Where Do Solstices Come From

[wspohn]

You see percentages of non-American build for various cars. I believe the Solstice was nominally around 80% American, but of course that includes Canadian content (a convenient fiction to consider them the same as American, so the true figures don't look as bad).

I was wondering about specific sources for the major parts.

The wheels came from China, and I just discovered that the leather seats came from Brazil. I expect a fair bit of electronics came from Japan. The shocks are German (thopugh who knows where they were manufactured) and the transmissions are Japanese.

Anyone know what else was outsourced?

I believe the chassis was built at the factory, but where the engine bits were manufactured I do not know. Anyone know?

[AggreSol]

From what I just read, there is a 2006 Buick LaCrosse in both Taiwan and Shanghai that have the 2.4L LE5 engine so it's possible something could be from there.

The 2.0L LNF engine is also found in the 2012 Fisker Karma which is in Finland.

I don't know if any parts are manufactured in these countries or not but thought this was a descent start for ya.

[King-Oka]

Daewoo made Kappas in the east (Taiwan?) so that may explain the presense of 2.4L LaCrosses there. The new Buicks here in Canada also have 2.4 LNFs and 2.0 turbos in them.

I imagine that many many parts have common international suppliers in the automotive world, as do most industries.

[DaveOC]

Originally Posted by King-Oka Daewoo made Kappas in the east (Taiwan?) so that may explain the presense of 2.4L LaCrosses there. The new Buicks here in Canada also have 2.4 LNFs and 2.0 turbos in them. I imagine that many many parts have common international suppliers in the automotive world, as do most industries.

Sorry, but the Daewoo G2X was made in Wilmington, Delaware, alongside the Solstices, Skys and Opel GTs.

[King-Oka]

Originally Posted by DaveOC Sorry, but the Daewoo G2X was made in Wilmington, Delaware, alongside the Solstices, Skys and Opel GTs.

Oh yeah - that's right. Sorry I forgot.

[AggreSol]

Daewoo is Korean out of the GM Korea division in South Korea and is a sub division of General Motors.

Why would a Korean Manufacturer want their brand made is the USA?

[2KWK4U]

Ecotec motors were built in Tonowanda, NY, Spring Hill, TN and Kaiserslautern, Germany when our cars were built. Not sure EXACTLY where LE5 or LNF were built...

[blackbirdracing]

A daddy Solstice and a Mommy sosltice...

Then a big stork...

[wspohn]

Yes, all Kappas were assembled at the US factory, not in Korea.

I expect that the motors were probably sourced from the US plants as well, simply to save on shipping.

I would think (but don't know) that many/most body panels would be made domestically for the same reason.

The diff is Getrag designed, but I'm not sure where they are built (I say 'are' rather than 'were' as they are shared by current models). Some of the more current Getrag transaxles used by GM are made in their (Getrag's) Italian plant, so..... And that's just the diff itself - the casing may well be sourced elsewhere

[HUH]

The frame rails and many of the body panels were hydroformed and when I retired in 2000 the only place that had hydroforming capabilities was at the Pontiac plant in Pontiac Michigan; and I know that a plant in Windsor Canada was gearing up to do hydroforming. My guess is that the Kappa frame rails were built at Pontiac. Pontiac did the Corvette frame rails, and knowing the complexity of the manufacturing of them I would guess that they made the Kappa there also. One thing for sure is they weren’t manufactured at Wilmington. Wilmington probably just assembled the pieces together to make the Kappa chassis.

The hydroformed body panels could have been made either at Pontiac or Windsor.

The engine was built in Tonawanda New York. The differential was probably built in Mexico, but could have been built in Indiana.

Today’s world is different than when the Fiero was built, when almost all of the parts were manufactured at Pontiac (except for the 1988 V-6 engine).

[wspohn]

Originally Posted by HUH The engine was built in Tonawanda New York. The differential was probably built in Mexico, but could have been built in Indiana. Today’s world is different than when the Fiero was built, when almost all of the parts were manufactured at Pontiac (except for the 1988 V-6 engine).

Were the differential guts outsourced from Getrag and stuffed into cases in the US, or did they actually manufacture the whole unit domestically?

And your comment on the 88 Fiero engine (given that I own one) has me wondering where they assembled that engine and why it wasn't at the same plant as the prior years (there were minor differences including that the 88 was internally balanced and thus had a new crank and balancer).

[SolPainter]

Pulled out my window sticker for my 2007 GXP Automatic.
US/Canadian Parts Content: 66%
Country of Origin:
Engine: United States
Transmission: France

[cdnite]

All kappa head, tail, and fog lights were made in Korea.

Most of the engine sensors were made in Germany.

Half of the engines were German half in the US. The German blocks have a proof mark as per German law.

ECUs are made in Germany, most of the other electronic boards in Latin America or China.

--Christian

[HUH]

Originally Posted by wspohn Were the differential guts outsourced from Getrag and stuffed into cases in the US, or did they actually manufacture the whole unit domestically? And your comment on the 88 Fiero engine (given that I own one) has me wondering where they assembled that engine and why it wasn't at the same plant as the prior years (there were minor differences including that the 88 was internally balanced and thus had a new crank and balancer).

Getrag has plants around the world that they run so it’s not really outsourcing. As far as the parts shipped and assembled someplace else, all I can do is tell you what I’ve seen. I’ve been to two plants at GM that produced differentials; one was Pontiac and the other was Flint gear and axle. Both plants made the gears and assembled them into a differential housing, and shipped the differential as a complete unit. (Neither plant made the housings). For various cost and quality reasons I can’t imagine doing it any other way.

The engine you have in your Fiero was made and assembled in Romulus Michigan about 50 miles from the Pontiac plant. The engine is basically the same as one that was made in Tonawanda. I remember that there were people working on a secondary force balancer on the V6, I didn’t know that the Fiero had one. I was working on a secondary force balancer for the 2.5 and the Fiero was the first to get it in 1986.

The reason the engine wasn’t built at Pontiac was that GM had the capacity to build the engine at Romulus and Tonawanda. The only engine Pontiac built at that time was the 2.5 liter and had the capacity to build 6,000 a day.

[wspohn]

Originally Posted by SolPainter Pulled out my window sticker for my 2007 GXP Automatic. US/Canadian Parts Content: 66% Country of Origin: Engine: United States Transmission: France

Great info - I had thought the American content was higher. It was normal for Canadian produced parts to be in the 15% region, so the Solstice may have had less than half actually manufactured in the US!

Originally Posted by HUH Getrag has plants around the world that they run so it’s not really outsourcing. As far as the parts shipped and assembled someplace else, all I can do is tell you what I’ve seen. I’ve been to two plants at GM that produced differentials; one was Pontiac and the other was Flint gear and axle. Both plants made the gears and assembled them into a differential housing, and shipped the differential as a complete unit. (Neither plant made the housings). For various cost and quality reasons I can’t imagine doing it any other way.

Thanks for the info on the Fiero - the 88 2.8 had a normal balancer without lump on it as the engine was now internally balanced. The 2.5 had, IIRC, a neutral balance shaft, didn't it?

On the Getrags, the differential itself would be made by Getrag, the gears probably in the US or Mexico and the cases who knows where, so a combined effort.

Now everyone will have to go look at their engines and see if they are American or German! Where are the proof marks on the block?