GM May boost Saturn Sky, Pontiac Solstice production

GM is considering increasing production of the hot-selling Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice roadster "as soon as possible," according to GM's Bob Lutz, who was quoted by trade publication Automotive News. Currently, demand for the Pontiac Solstice is at 35,000 cars per year, while supply is about 20,000 units. Both cars are sold out through the end of the year in many regions, with long waiting lists. In addition to the 20,000 Solstices mentioned above, the Wilmington plant is slated to build 10,000 Skys a year. That's a total of about 30,000 cars -- 10,000 shy of its current 40,000-unit capacity. However, Lutz said the plant could build "way more" than 40,000 cars if additional resources were provided. The question is: to what extend should GM boost production? As Mr. Lutz points out, demand for sports cars tends to taper off when "everybody on the block has one." The Leftlane Perspective: GM should boost production slightly on the two existing models, but keep demand above supply. Instead of building an excessive number of Soltices and Skys, add the rumored 2008 Chevrolet Sting Ray to the mix.