Saturn : Sky / Pontiac : Solstice

You might remember a couple of months ago when there was a picture of a very intriguing dodge concept car on this blog, if not, you can refresh your memory.

The reason that I bring it up is because last year GM introduced the Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Sky. They have a very clean sporty feel to the design, which I very much like, and they are not built for power or speed, which I also like. The one thing that lacks in this new chassis is fuel efficiency. The cars have a respectable power rating, at almost 180 BHP, but their fuel efficiency is still below the 30 mark, at 20/28.


[Saturn Sky]


[Pontiac Solstice]

The thing that I liked so much about the Dodge Sling Shot concept was that it was a sporty car built around a very fuel efficient chassis. This GM frame has an acceptable MPG rating, but it is not a selling point, which in my opinion hinders this design greatly.

With high fuel costs unlikely to abate in the near future, a large contingent of people are looking to get their hands on cars that will save them money, hence the popularity of the Toyota Prius. However, the Prius is a sedan, and a marginally ugly one at that. This frame could fill a very profitable area in the sports car arena, namely, the fuel efficiency slot, where there is essentially no competition.

If GM comes out with a hybrid or otherwise efficient model, I will probably own one of these cars. Most likely the Saturn, because the front end is much more attractive to me.

---