just another front engine model in a highly competitive segment.

MR2 is a slow seller due to: 138 hp only, $25,000+ window sticker, no automatic offered (was 50% of fiero sales), no coupe. They are also hard to find on dealer lots.

People will pay for a mid-engine. The Lotus Elise is now here in the US and almost all the first year production is sold out at $39,000.

 

here we go again with the Fiero propaganda.... you guys just won't give it up. it was a different era, with different circumstances and nobody really know exactly why it did as well as it did, but the fact is, the crappiest cars sold the best. by the time they were semi-decent in the later years, nobody even looked at them.

 

Its hard to dispute the facts. The 2 seat sports car segment is expected to grow-as illustrated by all the new models. This segment also grew in the 80's. I can tell you have never even driven an 88 gt or formula for they were actually outstanding cars. Hard to comment on something you havent drove.

 

Yup, it was a pretty popular car....in the 1980's. I'll stand by the fact that the MR2 exists with no competition and people just aren't interested.

True, but the front engine Corvette costed twice as much as the Fiero as well. And now today, Corvette costs twice as much as a Spyder and probably sells more in a month than Spyder sells in 12. Heck, Corvette kicks the mid-engined Porsche Boxster's keister in sales too. How does this reflect potential for growth in the mid-engined 2 seat segment between 1988 and now?

All good points. But if being mid-engined is a necessity for all these people falling over themselves for a mid-engined car, being underpowered shouldn't matter too much, no?

I don't have the numbers in front of me, how many Elises is Lotus bringing here?

 

I believe both the MR2 and Elise are produced in the neighborhood of 5000/year. I'll guess the Boxster is not produced in very high quantities either (compared with Corvette) and that their buyers are probably a bit different.

The Boxster S (mid-engine) is well regarded and was the easily the best performer in a recent MT comparison against the Audi TT, 350Z Roadster, and Z4. Pick up any magazine featuring the new Elise and you will see nothing but praise as well. Mid-engine cars do have great appeal. Even VW is considering one.

As a fan of this segment, I see value in both layouts. If the current MR2 offered more practicality, I might have opted for it over a recent Miata purchase. I hope the Solstice remains a performance-oriented car and is successful. But I think it would have been more anticipated had it been mid-engined and offered as Pontiac's poor man's Elise. Oh yeah, and called Fiero.