Pontiac Solstice

The Pontiac Solstice is a two-seat sports car produced by Pontiac from 2005 to 2010.

The Pontiac Solstice is a two-seat sports car produced by Pontiac from 2005 to 2010. Introduced as a roadster for the 2006 model year and later expanded to include a coupe/hardtop variant, it was built on GM’s Kappa platform. The Solstice was one of Pontiac’s final new models before the brand was discontinued.

Development and launch

The Solstice was first shown in concept form before being unveiled in near-production form at the 2004 North American International Auto Show. Production began in 2005 at Wilmington Assembly in Delaware, United States, for the 2006 model year. It was Pontiac’s first production vehicle on GM’s Kappa architecture.

Design and specifications

The Solstice is a rear-wheel-drive two-seater built on GM’s Kappa platform. Base models used a naturally aspirated 2.4-litre inline-four engine producing 177 hp and 166 lb-ft of torque. Higher-performance GXP variants used a turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-four rated at 260 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque.

Variants

The model began as a roadster and later gained a coupe/hardtop variant. The GXP trim served as the higher-performance version of the Solstice range, featuring the turbocharged engine.

Discontinuation

Pontiac ended Solstice production in 2010 amid the brand’s discontinuation and the closure of the Wilmington Assembly plant. The car’s run was relatively short, with total production reaching roughly 65,724 units.