For those who know their American car history, they would know that the name ‘Pontiac’ is synonymous to ‘American original’.
For over 80 years, Pontiac has been responsible for producing some of the most iconic vehicles in the US, responsible for the likes of the Bonneville, the GTO, the Grand-Am, and the Firebird. But while Pontiac has enjoyed a remarkable run, spanning generations of Americans, the road has finally come to an end for Pontiac.
And as soon as the last production Pontiac vehicle - the Pontiac Solstice – rolls out of the plant, Pontiac’s doors will now forever be closed.
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The whirlwind of activity surrounding General Motors these days appears to be far from over. The latest piece of news we’ve heard is that GM is discontinuing the Pontiac Vibe, two weeks after it said that it had plans of continuing the car through next year.
It wasn’t that long ago when GM said that of all the Pontiac cars earmarked for 2010 releases, only the Vibe and the G6 would be rolled out with the G6 specifically earmarked only to fleet customers.
Now, it appears that the Vibe won’t even make to September as GM has just confirmed that production of the Vibe will finish this August, with poor sales – down 35% through May – being largely attributed as the culprit regarding the Vibe’s untimely demise.
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If you want to show off a little, just until the others realize about your trick, you can choose for a 2006 Pontiac Solstice and claim it was one of the thousand concepts presented during the 2006 SEMA show.
The car is made of a custom one-off bodykit consisting in a re-designed front, new rear bumper, stylish side skirts and features 20-inch TSW alloy wheels packed in 235/30/20 tires signed by Pirelli, KW sport springs, an AEM cold air intake and a Magnaflow performance exhaust.
Pontiac will launch a GXP version of its newly launched Solstice Coupe next year. The GXP version will come to compete with the 2010 Nissan 370Z. And the company says it will produce around 300 hp.
the extra horses, courtesy more turbo boost, intercooling and a new fuel rail, will be available in the GXP convertible, too, and only with the manual gearbox in either coupe or convertible (automatics will be stuck at 260). Second, that’s still about 30 horses shy of the 370Z, if the Infiniti G37 is any guide. But the 3.7 is a V-6, of course.
The 300-horsepower Ecotec turbo is probably a short-term engine, as expected interim Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards before the 2020 rule aren’t likely to be kind to such high output. The targa coupe also will come with the 173-horsepower, 2.4-liter Ecotec engine.
When Pontiac unveiled the Solstice Coupe at the New York Auto Show they announced it will be powered by a standard 2.4L Ecotec four-cylinder engine that generates 173 hp, and the GXP version with a 2.0L turbocharged Ecotec engine with 260 hp. Back then we all expected more powerful versions to be announced at a later date. But Jose Gonzalez, the creative lead designer of the vehicle, denied any rumors about a more powerful Solstice Coupe.
"GM plans to offer more engine choices than what is currently available with the coupe. Is there a chance of a V6 in the lineup in the near future?" The base 2009 Pontiac Solstice coupe models get the same 173-horsepower 2.4-liter inline-4 as the roadsters, while the GXP coupes get a 260-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter engine. Gonzalez confirmed there is "no V6 in the lineup. No other engines in the lineup."
And also no hopes for an AWD version: "I don’t think you’re going to see the Solstice in an AWD application" because of concerns that it would be "adding a lot of weight."
The Pontiac Solstice Coupe will go on sale early next year.
Here are the most important news of the week:
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Pontiac will unveil at the New York Auto Show the 2009 Solstice Coupe. It will arrive in dealerships in early 2009. The new model is inspired by the Solstice coupe concept shown at the North American International Auto Show in 2002.
Despite its dramatic new look, engineers made only minor structural changes to create the Solstice coupe. The rear fenders and rear fascia are the same as those on the convertible. New taillight assemblies flow more smoothly into the tapered roofline.
The coupe is powered by a standard 2.4L Ecotec four-cylinder engine that generates 173 hp, while the GXP version is equipped with a 2.0L turbocharged Ecotec engine with 260 hp.
Press release after the jump.
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Until now we told you about the G8 GXP and the G8 Sport Truck, but Pontiac will also unveil the Solstice Coupe at the New York Auto Show. And here’s the first photo revealed by Pontiac.com
In a previous article we were saying that the fastback coupe will be powered by a turbocharged version of the 2.0-liter direct-injection four-cylinder engine used in the Roadster version. The maximum output will be around 265 hp. A V8 version will also be used, probably for the GXP version (also available for the coupe version). We expect a maximum output of 300 hp. The transmission will remain the same as in the Roadster version.
GM announced that a hardtop "targa" version of the Pontiac Solstice two-seater will be unveiled at the end of the month at the New York Auto Show. Production will start in 2009 and will be limited to 10.000 units a year.
The Solstice Coupe is also rumored to be unveiled this year. It will be inspired by the Solstice Coupe Concept that was launched back in 2002. It powered by a turbocharged version of the 2.0-liter direct-injection four-cylinder engine used in the Roadster version. The maximum output will be around 265 hp. A V8 version will also be used, probably for the GXP version.
Bob Lutz, head of product for General Motors, said that developing a coupe version of the
Pontiac Solstice would be “the logical thing to do.” Pontiac appears to be logical.
According to Automotive news, a coupe version of the Solstice will debut next year. It will feature a four cylinder engine, but with more power than the current base Solstice engine. It will not, however, be available with a V-6. A V-6 is considered to heavy to allow optimum handling in the relatively light (...
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