Insider Info On New Models and Other Tidbits From Detroit Insider

Jerry Flint of Forbes filed this column:

"I just got back from Detroit and I'm happy to report that General Motors will build the Pontiac Solstice. In case you don't remember, the Solstice was a sensational sports car GM first showed off at the Detroit auto show in January. Prototypes had been rammed together in weeks on the orders of Robert Lutz who had just been hired as vice chairman in charge of saving the GM product line.

The Solstice is a roadster (although there was also a show-car coupe version), a two-seater, like the Mazda Miata and the BMW Z3. For months GM was mum about saying whether it would build it because the team really didn't know if it could.

Officially, GM still is saying nothing. But you heard it from Jerry that the Solstice is a "go."

Where will it be built? In Canada.

When will it be done? I don't know. Three years at the max, maybe two and a half if they push.

Price? Bob Lutz wanted an entry list at $20,000 so I think that most units will sticker for $25,000.

This is very good news, evidence that the old GM, the GM of "too little and too late" is being replaced.

Now, about next year's new cars and trucks from Detroit: Lots of models called 2003s are already out, of course. But I'm writing about the stuff coming this fall, and there isn't much to write about--especially in passenger cars.

The only new volume car is from General Motors, the Saturn Ion. That's it. Dodge has a new Viper coming, but that's a low-volume job. Some models get new optional engines: The Chrysler PT Cruiser gets a turbo version with 215 horsepower and a new Dodge Neon SRT/4 gets the same motor.

Some facelifts: Ford's Lincoln Town Car gets serious suspension upgrades as well as more rear seat and trunk room. The latter is only something a limousine fleet owner or the local Octogenarian Club would notice. The Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis also receive some mechanical and minor shee- metal changes.

This is a pretty wimpy arsenal of new product to face off against a growing foreign armada. A new Honda Accord will arrive this fall and the new Toyota (myse: TM - news - people ) Camry and Corolla and Nissan Altima are headed into their second season.

It is safe to predict that Detroit's GM, Ford and Chrysler will lose market share again even though they will have some new truck offerings.

What about new trucks?

One example is the Chevy SSR, which is a two-seat "Corvette pickup." The SSR (a 2004 coming early next year) will sticker around $40,000 and I think Chevy will sell 15,000 to 20,000 a year. And GM's H2 Hummer will be available as a 2003 model.

Next spring Chrysler will have the Pacifica, a station wagon-like "crossover" with a volume target of more than 100,000 a year, Cadillac will have its XLR roadster sports car and the Escalade ESV, a stretched version of its existing Escalade sport utility vehicle.

This fall GM will start offering a V-8 engine in its Chevy Trailblazer and GMC Envoy models (they have just the peppy straight-six now). Next spring comes the Silverado SS, a big GM pickup with a 345-horsepower V-8. GM's large SUVs, such as the Chevy Suburban and GMC Yukon, get new interiors this fall.

Lincoln will have the Aviator this fall (which is a luxury version of the Ford Explorer SUV), as well as a much-improved Navigator. Chrysler will have the larger heavy-duty versions of its Ram pickup.

But all and all, it isn't much. Part of this is that the fall season isn't what it used to be. Detroit puts cars on the market just as soon as they can go into production. For the most part, the season no longer matters.

Yet I still think that Detroit is pushing off in new directions that might pay off in a few years. Vehicles like the Chrysler Pacifica could start a new trend, as could the Chevy SSR and the Mercury Marauder that is coming out before fall. The Marauder--a beefier-looking and faster-running Grand Marquis--won't put BMW and Mercedes out of business but it's a statement that Mercury is headed in a new direction.

Speaking of direction, the dollar is falling and the European euro and Japanese yen are rising. German cars already are quite pricey. For now, this trend is working in Detroit's favor--pushing up the cost of vehicles the Germans and Japanese import into the U.S. Of course, foreign-based manufacturers keep on adding more capacity here to help them hedge the currency issue.

Nissan has just announced an additional expansion of a Mississippi plant that is still being built. Such modern green-site factories won't help Detroit. Then again, competition is good for the sport.

One more bit of good news. Pamela Anderson is becoming a columnist like me. No, not for Forbes.com, but for Jane, a magazine for young women. Welcome to the columnist ranks, Pam. See you around.

Hey, good stuff coming. Just wait a few more years."