Caine O'RearRichmond.comFriday, October 28, 2005Just leave it to The Donald to get results.
During an episode of NBC's "The Apprentice," Donald Trump's reality show, six of the players were assigned the task of developing a promotional brochure for a sales campaign for Pontiac's sleek new roadster, the Solstice.
As it turned out, mere exposure of the two-seat convertible on the show was a brilliant piece of promotional advertising. Forty-one minutes after the show ended, Pontiac had already sold 1,000 of the limited-edition cars.
And two of those cars were sold by the Dominion Auto Group, right here in Richmond. "With only 1,000 sold, it was something to be able to sell two of these here," said Ted Linhart, owner and president of Dominion Auto Group.
Though the company did not have any of the cars in stock as of last week, they are expecting to have four 2006 Solstices in stock before Christmas, with two more slated to arrive before February. General Motors Corp. is planning to produce 16,000 to 18,000 of the cars for 2006, according to Time Magazine.
With its curves and elegant design, the Solstice is what Paris Hilton might call "sexy." And the car will inevitably draw comparison to the Mazda Miata, the most popular sports car on the market today. However, the Solstice is 350 pounds bigger, and offers more room on the inside.
Perhaps the most attractive thing about the Solstice is its price. Starting at $20,000, the car is the cheapest of its kind on the market.
"It's more attainable for everyone because of the price range," said Kevin J. McGlone, a salesman for Dominion Auto Group, adding that everyone from retirees to middle-agers to young professionals have expressed interest in purchasing a Solstice.
McGlone added that most people buying the car would not be using it as their primary means of transportation. "It's for someone that wants to have some fun," he said.
The Solstice sports a 4-cylinder engine that produces up to 170 horsepower, so the vehicle has its share of "get up and go power," said McGlone.
The 2005 models featured 5-speed manual transmission, but some of the 2006 models will be automatic. The car is described as "low-maintenance" and the interior is quite roomy.
When selecting the color of the car, the buyer is not choosing between black, red or green. Instead, they must select "Mysterious"(black), "Aggressive"(red) or "Envious"(green) among other adjectives. That ploy right there tells people everything they need to know about how the car is being marketed.
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