2002 Pontiac Solstice

Bringing the popular concept car to life, GM announced production of the Pontiac Solstice roadster as a 2006 model. The vehicle is expected in dealer showrooms in fall 2005.

First shown as a concept at the 2002 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, the Solstice immediately gained a huge following, both inside and outside of General Motors. Designed from the ground up in less than four months, the 2002 Solstice concept car promised thrilling, open-air driving freedom in the spirit of the great roadsters of the past.

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 sophisticated double overhead cam variable-valve four-cylinder engine.

“True to the thinking behind the original concept, the production Solstice is all about being a ‘back-to-basics’ roadster with gorgeous lines and fun-to-drive characteristics,” said Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman of product development and chairman of GM North America. “The key enabler of Solstice is the new Kappa rear-wheel-drive architecture and component set, which allows us to rapidly and efficiently develop an appealing family of compact and affordable sports cars.”

Emotional design, rigid backbone

Strong response to the 2002 Solstice concept vehicle helped put the sports car on the fast track to production. But while the concept was designed with production-style elements, there was no compact rear-wheel-drive platform at GM on which to build it. Creating a production version of the concept vehicle required marrying the Solstice’s curvaceous design to an entirely new performance body-chassis architecture.

The robust Kappa 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 an affordable, world-class driving experience, Solstice was created with a clever blend of all-new technology and proven GM components.

Solstice’s power is created by a new 2.4-liter variable-valve version of the Ecotec DOHC four-cylinder engine, producing about 170 horsepower. Its twin-cam, multi-valve design provides stirring, high-revving performance, while the engine’s lightweight, all-aluminum construction helps optimize the vehicle’s front-to-rear balance. At the start of production, Solstice will be offered with a close-ratio Aisin five-speed manual transmission.

“With the concept vehicle, people immediately felt the emotional appeal of Solstice’s design and back-to-basics philosophy - it’s about performance, but in a fun, agile, affordable roadster,” said Lynn Myers, Pontiac-GMC general manager. “All the stops were pulled out to make sure the production model delivers an exhilarating driving experience to capitalize on the ‘promise’ of the Solstice’s design.”

Faithfulness to the concept can be seen in Solstice’s proportions, which are comparable in terms of overhangs, wheelbase and track width. Independent front and rear suspensions that feature independent SLA designs with forged aluminum upper and lower control arms contribute to responsive handling. Monotube shock absorbers and coil springs contribute to uncompromised handling response and sporty driving characteristics while the wheels-at-the-corners wide stance enhances handling. Eighteen-inch wheels and tires are standard, as are four-wheel disc brakes.

by GENERAL MOTORS

The interior is oriented around the driver, with a clean design and intuitive controls. “The interior of the Solstice is surprisingly spacious, especially for a smaller car,” said Lori Queen, vehicle line executive for GM’s small cars. “We wanted to create a comfortable environment suitable for longer drives without sacrificing the ‘personal’ feeling of a driver’s car.”

Clean lines, clever details

Designers worked carefully to transfer the clean lines and taut proportions of the concept vehicle to the production model.

“Put them side by side and it’s very difficult to tell the production model from the concept,” said Franz Von Holzhausen, design manager. “The front and rear fascias are slightly longer on the production model, but overall the car remains faithful to the concept - it’s a minimalist approach that emphasizes proportion.”

The Solstice’s proportions are accented with five-spoke wheels and a low, wide stance. A dual-port grille and expressive lighting at all corners instantly identifies the car as a Pontiac. Unexpected details include a body-color extension into the passenger compartment that gives the Solstice an integrated appearance when the top is down. In fact, the top folds flat into the rear clamshell opening, providing a smooth seamless appearance.

“There is no visible stack from the folded top to disturb the shape,” said Von Holzhausen. “In fact, there are no extraneous lines whatsoever; it has a tight, purposeful look, as if it were shrink-wrapped around the driver.”

“We insisted on a lower ride height to ensure the car’s sporty appearance,” said Von Holzhausen. “That makes it the lowest, most ground-hugging car at GM. We were adamant that the Solstice look absolutely right from all angles.”

Creative leveraging of GM resources, as well as clever solutions to other needs, helped complete the Solstice’s design efficiently and economically. For example, the rear corner lamps are from the GMC Envoy, while door handles, fog lamps, seats, engine and transmission are shared with other GM vehicles.

However, some parts are all Solstice. The taillamps, for instance, were designed with special reflectors to eliminate the need for a separate side marker light. This not only contributes to the car’s sleek design, but also eliminates the cost of a separate marker lens and bulb.

Interior design is equally purposeful and clever, with details like pedals placed for easy heel-and-toe driving and a cockpit-style instrument panel that sweeps around the driver. Designers also worked with chassis engineers to optimize the placement of the shifter. Manual shifter throws between gear changes were studied and shortened.

“When you sit down in the car, your hand naturally falls onto the shifter,” said Vicki Vlachakis, interior designer. “It’s a very intuitive, comfortable environment, and the feel of the shifter between gears is very short and precise. Designers and chassis engineers worked together to tune the best placement.”

A turning point

The production Solstice announcement further enhances a re-energized Pontiac lineup that already includes the all-new GTO and G6, Grand Prix, Vibe and a V-8-powered Bonneville GXP.

“Solstice is a vehicle that captures the passion and pleasure of open-air driving,” said Myers. “Everyone at GM recognized that adding it to Pontiac’s portfolio would make another strong statement about Pontiac’s renaissance.”

Its fast-track approval and development process come on the heels of a similar rapid decision process that helped launch the 2004 GTO in 18 months.

“The GTO and Solstice complement each other by offering ‘book-end’ approaches to Pontiac’s performance offerings,” said Myers. “Like its V-8 powered stable mate, Solstice adds another dimension to a growing lineup of clean, uncompromising performance vehicles.”

by GENERAL MOTORS

Emotional design, rigid backbone

required marrying the Solstice’s curvaceous design to an entirely new performance body-chassis architecture.

The robust Kappa 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 an affordable, world-class driving experience, Solstice was created with a clever blend of all-new technology and proven GM components.

Clean lines, clever details

Designers worked carefully to transfer the clean lines and taut proportions of the concept vehicle to the production model.

by Pontiac Media

'Keep it simple, pure, and beautiful and it will be easy to love.'

These were the basic inspirations set down by Bob Lutz, GM's chairman of North American Operations, in creating a 'sketch-off' for the first concept vehicle commissioned by GM's new product chief. The call went out at the end of September, and by mid-October, the Pontiac Solstice roadster concept – an open-air, sporty, 'gotta-have-it' car – was under development.

'The North American market is ripe for an affordable, pure roadster executed to top global standards on perceived quality, both inside and out,' Lutz explained. 'The Solstice is striking in its purity and simplicity. The exterior lines are strong, bold and clearly Pontiac – but not over-the-top. The interior is focused on the essential elements of driving – functional, precise and inviting, executed in a manner that exudes quality and tactile feel.

'In its performance, we simply wanted to capture the true essence of what Pontiac brand character has historically been about – a stunning amount of thrust, and handling that exceeds the bold promise of the exterior sheet metal. This is youth marketing at its best and most elementary form – no matter how old the buyer is.'

The program was executed in just under four months from the first sketch to the running vehicle. The thesis is an affordable roadster that would sell for about $20,000 and would be very easy to build in a flexible manufacturing environment. This was accomplished using existing componentry from the GM system.

'This is about taking the best and most appropriate pieces from our system and orchestrating them in a way that is compelling,' Lutz said. 'This was one that we wanted to execute in a manner that would make production a real possibility. Frankly, the amount of creativity and ingenuity the team used in fulfilling that requirement of the program was really heartening to watch.'

The first sketches for the vehicle actually hit Lutz's desk as a stunning coupe penned by designer Franz Von Holzhausen, a recent addition to the GM California design studio.

'I actually decided to throw this particular sketch into the running at the last minute, ' said Von Holzhausen. 'It was based on a coupe I sketched awhile ago and thought might look good as a roadster, so I thought I'd give it a go. I guess the rest is recent history — the ability to design on a program like this is a great opportunity. As much as I've enjoyed doing the roadster, it would be great to see a coupe come into play somewhere down the road.'

Recently, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, GM displayed a full-size foam model coupe version of the Solstice for the press and public.

The exterior of the Solstice roadster is finished in a rich gunmetal gray color, giving the nod to a slight European understatement in the approach. The front end is marked by Pontiac's signature dual-port grille. Imposing 19-inch front and 20-inch rear performance tires and wheels fill the wheel openings to provide a wide, planted stance that accentuates the curves of the body.

The drop-top is a simple 'one-hand'-operated manual fold-down that stows neatly underneath the speedster-style hard cover.

The interior is wrapped in saddle-brown Fragola leather surfaces with exterior color and titanium accents on the console and dashboard. The interior is intimate and clean with attention to detail of execution while avoiding unnecessary accents or controls.

The driver-oriented cockpit uses a two-gauge cluster with tachometer and speedometer. Other critical driver information is displayed on a small LCD screen to the right of the main cluster.

The soul of any worthy roadster is the powertrain. The Solstice is powered by a rear-wheel-drive 2.2-liter DOHC supercharged Ecotec four-cylinder engine generating up to 240 horsepower with premium fuel. The supercharger is an off-the-shelf unit supplied right out of the GM Service Parts performance catalog. The engine is mated to a Borg-Warner performance six-speed manual transmission, the same one used in the Corvette.

The Solstice's basic structure started life as a derivative of GM's global small car architecture, with several modifications for structure and balance, including extensive use of aluminum.

The front end uses a simple and reliable strut configuration with a rack-and-pinion steering system derived from the Subaru WRX, one of GM's alliance partners. The all-aluminum independent rear suspension is derived from GMs mid-size crossover SUV family and also doubles as the mount for the rear differential, which came from the new GM mid-size SUVs. Unique fabricated drive shafts power the rear wheels.

While no plans are existing for production, Lutz is clear it's something that's on his mind.

'Obviously, you can't say it's going to be produced before it's had a chance to make the rounds,' he explained. 'Having said that, you've got to feel good about a vehicle such as this. Clearly we've approached it with a mindset toward production based on low investment, minimal validation time and flexible manufacturing.

'Frankly, like all the programs we want to pursue, the litmus test will be how passionately people tell us they absolutely have to have it. At the end of the day, that's all that matters.'

by GM Press Release