The Saturn Sky was a two-seat roadster built on the GM Kappa platform, the same small rear-wheel-drive structure used by the Pontiac Solstice, the Opel GT and the Daewoo G2X. It arrived after the Solstice and was positioned as the more luxurious and more expensive of the two, with softer suspension and a sharper-looking body.
Saturn Sky at a glance
| Production | 2006–2009 |
|---|---|
| Platform | GM Kappa |
| Body style | two-seat roadster |
| Shared with | Pontiac Solstice, Opel GT, Daewoo G2X |
| Structure | hydroformed frame rails |
| Notable detail | adjustable rear caster, a first on a GM car |
| Position in range | softer and dearer than the Solstice |
| Best sales year | 11,263 cars in 2007 |
| Performance version | Sky Red Line |
The English Wikipedia page for the Saturn Sky redirects to the article on the Pontiac Solstice; only the passages about the Sky are used here, so the article is shorter than usual.
History of the Saturn Sky
From concepts to production
Saturn had talked about a two-door convertible since early in the brand’s history, and ideas were being sketched as early as 1992. The first real concept came in 2002: a four-door car with two rear-hinged suicide doors behind the front pair, a rear light bar, 2+2 seating and a supercharged 2.2-litre front-wheel-drive engine of 180 hp, intended to weigh about three-quarters of the eventual production car. The production Sky drew far more from the 2004 Saturn Curve concept and the 2002 Pontiac Solstice concept than from that first show car, and the Opel Speedster contributed several styling cues. When the car reached production it was a small two-seat rear-wheel-drive roadster instead of the rounded four-door that had been shown.
A softer Solstice
The Sky shared the Kappa platform with the Pontiac Solstice, and the two cars were developed together: both used hydroformed frame rails and both were among the first GM vehicles with adjustable rear caster. Saturn used the shared structure to take the Sky upmarket, with a higher price and softer suspension than the Solstice, so the two would not compete directly. The styling was the other difference: where the Solstice was called doughy, the Sky was seen as the more muscular and edgy of the pair, and reviewers generally preferred its looks, although both were praised. The Sky never sold as well as the Solstice, peaking at 11,263 cars in 2007.
The end of the line
The Sky was part of the last product push of the Saturn brand, and it disappeared with the division as General Motors restructured in 2009. The same platform and the same idea of an affordable roadster had been intended to give GM a car to compete with small European sports cars, and the Sky was the most luxurious version of that idea.
Design and features
- Kappa platform: a small rear-wheel-drive structure with hydroformed frame rails, shared with the Solstice.
- Adjustable rear caster: one of the first GM cars to offer it.
- Sharper styling: a more muscular body than the Solstice, which reviewers generally preferred.
- Softer set-up: a higher price and softer suspension than its Pontiac sister car.
Saturn Sky versions
- Sky: the standard two-seat roadster.
- Sky Red Line: the performance version, developed alongside the Solstice GXP.
- 2002 Sky concept: the four-door show car with suicide doors that preceded the production design.
- 2004 Saturn Curve concept: the study that shaped the eventual production car.
The Sky was developed with the Pontiac Solstice but sold as Saturn’s own roadster; the Aura was the sedan of the same period and the Vue the volume model. More cars are in the Saturn collection.
Sources
- Saturn Sky, English Wikipedia: concepts, positioning, platform, sales
