This two-seat sports car marked a short but memorable modern-era effort to give the brand a more dramatic halo model. It reached production for the 2004 model year after being previewed as a concept earlier in the decade, and it was sold in coupe form first, with a roadster joining the range later. The car was notable for its strong European influence: it shared major underpinnings with a Mercedes-Benz roadster of the period and was assembled in Germany rather than in the United States. That unusual packaging gave it a distinctly transatlantic character that set it apart from the company’s mainstream sedans and minivans.
The nameplate ran through the 2008 model year and then ended without a later revival, making it a single, uninterrupted production run. Enthusiasts often remember it for its long-hood, short-deck proportions and for attempting to bring an affordable grand-touring feel to a relatively small market segment. An especially high-performance variant broadened its appeal among buyers looking for a more serious performance edge, but the model as a whole remained a niche offering and never became a volume seller. Today it is generally viewed as one of the more distinctive and unconventional American-branded sports cars of its era.