The Pontiac Solstice is a small sports car from the Pontiac division of General Motors. Introduced at the 2004 North American International Auto Show, the Solstice roadster began production in Wilmington, Delaware, starting in mid-2005 for the 2006 model year. The exterior styling of the production Solstice is similar to that of the 2002 Solstice concept that preceded it. Production of the Solstice was to be running before summer 2005, but delays at the Wilmington plant pushed volume production to the fourth quarter [2]. The new hardtop targa 2009 model was announced in mid 2008. The Solstice uses the GM Kappa platform, which also underpins the Saturn Sky and Opel GT.
The Solstice was nominated for the North American Car of the Year award and Design of the Year award from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) for 2006. It has been a runaway hit for Pontiac, with 7,000 orders in the first 10 days of availability and 6,000 more orders before winter. Although first-year production was planned at 7,000, GM apologized to customers for delays and increased production, delivering 10,000 by March 1. The base price was adjusted upwards to $20,490 in mid-December, but most buyers report paying $5,000 or more over sticker to get a Solstice. The Solstice currently has an MSRP of $22,115.