Filed under: Wagons/Estates, Hatchbacks, Chrysler, LLC.
Dead Again: WSJ says PT Cruiser indeed short lived
PT Cruiser fans who were relieved to hear only the convertible version would no longer be built may, after all, have reason to mourn. The Wall Street Journal, quoting a Chrysler dealership owner, says the retro-styled wagon-like CUV is again on the company's hit list.
No word on why Chrysler brass changed their minds or when the final PT will be built, but if you want a new one, you should probably take advantage of the soon-to-be-announced rebates soon. So, is it just a coincidence that the final special edition PT Cruiser will be the Sunset Boulevard Edition?[Source: WSJ via All Cars All the Time]
_opt_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
John R 8:27AM (11/18/2007)
Yes!
Reply
strongbadinator 2:05PM (11/18/2007)
Agreed. Next time Chrysler wants to use this style, they better make it bigger so it doesn't look so girly, and throw a v8 into it. Or a boosted 4 or 6 banger. This car looked great in sketches, and in person it just turned into a senior citizen mobile, where old people would buy one and pretend to be cool to their grandkids. Until those grandkids realized that only old farts drive these things.
Kristovar 6:36PM (11/18/2007)
Shortbadinator--
There already is a boosted I4 PT Cruiser- same engine as the Neon SRT-4. It's a fantastic drive, actually-- to the point that I'd trade in my own SRT-4 for one.
1337 12:55AM (11/19/2007)
Kristovar,
The fact that you already have a Dodge says it all. The rest of us think the PT is a hunk of trash and should have been shot long ago.
whofan 8:27AM (11/18/2007)
Shame this car is getting the ax. I would think theres life left in the cruiser. Its a small effiecent utility vehicle now when fuel prices are going through the roof, the PT Cruiser looks better all the time.
Reply
YouFaceTheTick 11:14AM (11/18/2007)
As others have stated, low 20s is common in a PT. That's not efficient. That's not even close to efficient. My Cooper S gets 30 mpg getting run really hard. My wife's A3 nets her 26-27 mpg. WTF are you driving that a PT's 21 mpg seems efficient?
adam 11:38AM (11/18/2007)
The PT Cruiser's styling was dated from the first day it rolled off the line. The mild refreshing it had was simply not enough to sustain it.
Chrysler shouldn't have strayed so far from the Pronto concept:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Pronto
Z 9:12AM (11/18/2007)
It's always sad to see an outdated, ugly, slow, geriatric economy vehicle take an axe to the face.
Wait. Nah, it's perfectly fine. Carry on.
Reply
LX builder 9:29AM (11/18/2007)
Love it or hate it, the one thing the PT has going for it is a strong sense of identity, and a loyal following of customers. These are two things Chrysler should value and not turn their back on. As recently as spring time this was the Chrysler brands number two seller behind the 300.
Reply
Chase 9:31AM (11/18/2007)
"...the retro-styled wagon-like CUV..."
--
It's called a hatchback, bud.
Reply
AlexP 9:53AM (11/18/2007)
Not in the marketing world of today.
len simpson 9:48AM (11/18/2007)
when GM corrected the pt cruzr mistakes,I quickly bought one.
33k smiles
Reply
Justin 8:24AM (11/19/2007)
Wait...
you think GM makes the PT Cruiser?
HAHAHAHAHA
Scotty 8:38AM (11/19/2007)
Justin, I believe he is talking about the HHR.
len simpson 9:21AM (11/19/2007)
PT & HHR designed by the same person
summazooma 10:05AM (11/18/2007)
Interesting that a product that was a bigger-than-anticipated success when launched is getting hacked, rather than replaced or substantially improved.
Personally, I thought the original execution (especially notable was the interior) to be one of the best from the domestics (perhaps only topped by full-size pick-up). Note, I didn't say "theme"; As for the retro theme, I was left feeling cold and always felt that, if they did a modern-themed 5-door off of the PTC platform for Dodge, with the same high level of execution, it would be a great replacement for Neon.
So, instead, there's a completely new (and exceedingly poorly executed) 5-door at Dodge, the Caliber... and the Minor Model Change for the PT Cruiser inexpicably changed hard tooling on the interior, resulting in an I/P that's got a square-edged alien-piece center stack in place of the cohesive look of the original... and I'm driving a Mazda3 5-door, instead...
PT Cruiser was a lost opportunity for Mopar (glad they didn't sell Mopar, BTW). If they aren't careful, they'll do the same with any/all of the product with which they've had some hits (LX, anyone?)... The execution is the key, with the themes actually part of the reason they had some success even with poorly-turned-out product like Caliber.
Reply
The Friendly Grizzly 10:45AM (11/18/2007)
One commenter mentioned its efficiency. That is something I have never noticed in PTs at all. I have had several on rental over the years and have never eked out more than 21 mpg in any of them. For comparison, I regularly break 30 in Malibus (both 4 AND 6), and do better in my personal car with two more cylinders, 1 litre more displacement, and a lot more weight.
They are a nice little car with very good build quality. And it has the headroom I need; this is lacking in many other cars. But economical? Hardly.
Reply
Avinash machado 10:52AM (11/18/2007)
So I guess the Chevy HHR will enjoy higher sales since it will have no competition. I will really miss the PT Cruiser.
Reply
icetraxx 11:07AM (11/18/2007)
This can be a problem with any car maker (and the domestic mentality of old), leaving a car in production for a what seems like an eternity and watch the sales slowly decline to nothing as the car becomes completely outdated (ie. the last camaro).
Reply
geo.stewart 7:02PM (11/18/2007)
the other major problem is that none of the manufacturers have figured out how to do a 2nd generation retro vehicle...
As the PT Cruiser is the first to suffer, it will be interesting to see what happens with the Mustang, HHR, and Beetle.
Beetle has long legs just because of its history of longevity though the charm is long gone.
Ford will have a tough time but it has a history of reinventing the Mustang's look so it can do several things.
The HHR will have a challenge as to how it handles a second generation.