While General Motors continues to be mired in financial difficulty, it's not all gloom and doom running through the halls of the company's Detroit headquarters. The redesigned 2007 large sporty utility vehicles: Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade; are off to a hot start. Sales of Pontiac's G6, according to Automotive News, are up 42 percent in the first four months of 2006 compared to the same time period last year.

2006 Pontiac G6 Convertible

History

The G6 was introduced in 2005 as a replacement for the venerable Grand Am, Pontiac's best selling vehicle. Only a 4-door sedan with a V6 engine and automatic transmission in base and GT trim was available at launch and for the duration of the '05 model year. Coupes, both base 4-cylinder versions and high-performance GTP models, were added for the 2006 model year. Convertibles arrived in April as late '06 models.

Grand Am's complete lineup of coupes and sedans sold about 133,700 units in 2004. Despite having the single powertrain and only two trims for much of '05, Pontiac sold nearly 125,000 G6s during that calendar year.

G6 shares its basic platform and wheelbase with the Chevrolet Malibu Maxx hatchback. The architecture, dubbed Epsilon, has its roots with the 9-3 premium compact sedans and convertibles from GM-owned Saab.

With all the moving parts and structural reinforcements, G6 convertibles weigh approximately 400 pounds more than the coupes and sedans. That weight is supported by standard 18-inch wheels.

Convertibles have standard ABS, traction control, and front side airbags that provide head and torso protection. GTPs add GM's Stabilitrak antiskid system, but it's not available on the GT.

Pontiac touts the G6 convertible as a true four-passenger vehicle. It has a 112.3-inch wheelbase, which is among the longest in the class. Its 34.2 inches of rear leg room is more than that of the Honda Accord coupe, Infiniti G35 and Subaru Legacy.

Pontiac was targeting the Chrysler Sebring, Toyota Solara, and Volvo C70 when they introduced the G6 convertible. The former two use soft tops, and the latter is a hardtop. The plan is to build 5,382 convertibles for the 2006 model year, and once 2007 production starts, they expect to sell about 15,000 in calendar '06. Total annual sales are expected to be 15,000 to 25,000, with one third of those being the GTP version.

Hardtop System

Pontiac partnered with Karmann Technical Development, LLC to design the hardtop roof system for the G6. The company is known for designing convertible tops for various European automakers.

Karmann assembles the top module at its own factory and delivers the entire unit to GM's Orion, Michigan, plant. The modules are then inserted right into the assembly line to the designated car. Pontiac says this process cuts down on manufacturing complexity and makes the car stronger. They say it also allows them to dedicate up to 25 percent of factory production to the convertible as demand rises.

GM has established a special section of its technical support center to exclusively handle any issues that might arise with the hardtop. A staff of about six GM employees are specially trained with the help of Karmann to quickly address and diagnose issues for cars that are brought to dealers. If something happens that no one in the center has seen, a Karmann engineer can be dispatched to the dealership to personally inspect the vehicle in question.

The top is a "clamshell" design that incorporates an entire network of computer chips and hydraulics. It takes about 30 seconds to raise or lower, with the user depressing the button during the entire process. The process takes a toll on the car's battery, so Pontiac recommends the vehicle be running and in park during any top operation.

There is no need for the driver to unhook any latches before hitting the top switch. The trunk opens to accept the top. A hard tonneau cover also unfolds from the trunk area and fits snugly into place when the top is stowed.

The Pontiac G6's power-retractable hard top goes from up to down in 30 seconds.

With much of the electronics and hydraulics in the cargo area, the G6 convertible has a meager 5.8 cubic feet of trunk space with the top up. That volume shrinks to less than two cubic feet with the top down.

As complicated as the top mechanism is, initial reports from Pontiac indicate few initial problems with it. The convertibles went on sale in early April, and to this point, Pontiac has sold about 600 of them. In May, Pontiac officials said they haven't received any reports of warranty repairs being needed on the convertible tops. It remains to be seen what will happen to these vehicles over time. Consumer Guide plans on putting G6's hardtop to the test as all ten of our staff editors drive the convertible throughout the next six months.

Consumer Guide's Extended-Use Test

During the course of its evaluation, Consumer Guide editors will test the G6 convertible in a variety of conditions. Fuel economy and unscheduled maintenance are scrupulously recorded and will be consistently updated. In order for a vehicle to be considered for an Extended-Use Test, it must meet one of three criteria:

• It must be new to the marketplace. An example of this is the 2006 Audi A3.
• It must be an existing nameplate with a new chassis, body, and engines. We call that a redesigned model, and the 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara is an example.
• It must demonstrate fresh technology, such as the G6 convertible with its power-retractable hardtop.

With warm weather gracing the Chicago area, this Pontiac should see more than a fair bit of use. Stay tuned to see how it holds up during its stay.