Shinkaze
07-14-2004, 08:44 AM
From the Car Connection
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=7305
http://www.thecarconnection.com/images/gallery/7590_image.jpg
Flint: So What About Solstice?
If roadster sales are collapsing, where’s that leave Pontiac? Everybody loves a sports car, right? So how come I picked up my Automotive News and read (July 5, page 1): Summer's a bummer for two-seaters.
The story says, "The bottom has dropped out of America 's small roadster market." We've got any important issue here. Not because of the sport cars on sale now, but because the Pontiac Solstice is coming next spring. The racy two-seater is Robert Lutz's effort to put some excitement back in GM cars. If the Solstice flops it could discredit the GM vice chairman and his work. As far as I'm concerned Lutz and his team are saving GM.
So first let's see what's happening: He's a list of sport cars, closed and open roadsters, six months sales:
Six months 2004 2003
Chevy Corvette 18,388 16,946
Nissan 350Z 16,839 19,503
BMW Z4 7359 9869
Chrysler Crossfire 7636 275
Ford T'Bird 7072 9877
Mercedes SL 7019 5732
Chevy SSR 5442 0
Mazda Miata 5266 5721
Lexus SC430 4887 5206
Porsche 911 4808 4748
Honda S2000 4238 4295
Audi TT 2954 4094
Porsche Boxster 2307 3467
Mercedes SLK 2118 3173
Cadillac XLR 1910 0
Toyota MR2 1702 1615
Okay, you don't like the Ford Thunderbird or the Lexus SC430 on the list, wonder about the SSR, and want the Mazda RX-8 included as a sports car (12,680 for the new rotary versus 14 the year before). Also this list includes not only open cars but closed coupe sports cars. But a few things stand out:
a. When you look at coupes and roadsters, the sales are pretty much the same but there are a large number out there considering how small the market is. That holds down volume of individual makes.
b. Novelty counts. Sport cars can fade fast, which might explain a slowdown with the Nissan Z. And the new BMW Z4 is off sharply despite $3500-$4500 incentive money. Some blame that on the design, but it looks good to me.
Why and how it happens
Why so many? Foreign manufacturers, usually run by engineers or "car guys," think sports cars are important. American companies, often run by financial types, can't understand why they matter. Hey, General Motors doesn't even have a real convertible (meaning with a back seat, not the Corvette). Bankers like roofs over their heads. The foreigners also have world markets while Detroit doesn't.
That said, Here's what I think has happened:
a. New small convertibles (not open two seat sports cars) siphon off some of the market: The New Beetle, the PT Cruiser and the Mini convertibles. Fun is fun, but a back seat is really handy.
b. The "boy racers" take over and turn lower priced roasters into high-priced models by making the engines bigger. The BMW Z3 started as a four-cylinder model around $30,000. Now the Z4 starts with a six around $40,000. Motor Trend magazine ran a test of roadsters: the Boxster S model tested listed at $59,020, the Z4 was $47,795, the Audi TT was $47,415. Sport cars should be for young people who don't have $50,000. They should be more fun than fast. The fun in an open roadster is about 45 miles per hour on a country road. But the boy racers want p-o-w-e-r.
What about the Mazda Miata? Why isn't it selling better? Well, it has been around a long time, but frankly, Mazda dealers are weak. Imagine if the Miata had a Ford oval on the hood. They might sell 50,000 a year.
Pontiac's problem
So what about the Solstice? The price is to be low, $20,000 list, so figure $24,000 or so with options.
My advice to General Motors: keep that price low. Don't let the boy racers take over, pushing in a six and even an eight, running up the power and the price. Keep it as a four. If not, you'll
drive out the women buyers and destroy your market. Let the boy racers play with their 'Vettes.
Build a lifestyle around the car from the beginning. Solstice clubs, Class Solstice for fun racing, like Class V that was for Volkswagen Beetle racing in the old days.
Put the fun back in sports cars, not the cost.
PS I really don't agree with them. I think the Solstice should have a base model then an uplevel higher performance model. so long as the base model is at a good price point it should be fine.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=7305
http://www.thecarconnection.com/images/gallery/7590_image.jpg
Flint: So What About Solstice?
If roadster sales are collapsing, where’s that leave Pontiac? Everybody loves a sports car, right? So how come I picked up my Automotive News and read (July 5, page 1): Summer's a bummer for two-seaters.
The story says, "The bottom has dropped out of America 's small roadster market." We've got any important issue here. Not because of the sport cars on sale now, but because the Pontiac Solstice is coming next spring. The racy two-seater is Robert Lutz's effort to put some excitement back in GM cars. If the Solstice flops it could discredit the GM vice chairman and his work. As far as I'm concerned Lutz and his team are saving GM.
So first let's see what's happening: He's a list of sport cars, closed and open roadsters, six months sales:
Six months 2004 2003
Chevy Corvette 18,388 16,946
Nissan 350Z 16,839 19,503
BMW Z4 7359 9869
Chrysler Crossfire 7636 275
Ford T'Bird 7072 9877
Mercedes SL 7019 5732
Chevy SSR 5442 0
Mazda Miata 5266 5721
Lexus SC430 4887 5206
Porsche 911 4808 4748
Honda S2000 4238 4295
Audi TT 2954 4094
Porsche Boxster 2307 3467
Mercedes SLK 2118 3173
Cadillac XLR 1910 0
Toyota MR2 1702 1615
Okay, you don't like the Ford Thunderbird or the Lexus SC430 on the list, wonder about the SSR, and want the Mazda RX-8 included as a sports car (12,680 for the new rotary versus 14 the year before). Also this list includes not only open cars but closed coupe sports cars. But a few things stand out:
a. When you look at coupes and roadsters, the sales are pretty much the same but there are a large number out there considering how small the market is. That holds down volume of individual makes.
b. Novelty counts. Sport cars can fade fast, which might explain a slowdown with the Nissan Z. And the new BMW Z4 is off sharply despite $3500-$4500 incentive money. Some blame that on the design, but it looks good to me.
Why and how it happens
Why so many? Foreign manufacturers, usually run by engineers or "car guys," think sports cars are important. American companies, often run by financial types, can't understand why they matter. Hey, General Motors doesn't even have a real convertible (meaning with a back seat, not the Corvette). Bankers like roofs over their heads. The foreigners also have world markets while Detroit doesn't.
That said, Here's what I think has happened:
a. New small convertibles (not open two seat sports cars) siphon off some of the market: The New Beetle, the PT Cruiser and the Mini convertibles. Fun is fun, but a back seat is really handy.
b. The "boy racers" take over and turn lower priced roasters into high-priced models by making the engines bigger. The BMW Z3 started as a four-cylinder model around $30,000. Now the Z4 starts with a six around $40,000. Motor Trend magazine ran a test of roadsters: the Boxster S model tested listed at $59,020, the Z4 was $47,795, the Audi TT was $47,415. Sport cars should be for young people who don't have $50,000. They should be more fun than fast. The fun in an open roadster is about 45 miles per hour on a country road. But the boy racers want p-o-w-e-r.
What about the Mazda Miata? Why isn't it selling better? Well, it has been around a long time, but frankly, Mazda dealers are weak. Imagine if the Miata had a Ford oval on the hood. They might sell 50,000 a year.
Pontiac's problem
So what about the Solstice? The price is to be low, $20,000 list, so figure $24,000 or so with options.
My advice to General Motors: keep that price low. Don't let the boy racers take over, pushing in a six and even an eight, running up the power and the price. Keep it as a four. If not, you'll
drive out the women buyers and destroy your market. Let the boy racers play with their 'Vettes.
Build a lifestyle around the car from the beginning. Solstice clubs, Class Solstice for fun racing, like Class V that was for Volkswagen Beetle racing in the old days.
Put the fun back in sports cars, not the cost.
PS I really don't agree with them. I think the Solstice should have a base model then an uplevel higher performance model. so long as the base model is at a good price point it should be fine.