Looks like the dream of a 250HP turbo direct from the General may have been just that.
The Article
The Article
Car News briefs: GM confirms Solstice, Sky will get supercharged engine
AUTOWEEK
Posted Date: 10/6/05
Boosted roadsters
That a Vauxhall version of the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky is in the works is nothing new. What is: We have confirmation of a supercharged high-output engine for the 2007 Vauxhall Lightning as well as Solstice and Sky.
Jon Lauckner, General Motors’ global product planning boss, says the Vauxhall two-seater will come to market with a 2.0-liter supercharged four-cylinder. The engine is expected to produce in excess of 200 hp and peak torque of 200 lb-ft, according to insiders. Look for the boosted engine in Solstice and Sky late next year.
Performance mods
The executive who has toiled since 2001 to make General Motors’ Performance Division a reality has a new job. Mark Reuss took over Oct. 1 as executive director of North America Vehicle Systems, where he is responsible for engineering all body and chassis systems. The new name at Performance Division is Bob Kruse, who adds the hot rod shop to his responsibilities as executive director of North America Vehicle Integration. GM officials say it’s an organizational “cleanup.”
Building better bots
This year’s robots look more competent than last year’s models, and one of them might actually win that $2 million prize in the DARPA Grand Challenge planned for Oct. 8 in the desert near Primm, Nevada. The Grand Challenge (DARPA stands for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is a government-run contest aimed at getting private entrepreneurs to build robotic vehicles that drive themselves, without remote-controlled human guidance (April 12, 2004). Last year no robot went farther than seven miles on the 142-mile desert dirt course.
This year’s grid looks stronger. During the first day of qualifying for the Challenge, seven of the 43 semifinalists lapped the 2.2-mile obstacle-strewn course at California Speedway, compared to none on opening day of last year’s qualifying session. As of press time, with three days of qualifying to go, 23 cars had unofficially qualified for the 20-robot field that will go for the big money Oct. 8.