2005 Detroit Show Wrap-up Part I: Production Cars

2006 Saturn Sky

Picture by John Cooke

After the original Sky from Detroit in 2002 and last year's Curve (an Audi Rosemeyer rip-off penned in GM's Advanced Design Center in Sweden), Saturn has finally bit the bullet with a vehicle a car zealot would not be embarrassed to drive. Built on the same Kappa rear-wheel-drive platform as the Pontiac Solstice, and the similarly styled Vauxhall Lightning, The General is making no bones about moving Saturn upscale by investing $3 billion in future products. It looks like Pontiac dealers have lost their patent on "excitement", eh?

Available: Fall 2005
Base price: $32,000 Cdn. (est.)
Future competitors: Mazda Miata, Pontiac Solstice