The 2006 Pontiac Solstice two-seat, rear-wheel-drive roadster will carry an MSRP of $25,695 when it arrives in Canadian Pontiac-GMC dealers this summer.
As always, applicable taxes are extra, and the company will levy a freight charge it wants you to think is non-negotiable when it certainly is.
Donna Martin, the marketing manager for small and sporty cars at GM of Canada, says ''this compact, agile and affordable sports car adds a new dimension to Pontiac's portfolio and makes a strong statement about its renaissance.''
Martin says the ''curvaceous design of the Solstice is matched with impressive performance and a host of standard features,'' including a 2.4L Ecotec engine, five-speed manual transmission, 18-inch wheels, four-wheel disc brakes, and much more.
Other features include ''race-inspired'' sport buckets, motorcycle-style gauges, a six-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo, and a high-polished single exhaust.
Other transmissions will follow in due course, GM insiders say.
''Solstice delivers exciting, open-air driving freedom in the spirit of the great roadsters of the past,'' says Martin.
Solstice debuted as a concept car at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and proved popular with the public, which pleased GM product boss Bob Lutz enormously, since the car was his baby.
Built on GM's new Kappa architecture, the production model remains true to the original Solstice concept, including rear-wheel drive, two-passenger seating and a reverse hinged clamshell hood that opens to reveal a double overhead cam variable-valve four-cylinder engine.
Lutz says the production Solstice is ''all about being a back-to-basics roadster with gorgeous lines and fun-to-drive characteristics.''
GM would certainly seem to be going after the crowd that has been buying the Miata from Mazda all these years, since the sticker price on Solstice is more than $2,000 less expensive than the current entry-level car from the Japanese firm.
Mazda is about ready to bring out the third iteration of the Miata, so that will give roadster lovers two models to chose from this year.
To make the Solstice as good as possible, GM created a unique architecture for compact, rear-drives and branded it Kappa. According to Lutz, the ''robust architecture features state-of-the-art, full-length hydroformed frame rails and a stamped-steel structural tunnel to provide a solid structure to enhance vehicle handling.''
To ensure what Lutz calls ''an affordable, world-class driving experience,'' Solstice was created with a clever blend of new technology and ''proven'' GM components.
Solstice's power is created by a new 2.4-liter variable-valve, high-revving version of the Ecotec DOHC inline-four, producing about 170 hp at 6,400 rpm and 170 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm.
Lutz says the engine's lightweight, all-aluminum construction helps optimize the vehicle's front-to-rear balance, and that's what the car -- as well as Pontiac -- is all about.
As always, applicable taxes are extra, and the company will levy a freight charge it wants you to think is non-negotiable when it certainly is.
Donna Martin, the marketing manager for small and sporty cars at GM of Canada, says ''this compact, agile and affordable sports car adds a new dimension to Pontiac's portfolio and makes a strong statement about its renaissance.''
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| 2006 Pontiac Solstice (photo : General Motors) |
Other features include ''race-inspired'' sport buckets, motorcycle-style gauges, a six-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo, and a high-polished single exhaust.
Other transmissions will follow in due course, GM insiders say.
''Solstice delivers exciting, open-air driving freedom in the spirit of the great roadsters of the past,'' says Martin.
Solstice debuted as a concept car at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and proved popular with the public, which pleased GM product boss Bob Lutz enormously, since the car was his baby.
 |
| 2006 Pontiac Solstice (photo : General Motors) |
Lutz says the production Solstice is ''all about being a back-to-basics roadster with gorgeous lines and fun-to-drive characteristics.''
GM would certainly seem to be going after the crowd that has been buying the Miata from Mazda all these years, since the sticker price on Solstice is more than $2,000 less expensive than the current entry-level car from the Japanese firm.
Mazda is about ready to bring out the third iteration of the Miata, so that will give roadster lovers two models to chose from this year.
To make the Solstice as good as possible, GM created a unique architecture for compact, rear-drives and branded it Kappa. According to Lutz, the ''robust architecture features state-of-the-art, full-length hydroformed frame rails and a stamped-steel structural tunnel to provide a solid structure to enhance vehicle handling.''
 |
| 2006 Pontiac Solstice (photo : General Motors) |
Solstice's power is created by a new 2.4-liter variable-valve, high-revving version of the Ecotec DOHC inline-four, producing about 170 hp at 6,400 rpm and 170 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm.
Lutz says the engine's lightweight, all-aluminum construction helps optimize the vehicle's front-to-rear balance, and that's what the car -- as well as Pontiac -- is all about.