The Pontiac Solstice

The Pontiac Solstice sports car for the Pontiac division of General Motors was a shining car for the company. Presented in 2004 at the North American International Auto Show, the Solstice roadster began production in Wilmington, Delaware from mid-2005 for the 2006 model year. The exterior design of the production Solstice is similar to the Solstice Concept which preceded it. The production of the summer Solstice was to run until the summer of 2005. However, delays in the Wilmington plant pushed volume production in the fourth quarter. The new targa roof for the 2009 model was announced in mid-2008. The Solstice uses the GM Kappa platform which also underpins the Saturn Sky, Opel GT and Daewoo G2X. The Solstice was nominated for North American Car of the Year and Design of the Year Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) for 2006.

Solstice was one of the shortest gestation periods in GM history and for the world of automotive history. The car went from the design of computer mathematics to model within 21 days. Fifteen weeks later, the car took the stage in Detroit as a concept car. Solstice was the apple of the 2002 North American International Auto Show, coupling the Best in Show Award. The public fell in love with the car. GM quickly began the process for the concept and making it a reality.

Unfortunately, in April 2009 after GM announced the removal of the end of 2010 Pontiac, the chief executive, Fritz Henderson, said the Solstice would not continue under any other GM brand. Although it planned to sell the plant in Wilmington and the Solstice / Sky to the products of a foreign company, the assembly plant in Wilmington closed in July 2009. In October 2009, the DeLorean Motor Company had expressed interest in the continued production of the Solstice, but production has not resumed as of yet.