2007 Saturn SKY: The Wait Is Over

After months of nonstop hype, the 2007 Saturn SKY is now entering dealer showrooms. This two seat roadster marks an important turning point for the Saturn brand long identified with building nondescript, but dependable vehicles. With an MSRP of $23,690, the SKY is certain to sell for several thousand dollars over the dealer's sticker price as demand is expected to far exceed capacity. Lets examine the Saturn brand and the car behind the hype to see if the SKY was worth the wait.

Since Saturns first cars became available in 1990, the brand has attracted a loyal following of owners who liked the companys simplicity and consumer friendly dealer network. Indeed, Saturns no haggle pricing revolutionized the relationship between dealer and customer changing the typical adversarial business transaction into a partnership benefiting buyer and seller alike.

Originally, Saturn was established as a separate company, but wholly owned by General Motors. The idea behind Saturn was that the company would build import fighting small cars to compete against the likes of Toyota and Honda. The S-Series, made with ding proof polymer side panels was an immediate hit and Saturn relied exclusively on this line of compact coupes, sedans, and wagons for nearly a decade before a second, larger model was introduced.

The dream of keeping Saturn separate from GM eventually died and the brand was brought into the GM fold to be managed much like Chevrolet, Buick, etc. are today. Indeed, the Spring Hill, Tennessee factory, which was exclusively designed to build Saturn vehicles remains in business, but many of the divisions cars are now being built elsewhere including the SKY.

So, the SKY has caught your attention, has it? Who could blame you? Pictures of the SKY have been circulating heavily online for months and it is certainly an attractive vehicle. Based on GMs new Kappa platform, the SKY shares some components with the earlier released Pontiac Solstice, another two seat roadster. The SKY, however, has its own look with a very pronounced fender peak and sleek body style. Here are some of the attributes of the SKY:

-Front engine, rear drive, two seat roadster

-50/50 front/rear weight distribution

-Manually operated cloth covered top folds down into the trunk

-Front pivoting hood

-2.4L I4 engine producing 177 h.p. paired with a 5 speed manual or 5 speed automatic transmission

-18 inch wheels; 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS

-Power galore: air conditioning, locks, windows, doors, AM/FM/CD, etc.

The SKY was priced and designed to compete against two other roadsters, the Honda S2000 and Mazdas Miata. Although the SKY is technically a sister car to the Solstice, it appears that it is better suited to compete against the Japanese brands as the Saturn roadster comes fully equipped and incorporates a sleeker body design. Taking nothing away from the Pontiac, the SKY is definitely the more competitive of the two.

For Saturn, the SKY improves the brands image immeasurably. Much in the way that the Corvette is a halo car for Chevrolet the SKY will be the same for Saturn. Production will be limited to just 10-12,000 vehicles annually and purchasing a SKY will likely mean buyers paying well over sticker price for their car. Indeed, some reports are indicating dealer mark ups as high as $5000 in the face of stiff demand.

Beyond the SKY, Saturn will also be introducing a second new vehicle this year, the Aura. Replacing the L-Series, the Aura midsize sedan borrows heavily from GMs European division, Opel, and incorporates the bold design of SKY in its front end.

Yes, the days of being known as a builder of compact plastic cars in Tennessee is over; a new Saturn is rising and if all the hoopla related to the SKY is any indication, Saturns future is certainly very promising.

Copyright 2006 Matt Keegan is The Auto Writer covering new cars, the classics, auto parts and accessories, insurance, and more. Did someone say green air filters? Matt invites you to find great K&N Filters for less by shopping online today.

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The Incredible Airsoft Automatic Electric Gun Part I

In the ever-growing sport of Airsoft, no one product has impacted its worldwide popularity more than the incredible automatic electric gun. This particular Airsoft gun, commonly referred to as the AEG, has single handedly lifted the sport to meteoric heights.

Airsoft had its humble beginnings in Asia due to the strict gun laws that severely prohibited the private ownership of firearms in that region of the world. It was in the nation of Japan where it is illegal to own real firearms, that the first Airsoft gun replicas were developed in the early 1980s. A small Japanese manufacturer of radio controlled car models turned its sights to making replica guns in hopes of finding a market for gun enthusiasts, and the sport of Airsoft was born.

The early Airsoft guns were non-lethal, spring powered replicas that fired 6mm plastic BBs. These early toy guns were made of plastic and simple in design. The spring firing mechanism had to be manually re-loaded or re-cocked after each shot causing a meager if un-spectacular slow rate of fire. Without any real design enhancements in the early years of its development, interest in the sport grew at a tepid pace.

The sport slowly gained interest in the surrounding region during the latter part of the 80s, but attempts to expand the sport to the West were largely unsuccessful. It would be in the early 1990s that lighting would strike, and the sport would encounter its greatest moment of innovation and subsequent breakthrough.

Tokyo Marui, the original Japanese manufacturer that created the early Airsoft spring guns, designed the first fully automatic electric firing system for these replica guns. No longer needing to be manually re-loaded, the innovated on-board electric motor gave the Airsoft gun shooter the ability to fire at will. This automatic rapid-fire feature not only increased the excitement of the game, but also gave the sport its greatest appeal. Automatic electric Airsoft gun owners could now enjoy an exhilarating rate of fire (ROF) ranging anywhere between 600-900 rounds per minute (RPM).

With this exciting new product, Airsoft now offered a universal appeal. The sport caught fire and began to boom. Airsoft spread to different parts of Europe and then to Canada. By the mid-90s it had officially arrived in the United States.

The most popular of all the Airsoft guns, the most current models have the same realistic look and feel of their real-world counterparts. These guns range from the Desert Eagle pistol model to the mini or miniature style AEGs, all the way up to the stunning Armalite M15A2 full size assault replica rifles. The AEG is by far the most common gun used in team competitions around the world. These preferred weapons of veteran Airsoft warriors and enthusiasts have something to offer every interested player and collector.

PJ Ace is a writer and administrator for FlyntAirsoftPaintball.com, a site that specializes in airsoft and paintball.

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