Autoblog

Chrysler to launch four Special Editions in first quarter of 2010

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Sedan, Hatchback, Chrysler

Much has been made of Chrysler's apparent lack of new products for the 2010 model year. Suffice it to say, while there are big things in store for Chrysler, they will take at least another year to get into production. For instance, while removing the unsightly strakes from the hood of the unloved Sebring sedan and convertible is a nice gesture, it's not nearly far enough to make the car suddenly competitive with its chief rivals in the ultra competitive mid-size sedan arena.

Not entirely surprisingly then, Chrysler is trying its best to add a few reasons to purchase its current models before the major changes happen in the next few years. Each of Chrysler's current nameplates - 300, Town and Country, Sebring and PT Cruiser - get Special Editions that will hit the market in the first quarter of 2010.

First, the 300 is slated to get a complete redesign later on in 2010, probably as a 2011 model vehicle. Regardless, the current 300 will get a Sport Edition that's targeted at the youth market before the reboot button is officially pressed. The Town and Country gets a Fashion Edition and the Sebring gets an Ocean Edition (we have no idea what that means).

Lastly, the long-in-the-tooth PT Cruiser gets a Final Edition (finally final? Promise?) and the nameplate is not scheduled to live on past the 2010 model year. So, if you want one... better hit your local dealer post haste. As a parting note, Chrysler never actually mentioned it, but take a good look at the new Chrysler 300 brochure at the top right of the image above - that doesn't look like the current 300 grille, does it? Hint, hint.

Chrysler to launch four Special Editions in first quarter of 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser is a tarnished Golden Oldie

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Wagon, Crossover, Hatchback, Chrysler, Reviews

2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser - Click above for high-res image gallery

It wasn't so many years ago that Chrysler's design department was considered among the best in the industry. Attractive, innovative shapes came one after another, then they took a sharp detour into the crash test building and the rest is Sebring/Compass/Caliber history. In the late Nineties when Chrysler design was still on a roll, one of the highlights was the debut of the PT Cruiser.

As insolvency fast approached, CEO Bob Nardelli and his staff were scrambling to find cars to kill and, unsurprisingly, the nearly decade-old PT wound up on that list. Surprisingly, after exiting bankruptcy court in July, Chrysler decided to keep the PT alive through the end of 2010 when new models start arriving. After perusing our review list and realizing that, like the S2000, we've never tested the PT, we called Chrysler to get one last go-'round in the retro-hatch.

Gallery: Review: 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser

Continue reading Review: 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser is a tarnished Golden Oldie

Review: 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser is a tarnished Golden Oldie originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officially Official: Chrysler PT Cruiser to live on

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:32:00 EST

Filed under: Hatchback, Chrysler

Chrysler made it official this morning: the PT Cruiser will cruise on -- for at least another year. Earlier this spring, the PT Cruiser was one of several products slated to get the axe as Chrysler madly tried to boost it's bottom line in a failed attempt to stave off bankruptcy. However, shortly after Chrysler Group LLC was born out of the ashes of DaimlerChrysler and Cerberus, a report came out that PT Cruiser production would continue for a while.

Chrysler's Toluca Mexico plant has been building the Cruiser since 2000 and will continue production, although Chrysler isn't saying for how long. Since the tooling is long since paid for, we'd assume the PT will keep rolling off the line until sometime in late 2010 when new Fiat-based cars are expected to replace the Cruiser in Chrysler's revamped line-up. We recently had a chance to drive a "fresh" PT for a week, so stay tuned for a review.

Gallery: 2009 Chrysler Dream Cruiser Series 5

Continue reading Officially Official: Chrysler PT Cruiser to live on

Officially Official: Chrysler PT Cruiser to live on originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler to restart seven North American plants by end of month

Chris Paukert — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:29:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler

Hot on the heels of news that the Dodge Viper's Conner Avenue facility would be the first Chrysler plant to fire up after the company's bankruptcy proceedings/Fiat tie-up comes official word that the automaker will resume production at seven plants the week of June 29. In addition, Chrysler will bring the supporting powertrain and stamping plants online that supply the assembly factories listed below with parts.

According to Ed Garsten, Chrysler's manager of electronic media communications, the following assembly plants will resume production as part of a "phased production ramp-up" -

Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (Sterling Heights, MI) - Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger
Warren Truck Assembly Plant (Warren, MI) - Dodge Ram and Dodge Dakota
St. Louis North Assembly Plant (Fenton, MO) - Dodge Ram
Toledo Supplier Park (Toledo, OH) - Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Brampton Assembly Plant (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) - Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Challenger
Windsor Assembly Plant (Windsor, Ontario, Canada ) - Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan
Toluca Assembly Plant (Toluca, Mexico) - Dodge Journey and Chrysler PT Cruiser

Despite the start-ups, all Chrysler plants will again idle for two weeks in the second half of July as part of a previously scheduled summer break.

Source: Chrysler | Image: Bill Pugliano/Getty]

Chrysler to restart seven North American plants by end of month originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler PT Cruiser production to end this summer

Damon Lavrinc — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:31:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Wagon, Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Chrysler

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Chrysler PT Cruiser Dream Series 5

Ye old Chrysler PT Cruiser is going the way of the dodo this summer, and according to Chrysler LLC President Tom LaSorda, the automaker is actively pursuing a sale of the equipment used to build the PT in Toluca, Mexico.

Speaking with Bloomberg, LaSorda was kind enough to both ask and answer his own questions, saying, "Would we sell those assets? Yes. Do we have any offers to sell those assets? No. Would we be pursuing a buyer? Yes." That makes for an easy interview...

Sales of the PT dropped by 49% last year, with only 50,910 vehicles leaving dealer lots. That's down from the PT's peak when Chrysler was able to offload 144,717 models in 2001. The PT's demise doesn't come as a surprise, particularly considering that Chrysler's owner, Cerberus Capital Management, has slashed six other models from the automaker's lineup since it took control in August 2007. For those of you keeping count, the PT's timely death means that the Chrysler badge is only affixed to three models: the Town & Country minivan, Sebring and 300C.

Gallery: Chrysler PT Cruiser Dream Cruiser Series 5

[Source: Bloomberg]

Chrysler PT Cruiser production to end this summer originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buy a Pacifica, get a PT Cruiser for a buck!

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:58:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Trends, Crossover, Hatchback, Chrysler

Here's an interesting way to clear some unwanted inventory: offer a crazy-sounding deal on two new cars, like buy one car and get the second for just $1. That's the pitch at a suburban Chicago Chrysler dealership that promises a 2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser demo car for just $1 if you happen to purchase one of their five remaining 2008 Chrysler Pacificas. That's practically a 2-for-1 deal and would give buyers two options for family hauling duty. The lame-duck Pacificas in stock range in price from $37,000 to $40,000 and can carry six passengers and their stuff in floaty luxury. The PT, on the other hand, offers a more frugal option for up to five passengers. Dealer Frank Mancari started the deal on Saturday at his Oak Lawn dealership to increase showroom traffic. Once all of the vehicles are sold, however, that's it. We bet more than one person will walk in and tell the dealer he can keep his PT Cruiser, they'll take the Pacifica with a $15,000 discount instead. Who are we kidding, Chrysler doesn't even want these cars anymore. Thanks for the tip, Dave!

[Source: Chicago Breaking News]

Buy a Pacifica, get a PT Cruiser for a buck! originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Woodward '08: Chrysler gets things started with PT Cruiser Dream Cruiser Series 5

John Neff — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:29:00 EST

Filed under: Hatchback, Chrysler, Misc. Auto Shows

Click above for high-res gallery of the Chrysler PT Cruiser DCS 5

The festivities leading up to the annual Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit begin to ramp up around this time every year, and you know the world's largest traffic jam of classic, custom and exotic vehicles is nigh when Chrysler debuts another limited edition version of its PT Cruiser. This year it's the limited edition Dream Cruiser Series 5 that will be available for purchase in the fall. The DCS 5 is actually more done up than past editions with Midnight White Pearl Coat paint that's topped by a Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl roof. Up front the standard grilles have been swapped out for aluminum mesh, and the 17-inch wheels have clearly been swiped from the SRT parts bin. Chrome trim and a pair of new "PT" badges on the driver and passenger front doors round out the exterior mods. The interior also gets done up with light-colored plastics, silver (plastic) trim and dash panels painted in the same glossy Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl as the roof. The seats are new and feature an interesting texture that Chrysler calls Embossed Momentum seat fabric. If you were hoping for a hot rod, however, you'll be disappointed as the DCS 5 features the PT Cruiser's standard 150-hp 2.4L four-cylinder mated to a four-speed automatic. The DSC 5 will be available with either a 2.4L four-cylinder producing 150 horsepower or a turbocharged version producing 180 hp. With that, we rate the PT Cruiser DCS 5 as one of Chrysler's better Woodward-inspired PT Cruisers. If you're down with the factory mods, you'll need to scrounge up at least $22,700 (plus $670 for destination) by this fall and get in line as only 1,750 units will be made.

Gallery: Chrysler PT Cruiser Dream Cruiser Series 5

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Woodward '08: Chrysler gets things started with PT Cruiser Dream Cruiser Series 5

Woodward '08: Chrysler gets things started with PT Cruiser Dream Cruiser Series 5 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And Chrysler's reveal today is... the PT Cruiser Sunset Boulevard Edition

Alex Nunez — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:27:00 EST

Filed under: Wagon, Crossover, Chrysler, Misc. Auto Shows

click image above for high-res version

While we harbored hope that Chrysler would break with tradition and formally launch the 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT-4 at Duggan's Pub on Woodward this morning, already the new Pentastar instead did what it's been doing for years: unveiled another special edition PT Cruiser. The Sunset Boulevard Edition is the latest in the Street Cruiser series and is powered by the 150-horsepower 2.4L four-cylinder mated to a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual. The vehicle is highlighted by its "Sunset Crystal" paint, bevy of shiny metal trim and 16-inch, nine-spoke chrome wheels. Uplevel features include a power moonroof and dark tinting for the rear windows, while the interior includes more chrome trim in the places you'd most expect it (sorry, no interior shots were released). Being limited to only 500 units for the 2008 model year, this PT Cruiser is also adorned with a number of "Sunset Boulevard" badges to let passersby know it's no normal PT. It's also the 11th special edition PT Cruiser that Chrysler has pumped out, and this one will set you back $16,650 for the manual model and $17,475 for an automatic. That's not a bad price for a car that wants to be a collectible, despite the fact over 1.2 million PT Cruisers have been sold in the past seven years. It's still no Caliber SRT-4, though.

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading And Chrysler's reveal today is... the PT Cruiser Sunset Boulevard Edition

And Chrysler's reveal today is... the PT Cruiser Sunset Boulevard Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Dodge JC49 crossover, PT Cruiser replacement?

Chris Tutor — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, China, Chrysler, Dodge

Allpar is again on top of the JC49 game with spy shots of the crossover in even less dress than the last time we saw it. Looks like the news is pretty much the same, with Dodge getting a version of the Sebring-based crossover to be called Crew, and later on, Chrysler replacing the aging PT Cruiser with a distinctly non-retro variant.

Allpar predicts Chrysler will retain the PT Cruiser name, but cease production of the curvaceous hatchback in 2009 and replace it with a version of this car. Insiders say the current Cruiser's throwback design cues will be totally left to history.

The Dodge version is expected in showrooms in January for around $20,000, while the new Cruiser is expected sometime nearer 2010.

The dual exhaust seen on some test cars seems to indicate an optional V6 alongside a standard four-cylinder.

Allpar also says that Dodge plans to produce European versions of the car at its plant in China's Fujian province.

[Source: Allpar]

Spy Shots: Dodge JC49 crossover, PT Cruiser replacement? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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