Autoblog

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received around 40 complaints from owners of the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Redline regarding the vehicle's braking performance. According to the owners, too much pedal effort is required to slow the vehicle down when the engine is cold. This may correlate with a TSB issued by General Motors back in December that advised dealers to recalibrate the braking control computer on both models. The system uses the stability control module's pump to increase hydraulic pressure when engine vacuum is low.

The investigation is in its preliminary stages, so no recall is in effect yet. However, NHTSA has one case of a crash involving one of the two models that could be attributed to the problem.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

When the Pontiac Solstice hit the market last year, there was enough electricity surrounding the new model in GM's "Excitement" division to power a small mid-western town. That buzz has apparently dropped off in quick order. Whereas before, dealers were tacking on huge markups, there are now reports of $1,000 being thrown on the hood of Pontiac's beautiful, bulbous roadster.

An article in the New York Times outlines a number of reasons for the recent sales slump, which include sales of the Saturn Sky rallying, Pontiac's brand perception waning and fashion victims, whose tastes change quicker than their Platinum card balance, losing interest in a vehicle that is becoming more commonplace.

Historically, highly stylized sports cars and convertibles have a short shelf life and that, coupled with the introduction of the GXP variant of the Solstice, may be the biggest culprits in the recent sales decline.

[Source: New York Times via Winding Road]

Click the image above for more high-res pics.

Although the German tuner Irmscher wasn't kind enough to provide us a press release in English (a Google-translated version is after the jump), we were able to decipher a small amount of information about its newest Opel creation. Utilizing the already capable two-liter turbocharged Ecotec four in the Opel GT (aka Saturn Sky) the firm was able to boost power up to 315 HP, although no torque figures were available. Additionally, they didn't explain how the extra 45 ponies were released, but we'd stand to guess that some revised intake plumbing and ECU tweaks were employed, along with the firm's stainless steel dual exhaust.

The exterior receives a new front lip and 19-inch GT-Star aluminum wheels, wrapped in 245/40 ZR 19 tires, while the interior gets a mild makeover including a leather-wrapped wheel and seats. The GT also sits a bit lower to the ground, but again, no details were given on how this was achieved.

[Source: Irmscher via Autoblog Spanish]

Click the image above for 29 high resolution pictures

The Pontiac Solstice is the crown prince of the General's lineup. With curves and flares, bulges and rakes, it's the modern equivalent of the Coke bottle aesthetic of yesteryear. Sure, some may prefer its sheetmetal sibling the Sky, but regardless of your chosen chariot, they're both head-turners. When the Solstice was introduced last year, however, it lacked the firepower to back up its sex-on-wheels image. Until now.

Sometimes news is just too good to keep to yourself. Just ask GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. With his company supposedly claiming 13 spots on Edmund's Consumers' Most Wanted list, Lutz just had to brag a bit on the corporate blog before the winners were made public.

And he should brag. Most other car of the year awards are chosen by us automotive writers who usually prefer horsepower over hip room. As the name implies, Edmund's CMW awards are chosen by the car-buying public. And despite not voting with their wallets, the car-buying public who visits Edmund's really like their GMs.

The GMC Acadia got Most Significant vehicle of the year, beating out Honda's Fit, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, the Ford Edge and the Toyota Tundra.

Click through to see Edmund's press release as well as the other category winners.

[Source: Edmunds, GM FastLane Blog]

The Vauxhaull brand is Britain's own little version of Opel, the General Motors brand sold throughout the rest of Europe. While it may seem cool the Brits don't have to buy the same Opels as the rest of the old country, there are drawbacks. One big one is the announcement recently that Vauxhaull will not be getting a version of the Opel GT, which itself is a version of the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky sold here in the States. Apparently there's not a good business case for converting the car to right-hand drive for sale in the U.K. and slapping a Vauxhaull badge on it, as is the custom with much of Opel's lineup. They must not expect the car would sell in very large numbers in the U.K., or at least in not in the numbers required to cover the cost of the conversion and promotion. But Brits should take heart that more performance is on its way in the form of a new Vauxhall Monaro, according to Auto Express. The new four-door Monaro will feature a 6.0-liter V8 producing 362 horsepower, which is more of a muscle car than the Vauxhall GT could have ever hoped to be, anyway.

[Source: Auto Express]

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]

So you go down to your local Saturn dealer to at least attempt to buy their sexiest offering to date, the Sky. Under the much-marketed impression that Saturn offers no haggle, bottom-of-the-line pricing, you expect to walk in, look at the sticker and walk out with your new drop top for the price printed on the window.

Not so fast.

In a complete deviation from Saturn's long-held tradition of hassle-free car buying, dealers of the famed import fighter are tacking on thousands of dollars to the MSRP of the rarified roadster. Some are blatant with their tactics, adding a markup of anywhere between $3,000-5,000 and labeling it as a 'dealer surcharge.' Saturn has received many reports of this practice and seems intent on pursuing the perpetrators.

While Saturn execs have made it clear to all dealers that any markups are firmly against the customer service philosophy of Saturn, there are ways around stereotypical price gouging. One dealer, cited in Automotive News, is offering a "Galpinized" version of the Sky, named after the conglomerate that owns the dealer, which boasts Chip Foose wheels, uprated tires, cold air intake, sat nav and an option to upgrade the suspension. All those dealer installed accessories bump the price of the Sky upwards of $33,000.

Whatever the market will bear seems to be the prevailing tactic for most manufactures, but with a reputation to uphold, Saturn may have to rethink how they intend to keep demand and pricing in check.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

The newest post on General Motor’s FastLane Blog is by Jill Lajdziak, the General Manager of Saturn. In the post she attempts to answer some questions that have been lingering about the brand since the close of the New York Auto Show. Want to know why there’s no manual trans in the Aura or why the production vehicle doesn’t look much like the concept? How about why Saturn dropped polymer panels for sheetmetal? For her finale Lajdziak takes on the toughest question by answering critics who claim that Saturn is stepping on Chevrolet’s toes.

Though we sincerely appreciate GM’s attempt to address all the confusion caused by Saturn’s sudden makeover from a seller of small cars to an enemy of imports, the answers provided by Jill Lajdziak do little to satisfy. Her credibility takes a beating when she tries to claim the production version of the Aura has a more “refined” exterior than the concept. While the production version is attractive enough, it lacks the character of the concept with its aggressive wheel arches and crisp lines.

[Source: GM FastLane Blog]

"It's an Opel! It's a Vauxhall! No... it's a Saturn!" Even the haters are a little excited about Saturn going all Madonna on everyone (you know, pretending she was born and raised in Europe all of a sudden). The trio of Saturns set to appear at next month's New York Auto Show stand as shining examples of models GM hopes will trigger a brand revitalization. The Saturn Sky Red Line (the planetary brand's counterpart to Pontiac's Solstice GXP), sources the family 2.0-liter, 260 hp direct-injection turbo. The Saturn Aura (which looks suspiciously like the Opel Astra), is the brand's call to the upscale, with an interior that is by far the richest in the marque's stable. And finally, the Saturn Outlook, which goes into production later this year as an 8-person crossover based on GM's new CUV platform.  The Sky Red Line will go on sale this fall, and the Aura hits dealership lots this summer.

In related news, the Big Apple will also play host to the North American premiere of the Geneva Motor Show favorite, Saab's Aero-X.

(The General's full release can be found after the jump)

[Source: General Motors via WebWire.com]