Autoblog

Officially Official: Fisker buys GM's Wilmington Delaware plant

Sam Abuelsamid — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Fisker

In Wilmington, Delaware this morning, Governor Jack Markell was joined by Vice President Joe Biden and Henrik Fisker (seen at right) for the official announcement about the purchase of General Motors' closed plant there. Fisker will re-tool the plant to build a new, more affordable plug-in hybrid sedan to slot in below its more luxurious Karma. The goal is to have the model sell for under $40,000 after federal tax credits.

The current schedule is to have the car in production by the end of 2012 with volumes getting up to 75,000-100,000 units annually by 2014. Fisker has moved up its development schedule for what they are calling Project Nina thanks to the $528 million low cost loan it recently received courtesy of the Department of Energy. During the announcement, Fisker stated that he wants to export half of the production from the plant while creating 5,000 jobs in the U.S. (2,000 at the plant and 3,000 at suppliers). The local UAW president was also on hand, so it looks like the plant will remain unionized, which is very unusual for a startup auto plant.

Fisker is paying $18 million for the factory from Motors Liquidation which is the remainder of "Old GM" which is selling off assets from bankruptcy court. The plant most recently produced the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky, both of which ended production last spring.

Gallery: Fisker Karma

[Source: Fisker Automotive | Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty]

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Officially Official: Fisker buys GM's Wilmington Delaware plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: The Sky has a limit after all, as GM Kappa production ends

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:58:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Plants/Manufacturing, Pontiac, Saturn

Pontiac Solstice GXP - Click above for high-res image gallery

Old saying: The flame that burns twice as bright burns only half as long. Having driven our share of Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky roadsters, we can't honestly declare them to be brightly burning flames. Oh, they have their good points, but the market's worst folding top mechanism and rampant parts-sharing to keep costs in check have taken their toll on the promising droptops. What we can say, however, is that every Kappa platform vehicle is fabulous looking. Even the badge job Opel GT and Daewoo G2X.

Which is why, however small, there's a tiny tear in our eye because of the news that General Motors is shuttering its Boxwood Road plant in Delaware. It makes sense: the bankrupt automaker has euthanized Pontiac and is looking to sell Saturn. Furthermore, sales of the cramped, near-trunkless (or very odd) roadsters didn't exactly keep GM out of the red. Speaking of color, the boys over at Saturn Fans report that the last Kappa to roll off the line was a silver Solstice roadster. We just hope that "Good GM" doesn't look at the end of the Kappa platform as proof that small, sporty, rear-wheel drive convertibles are a dead end. Regardless, reach behind the seat and grab a cold one to pour out for a dead, albeit awkward, homie.

Gallery: Review: 2007 Pontiac Solstice GXP

[Source: Saturn Fans]

REPORT: The Sky has a limit after all, as GM Kappa production ends originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rendered speculation: Chevrolet Sky-Volt?

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:35:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Green, Chevrolet, Rendered Speculation

One of the many unfortunate casualties of General Motors' financial apocalypse is the loss of the Kappa platform, the small, rear-wheel drive architecture underpinning the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. With both of those brands being discontinued and no plans to migrate any models over to GM's surviving brands, the slow-selling roadsters will simply disappear within the next year.

Another disappointment to GM fans was the transformation of the Chevy Volt from concept to production form. The sporty, aggressive concept was, to many, a generic interpretation of an otherwise revolutionary design.

One of our readers came up with a novel solution to both problems. Just graft the Volt concept nose onto the Sky and install an adaptation of the Voltec powertrain and voila! you have a rival to the Dodge Circuit and Tesla Roadster. From a technical standpoint, the Volt Roadster is theoretically possible. A battery pack could easily fit into the center tunnel, with the drive motor mounted at the rear, but don't get your hopes up -- it's highly-doubtful that it could ever come to production. GM is struggling to finance the development of volume models and a niche product like this just couldn't happen in the foreseeable future. But if the General could keep the Kappa tooling around, who knows? One can dream, right? Thanks to reader Ryan for the tip and the rendering!

Rendered speculation: Chevrolet Sky-Volt? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 May 2009 12:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: GM kills the Kappa II platform

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, GM, Rumormill

The ruthless pruning continues, with GM Inside News reporting that the rear-wheel-drive Kappa II platform has gone to heaven before ever touching this mortal coil. Back in 2004, a vehicle line executive said "The Kappa architecture is a great platform for sporty, driver-oriented applications around the globe." Apparently, not one for which GM could make enough different models to actually earn some money.

Reasons for the sequel platform's demise are allegedly that the first hydra-formed Kappa is just too expensive to fabricate; the cars based on it use expensive, hydra-formed parts; assembly requires inordinate amounts of human labor; and GM didn't make its money back fast enough to justify the investment in a new RWD - read: thirstier - platform.

The current Kappa's suspension and design geometry aren't shared with any other car;, the platform was created to accept one engine, the Ecotec 4-cylinder; and it served under only four varieties of the same car: the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, Daewoo G2X and Opel GT. It was a lot to ask such a limited platform to achieve the volume's GM needed with cars on expensive underpinnings that didn't demand expensive prices. And if the rumors are true, then your Solstice GXP could be worth more than you expected, and sooner than you expected.

[Source: GM Inside News]

Rumormill: GM kills the Kappa II platform originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beijing '08 Preview: Dongfeng Citroen C2 to wear Kappa threads

Alex Nunez — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:33:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, China, Hatchback, Misc. Auto Shows, Citroën

Click above for photo gallery of the Dongfeng Citroën C2 Kappa

Dongfeng Citroën will reportedly show a pair of cars adorned with graphics inspired by soccer/sport apparel manufacturer, Kappa. From what we can gather, a trio of Dongfeng Citroën C2s will be on hand, one in the red-and-white motif you see above, and two more sporting the automotive equivalents of the official Team Italia uniform. If the sketches are any indication, the cars will be given a dressed-up, rally-car look as well, with updated fascias, wheels, and the like. Whether a Citroën/Kappa trim package model is in the works for China is not clear, but at the very least, these show cars ought to be interesting to see when they're unveiled.

Gallery: Dongfeng Citroen C2 Kappa Editions

[Sources: Autoblog Chinese, FoMoCo News]

Beijing '08 Preview: Dongfeng Citroen C2 to wear Kappa threads originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor Mill: Next gen Pontiac G6 will be RWD

Scott Davis — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 11:51:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Sedan, Performance, GM, Pontiac

Rumors abound within the hallowed halls of General Motors as it prepares to go through a major transformation that will include products designed to make the world take notice. For a brand that was once deemed "damaged" by car guy Bob Lutz, Pontiac is destined to make a huge splash at the upcoming North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

An interesting rumor is that the next G6 replacement will be a rear-wheel drive vehicle on a yet-to-be determined platform. Could this be a viable contender to the 3-series?

Yet another possibility is a rear-drive compact car replacing the current badge-engineered G5 under the G4 name. Speculation has this vehicle riding on the Kappa platform that underpins the Solstice and being available in both coupe and sedan models. GM has been mulling a second Kappa car for a while, and it sounds like it still is.

Last but not least, there has been talk of a Grand Prix replacement called the G8 that will be built on the Zeta platform. From what we hear this car will definitely appear at the Chicago Auto Show in February, if not sooner at the Detroit show in January Aren't rumors great?

[Source: GM Inside News]

Rumor Mill: Next gen Pontiac G6 will be RWD originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Nov 2006 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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V6 Corvette rumors are rumored to be true!

John Neff — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:54:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Chevrolet, GM

Rumors of a V6-powered Corvette model have been floating around for years but weren't taken very seriously until Motor Trend decided to spend some ink on it a few issues ago and predict the six-cylinder model would revive the "Sting Ray" name. The model would basically be a Chevy-branded version of the Kappa roadster that GM has liberally passed out to such brands as Pontiac (Solstice), Saturn (Sky) and Opel (GT). Chevy's version would be different in that power would come from a V6 rather than an inline-four cylinder, and rumor has it that it would be badged a Corvette. Kind of sounds like a long shot, but Rick "Corvette" Conti, the #1 Corvette dealer in Ohio (w00t!), cites sources somewhere in the universe that tell him the rumors are true and coming sooner than we think. He says the "Sting Ray" name, however, will not be used on this chuckable roadster that should come with a 6-speed automatic and a price tag right below $30,000. He also hints Chevy may drop a bomb in the form of this V6 Kappa at the Detroit auto show in January.

Personally, while a V6-powered Chevy Kappa car will be driving through my dreams tonight, it will most certainly not be wearing a Corvette badge. It's bad enough that Corvette faithful have to share platforms and parts with Cadillac (economies of scale, blah, blah, blah), but the dilution of this iconic car has to stop there. Nothing good will come of calling a V6-powered Pontiac Solstice clone a Corvette. Trust us. Call it the Equinabu, Impaleo or whatever, but don't call it a Vette. And what's with pimping out the Kappa roadster concept to every brand that's still breathing. Two in the U.S. is enough, how about a Kappa coupe for Chevy instead?

[Source: Corvette Conti via Jalopnik]

V6 Corvette rumors are rumored to be true! originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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