Sky & Solstice dead by 2010 - Page 2

larry4pyro · 01-05-2008, 10:43 PM

I'm wondering how this pending CAFE legislation will affect the Sky/Solstice. The fuel mileage on the Kappa cars is not that great, and although there arn't a lot of them, it will cost GM a lot of money to make them more fuel efficient. Perhaps so much that it may be a wiser coporate decision to just kill them, at least for the time being.

Larry4pyro

**Ahnuld** · 01-06-2008, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larry4pyro

I'm wondering how this pending CAFE legislation will affect the Sky/Solstice. The fuel mileage on the Kappa cars is not that great, and although there arn't a lot of them, it will cost GM a lot of money to make them more fuel efficient. Perhaps so much that it may be a wiser coporate decision to just kill them, at least for the time being.

Larry4pyro

isnt that true of almost EVERY production car for EVERY manufacturer?

MidniteBlues · 01-06-2008, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larry4pyro

I'm wondering how this pending CAFE legislation will affect the Sky/Solstice. The fuel mileage on the Kappa cars is not that great, and although there arn't a lot of them, it will cost GM a lot of money to make them more fuel efficient. Perhaps so much that it may be a wiser coporate decision to just kill them, at least for the time being.

Larry4pyro

That doesn't make much sense, and will not happen..

I'm hoping they drop a V6 or a small V8 into them & to hell with their CAFE standards, that will make me buy another one...fer sure..

OR, which will get me also to buy another one, a Hybrid Sky.., now that will work for sure, but a Hybrid sports car, oh my..

OR even better yet, a Hydrogen fueled Sky..

Rob the Elder · 01-06-2008, 11:55 AM

for your consideration
since the liberal greenies have taken over the tiller and jammed the CAFE standards update down everyone's throat "for our own good and because they know better" every manufacturer has had their long term plans thrown up in the air. Its 52 pickup.

Basically, they had long term plans based on the current restrictive standards and their assessment of what the markep place would accept. That whole product mix was thrown out when the "we are from the government and we know better" people showed up at the door and said they had to start all over again.

Things will settle down as everyone has time to complete their analysis. The biggest problem for me is that the market is not driving this. The greenies are. Therefore logic will not prevail.

duck833 · 01-06-2008, 06:09 PM

I wish the gov't would just stay out of what kind of cars we wish to drive. Fuel prices will take care of the mileage thing, the car buying public will demand it. Look at Europe that has had $5.00-$6.00 per gallon gas for years. Lots and Lots of high mileage alternatives. I have a friend that owns a Saab in Italy, it costs him approx $100.00 to fill the tank. He also has a little scooter.

**lorennerol** · 01-07-2008, 03:23 PM

The market wasn't demanding airbags or seat belts, either.

But at this point it's not about the market. It's about what needs to be done to keep the planet in a state that supports humans.

Kappa Fan · 01-07-2008, 03:28 PM

I have it on good authority that we (Kappa platform) should be fine through at least 2012.

2sky4 · 01-07-2008, 06:19 PM

Read in the Feb 2008 issue of Motor Trend that "GM also is considering moving the 2013 Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky from Kappa to Alpha, which include some Kappa bits". GM found it couldn't stretch the Kappa platform adequately to underpin a compact, rear drive sedan, but can shorten the Alpha platform to serve a two-seat sports car. Basically, it will share platforms with the Cadillac CTS. Could this mean the all-wheel drive, 304 hp (or more) direct injection V6?

KappaMan · 01-07-2008, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2sky4

Read in the Feb 2008 issue of Motor Trend that "GM also is considering moving the 2013 Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky from Kappa to Alpha, which include some Kappa bits". GM found it couldn't stretch the Kappa platform adequately to underpin a compact, rear drive sedan, but can shorten the Alpha platform to serve a two-seat sports car. Basically, it will share platforms with the Cadillac CTS. Could this mean the all-wheel drive, 304 hp (or more) direct injection V6?

You're gonna need this:
http://www.skyroadster.com/forums/at...0&d=1131119038

Don't forget, it was motor trend that said the next 5-passenger Sunfire would be kappa based, and RWD. And the V6 Stingray was coming on the kappa platform in 2008. And the V8 is a definite go. And the next version of the solstice was ABSOLUTELY SUPERCHARGED. And in 2007, Vauxhall was going to get a SUPERCHARGED version of the kappa, but Vauxhall would be enlisting lotus to re-design the suspension.

And so far, they have had the worst made-up prognostications I've ever seen. Given their track record, I would think that you can pretty much take whatever they are projecting, and you'd be better off believing the OPPOSITE.

Besides, future of many of the performance-related cars is in an upheaval since the new mileage standards were signed.

Bogie · 01-12-2008, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2sky4

Read in the Feb 2008 issue of Motor Trend that "GM also is considering moving the 2013 Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky from Kappa to Alpha, which include some Kappa bits". GM found it couldn't stretch the Kappa platform adequately to underpin a compact, rear drive sedan, but can shorten the Alpha platform to serve a two-seat sports car. Basically, it will share platforms with the Cadillac CTS. Could this mean the all-wheel drive, 304 hp (or more) direct injection V6?

Read the words carefully. The keyword here is "considering". Keep in mind when the Solstice was being designed, they "considered" the delta platform. In fact, they tried very very hard to go with the delta. It didn't work. Then they "considered" the Corvette platform. It didn't work. In the end, they had to develop a brand new platform...the kappa.

Any automaker is always "considering" options to save costs. Look what they did with the Alpha. It has kappa parts. The more you can overlap, the more you can save through volume sourcing. So now GM is developing the alpha platform. I'm sure the engineers are looking at alpha and asking themselves, "Can we wrap a Solstice or SKY around this baby"? CONSIDERING. It happens all the time. They would be stupid not to consider an option to apply the alpha to Solstice and SKY. Maybe it will work....maybe not. Nothing wrong with "considering" options.

sapman · 02-24-2008, 10:16 PM

The dealership I got my redline from confirmed that they will start next year building the Sky at the Corvette plant. He also speculated that the price will go up 5-8K because of this move.

dengel · 02-24-2008, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sapman

The dealership I got my redline from confirmed that they will start next year building the Sky at the Corvette plant. He also speculated that the price will go up 5-8K because of this move.

I wouldn't rely too heavily on what a dealership has to say regarding production and plant issues. The dealerships tend to be pretty uninformed about that kind of stuff, and are usually just passing on the same sort of rumors everyone else hears.

I'm pretty sure Wilmington Delaware has a Union contract for at least a few more years. I thought the move to Bowling Green was more like 2012 or 2013.

**lorennerol** · 02-25-2008, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sapman

The dealership I got my redline from confirmed that they will start next year building the Sky at the Corvette plant. He also speculated that the price will go up 5-8K because of this move.

Sounds like a convenient story to help them move existing inventory out the door: "Ooooo! Look out for that big scary price increase. Better get one now while you can still afford it."

ParrotHeadNation · 02-25-2008, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sapman

The dealership I got my redline from confirmed that they will start next year building the Sky at the Corvette plant. He also speculated that the price will go up 5-8K because of this move.

by next year you mean 2010, because they can't move until the contract is up

stonebreaker · 03-20-2008, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larry4pyro

I'm wondering how this pending CAFE legislation will affect the Sky/Solstice. The fuel mileage on the Kappa cars is not that great, and although there arn't a lot of them, it will cost GM a lot of money to make them more fuel efficient. Perhaps so much that it may be a wiser coporate decision to just kill them, at least for the time being.

Larry4pyro

I would think the solstice coupe is a direct result of the tightened CAFE regs. The kappas' so-so mileage is due to the fact that it's a convertible with a Cd of about .40. If you assume that the coupe is at least as slippery as say a cobalt, then the mileage is going to jump up to the same as the 2008 cobalt's plus an extra 15% for the direct injection. The 2008 2.2 liter cobalt gets 33 mpg, that would mean the coupe should get somewhere around 35-36 mpg on the highway as long as you can keep your foot out of it.

The