I am writing this letter in hopes that members of the Pontiac Solstice design team AND/OR Mr. Lutz read this forum's posts from time-to-time and, therefore, profit from the members' feedback and comments and wisdom...
I just got back from the Houston Auto Show (a 400 mile roundtrip) and was greatly disappointed with the current design of your 2006 Solstice. For the vehicle to have any practicality, there must be more trunk space! Few people will purchase an underpowered tiny 2-seater that has no place to store anything (and I do mean ANYTHING). Frankly, the Chevrolet SSR has more utility than the Solstice and we all know what great sales the SSR has had to date.
The Solstice has no room for a small set of golf clubs let alone a few bags of groceries. I can't imagine taking it out for a spin, dropping by the local store and not having a place to store a carton of milk or six-pack (other than on the passenger's lap). Very stupid! This vehicle is NOT a Corvette and has no established customer loyalty base. So, who do you expect to buy it??? The twenty or so geeky Solstice forum members that stay glued to this web site, jerk-off over its pics, and never leave their computers??? You need to be concerned that your real target customer will find this vehicle TOTALLY IMPACTICAL.
Unless you folks want another SSR debacle, I strongly suggest you go back to the lab/studio and redesign the trunk. The obvious solution to me is to lengthen the rear of the vehicle 6" or more, and to also raise the trunk cover a few inches. Having a well/space between the infamous 'hump' and the bumper, say 1 foot square running the width of the vehicle, would solve the problem.
Another reason for enlarging the trunk, the tail-end is already so squat and close to the occupants that a rear-end collision will kill instantly, crushing the occupants like doodle bugs on an Odessa Friday night. There needs to be more distance between the seats and the rear bumper. I have visions of the gas tank being punctured by a Texas-sized pick-up truck collision and the passengers turned into flaming marshmellows (none of the design team was involved with the Pinto, were they?). The gas tank configuration poses serious safety concerns.
Also, there needs to be Z4 -type rollbars behind the seats. Why would BMW's Z4, which has dimensional specs almost identical to the Solstice, have these built-in safety features and not the Solstice? What is the added cost of rollbars? $500? $700? Is Pontiac not concerned about obvious safety flaws?
When I start reading about squashed, burnt-up Solstice owners, I'll be sure and remind Pontiac of this post... at the class-action trial.
Finally, your (leaked) colors proposed for the Solstice are ugly. The color selection shows no imagination and are so-o-o-o Pontiac! Small vehicles need light/bright colors so the vehicle can be seen on the road (unless you plan on full-time running lights). The greys and dark colors are too stealthy. Roadsters turn invisible on windy two lane roads; with dark colors they tend to blend into the pavement. Yellow is a good start but how about a cream color? Take a cue from the New Beetle color selection.
My personal email is through Yahoo under 'conrocas'. I'd be interested in continuing this discussion ([email protected]).
HappyDave
Anyway, if production is supposed to start in mid-May, you still have time to fix this problem.
I just got back from the Houston Auto Show (a 400 mile roundtrip) and was greatly disappointed with the current design of your 2006 Solstice. For the vehicle to have any practicality, there must be more trunk space! Few people will purchase an underpowered tiny 2-seater that has no place to store anything (and I do mean ANYTHING). Frankly, the Chevrolet SSR has more utility than the Solstice and we all know what great sales the SSR has had to date.
The Solstice has no room for a small set of golf clubs let alone a few bags of groceries. I can't imagine taking it out for a spin, dropping by the local store and not having a place to store a carton of milk or six-pack (other than on the passenger's lap). Very stupid! This vehicle is NOT a Corvette and has no established customer loyalty base. So, who do you expect to buy it??? The twenty or so geeky Solstice forum members that stay glued to this web site, jerk-off over its pics, and never leave their computers??? You need to be concerned that your real target customer will find this vehicle TOTALLY IMPACTICAL.
Unless you folks want another SSR debacle, I strongly suggest you go back to the lab/studio and redesign the trunk. The obvious solution to me is to lengthen the rear of the vehicle 6" or more, and to also raise the trunk cover a few inches. Having a well/space between the infamous 'hump' and the bumper, say 1 foot square running the width of the vehicle, would solve the problem.
Another reason for enlarging the trunk, the tail-end is already so squat and close to the occupants that a rear-end collision will kill instantly, crushing the occupants like doodle bugs on an Odessa Friday night. There needs to be more distance between the seats and the rear bumper. I have visions of the gas tank being punctured by a Texas-sized pick-up truck collision and the passengers turned into flaming marshmellows (none of the design team was involved with the Pinto, were they?). The gas tank configuration poses serious safety concerns.
Also, there needs to be Z4 -type rollbars behind the seats. Why would BMW's Z4, which has dimensional specs almost identical to the Solstice, have these built-in safety features and not the Solstice? What is the added cost of rollbars? $500? $700? Is Pontiac not concerned about obvious safety flaws?
When I start reading about squashed, burnt-up Solstice owners, I'll be sure and remind Pontiac of this post... at the class-action trial.
Finally, your (leaked) colors proposed for the Solstice are ugly. The color selection shows no imagination and are so-o-o-o Pontiac! Small vehicles need light/bright colors so the vehicle can be seen on the road (unless you plan on full-time running lights). The greys and dark colors are too stealthy. Roadsters turn invisible on windy two lane roads; with dark colors they tend to blend into the pavement. Yellow is a good start but how about a cream color? Take a cue from the New Beetle color selection.
My personal email is through Yahoo under 'conrocas'. I'd be interested in continuing this discussion ([email protected]).
HappyDave
Anyway, if production is supposed to start in mid-May, you still have time to fix this problem.
