Topic: Subara & Toyota wont be stepping in to continue the KAPPA

[BIO Hazard]

For those of you hoping Subaru or Toyota would help us save the Kappa and the Wilmington Plant, start looking elsewhere.

Toyota and Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru, have announced plans to jointly develop a compact rear-wheel-drive sports car that will utilize Subaru's "boxer" engine technologies and is targeted to be brought to market by the end of 2011.

Additional information regarding this development can be found by following this to the Toyota Motor Corporation website:

TOYOTA: News Releases

If Roger Penske cant save the KAPPA, Midlife Crisis and her site www.kappasunited.com/forum is our last hope.

[GaryDN]

It's not over till 2010. We all will have to wait and see. the link www.kappasunited.com  does not work by the way.

[Midlife Crisis]

It's not over till 2010. We all will have to wait and see. the link www.kappasunited.com  does not work by the way.

kappasunited.com is forbidden access.. you have to use www.kappasunited.com/forum to gain access.  (append "/forum" to the end)  You do have to register to see posts on the forum.  And please, only serious investors/consultants join.  The intended purpose for the site is to develop a business plan, and assemble expertise and investors to provide the $$ and financing to pull off an investment opportunity to actually "Save the Kappas".

Thanks!

[DaveOC]

It's not over till 2010. We all will have to wait and see. the link www.kappasunited.com  does not work by the way.

I hate to be a pessimist, but I am a realist.  It's going to be be pretty much over in another couple of weeks when the plant is shut down for a month, ostensibly for model year changeover to the 2010 model. 

With combined sales of Saturn Skys and Pontiac Solstices at less than 500 units a month, with Saturn production ending with the completion of the 2009 model year, and with Pontiac ostensibly shutting down at the end of 2010 model year, continued production at Wilmington is highly unlikely.

[Midlife Crisis]

With combined sales of Saturn Skys and Pontiac Solstices at less than 500 units a month, with Saturn production ending with the completion of the 2009 model year, and with Pontiac ostensibly shutting down at the end of 2010 model year, continued production at Wilmington is highly unlikely.

Unless someone buys the kappa line and continues the vision...  That's what www.kappasunited.com/forum is about.  Investors coming together to invest in the Kappa and improve where needed (i.e. backbone, POS PCH and so on).  Owners, vendors and the plant workers are all encouraged to bring their talents and/or $$ to the table in order to actually "Save the Kappa".

[LatinVenom]

I have one question. How about the engineers that actually design the car. Will they be part of the new company?.
Is the idea to just maintained and do improvement to the designed.

[Midlife Crisis]

I have one question. How about the engineers that actually design the car. Will they be part of the new company?.
Is the idea to just maintained and do improvement to the designed.

Thanks for asking!!  Right now, this is all just a vision, and in the planning stages.  I don't have all the answers, just the dream.  I expect others to put forth ideas and all of us formulate a business plan together.

With that being said, if I have a say in what goes forward with the design, I would absolutely love to incorporate some of the aftermarket options we have right off the line.  Like a different grill, designed by Norm.  The DDMWorks BackBone and ProBeam added to all with options to order custom wind restrictors with designs by WR.  And yes, Santana's cup holder! 

Maybe all this will ever be is a dream, but I want to find out!  I just hope I don't wake up if it is just a dream. 

[Sol Asylum]

Just out of curiosity, and partly because I am too lazy to go look on my own, does anyone know how much GM wants to sell off the Kappa line for?

[GXPinKC]

Thanks for asking!!  Right now, this is all just a vision, and in the planning stages.  I don't have all the answers, just the dream.  I expect others to put forth ideas and all of us formulate a business plan together.

With that being said, if I have a say in what goes forward with the design, I would absolutely love to incorporate some of the aftermarket options we have right off the line.  Like a different grill, designed by Norm.  The DDMWorks BackBone and ProBeam added to all with options to order custom wind restrictors with designs by WR.  And yes, Santana's cup holder! 

Maybe all this will ever be is a dream, but I want to find out!  I just hope I don't wake up if it is just a dream. 

I agree completely with your post Midlife Crisis.  In the car business unless you are an elite name, such as Porsche or Lamborgini, and your product is engineered to be released as top-drawer, state of the art technology then your in that class that has a less than mass market appeal or market. 

What I am saying is, the Kappa's were brought to market by GM to satisfy a certain market.  I would call it the "economy sports car segment".  By that I mean, GM packed a revolutionary design and engineering masterpiece into a platform that was thought would bring new markets to GM.  Well, it worked to a  point.  But then came the undoing of GM with the financial crisis. 

In theory, yes, I would like to see a mastermind buy the company and bring forth the product you mention, but I would have to say that the idea of that happening is improbable.

Not everyone wants the upgrades we crave in our Kappa Roadsters.  It is oh so much fun to mod them to the hilt with performance options that bring forth a surreal emotional high but that is part of the pleasure of owning these engineering wanders!  We can add what we want!  The chance of a large corporation taking this action, I believe would be very small, if not impossible.

But, we can always hope!

[Midlife Crisis]

I agree completely with your post Midlife Crisis.  In the car business unless you are an elite name, such as Porsche or Lamborgini, and your product is engineered to be released as top-drawer, state of the art technology then your in that class that has a less than mass market appeal or market. 

What I am saying is, the Kappa's were brought to market by GM to satisfy a certain market.  I would call it the "economy sports car segment".  By that I mean, GM packed a revolutionary design and engineering masterpiece into a platform that was thought would bring new markets to GM.  Well, it worked to a  point.  But then came the undoing of GM with the financial crisis. 

In theory, yes, I would like to see a mastermind buy the company and bring forth the product you mention, but I would have to say that the idea of that happening is improbable.

Not everyone wants the upgrades we crave in our Kappa Roadsters.  It is oh so much fun to mod them to the hilt with performance options that bring forth a surreal emotional high but that is part of the pleasure of owning these engineering wanders!  We can add what we want!  The chance of a large corporation taking this action, I believe would be very small, if not impossible.

But, we can always hope!

Thanks for your input on this!  It really is appreciated.  I'm not dreaming of some 'large corporation' taking action... I'm dreaming of enthusiasts such as yourself, and the rest of us coming together, joining forces and resources, and continuing the line with noticable improvements.  Definite changes to the interior would need to be considered.

It only took one man to fly a kite with a key, and one man to find how many ways to not make a light bulb work?  If there were several of us working towards one common goal, with the right marketing, I believe the Kappa line could live on under new ownership.  Even if it is manufactured in smaller numbers and considered an 'exclusive'...  Just because it used to be sold as an "economy sports car" doesn't need to mean that it has to continue like that.  GM didn't realize what they had, right under their fingertips.   

I don't know how many of you saw this on the 'other place', but there was also discussion arising about another car company that was going out of business in the early 60's.  A group of employees (?) purchased part of the line, and they are continuing to make that car to this day.  Granted, they moved operations to Cancun, but they are still in business and make about 150 a year.  I would like to see quite a bit more than 150 a year  but you get my drift...

[lil goat]

Continuing a niche car in a small factory is possible, keeping Wilmington open requires BIG money, I never had much hope for Toyota, they aren't doing that well either. I think if anyone it will be Fiat, they have already tried to buy Opel and the Kappa fits there car/model better, BMW would be the only other option I could think of, they may buy the plant and not make Kappa's.