“This is a problem Pontiac hasn’t had in a number of years,” lamented Lori Queen, vehicle line executive for small cars at General Motors.
The problem: Pontiac sold 13,000 cars, which would be reason to celebrate unless you set out to sell 1,000 and now have orders for 12,000 more.
Demand was well beyond expectations when Pontiac started taking orders for its two-seat Solstice roadster in April.
Solstice, the hit of the 2002 auto-show circuit in concept form, is hitting showrooms – briefly – this fall. It’s been so hot the first 1,000 were snapped up in 41 minutes as part of a promotion with “The Apprentice” TV show in April.
Pontiac offered viewers the chance to visit a Web site to sign up for a lottery to get one of those cars. In 10 days, Pontiac had 7,000 orders. And the additional 5,000 were ordered by August, when the car went into production.
Pontiac is introducing Solstice slowly, initially offering only lower-priced 5-speed manual versions for roadster aficionados and not adding automatics until spring.
Despite the greater-than-expected demand, Pontiac will resist the temptation to boost Solstice output as fast as possible.
While Solstice looks like a $30,000 roadster, the base price is $19,420, and a well-equipped model runs less than $22,000. Even if you add every available option, it tops out at $25,000.
But don’t let that lull you into a false sense of affordability. What you could end up paying depends on how much a dealer wants to profit from the high-demand machine.
Rich Carleton of Beaverton, Ore., visited the Solstice preview in Portland four times to check out the roadster he bought but has yet to drive. He owns the right to purchase No. 245 and expects to take delivery in 30 days.
But he’s worried the car he ordered at $24,000 will cost a trifle more after a couple of dealers said they’re charging $15,000 over sticker.
Pontiac will deliver the first 1,000 cars in the next 30 days and before any of the remaining 12,000 orders are filled.
Solstice will be joined by the 2007 Saturn Sky roadster, built off the same platform, in the spring. It will start at less than $25,000 and have manual and automatic from the outset.
Queen said.
GM is targeting Solstice sales at 20,000 annually, Sky at 10,000.
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