Built to compete against the light-coupe import market, the Sunfire arrived in 1995 as a replacement for the Pontiac Sunbird.
In 2002 it went through a major facelift.

The budget sport-coupe market in the U.S. was dominated by the Honda Civic coupe and Toyota Celica. Their high-revving engines, but with low torque, increased their market share. The GM launched the Sunfire as a countermeasure for them, with bigger engines.

The 2002 model-year featured a completely new front end design. The wider, sleek-looking, headlights, and the specific Pontiac grille were the most important visible upgrades over the 1995 model. A more aggressive bumper with three air-intakes and the fog-lights on the outer side, made the car look like it went through a custom-car shop. The Sunfire was available as a sedan, coupe, and convertible. The coupe was the sportiest looking one and it featured raised beltline on the quarter panels. A small wing was installed at the base of the rear windscreen. Three-spoke specific light-alloy wheels were installed.

Inside, a four-spoke steering wheel was installed. The instrument cluster was rounded on a bulge in the front of the driver and featured four analog dials. On the center stack, there was a low-spec stereo and the controls for the air-conditioning unit. The front bucket-seats were built to offer good stability during high-speed cornering, even though the car was not as fast as it looked.

From 2003 to 2005, when the car was retired, the Sunfire was offered with only one engine: a 2.2-liter that offered 140 hp, which was less than what the import-cars offered.