Autoblog

There were no eulogies. No bagpipes were played or honor-guard gunshots fired. Few paid any notice, but on December 21, the Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible passed quietly into the night and was buried. And we doubt many will miss it.

The axing of the ragtop PT is part of the phasing-out of several Chrysler LLC products devised by its new owners in order to cut costs. Earlier we brought you the news that the Chrysler Crossfire ceased production in Germany. Before that, the Chrysler Pacifica ended its lifecycle in November. Although originally only the convertible version of the PT Cruiser was scheduled for execution, reports later suggested that the regular hard-top wagon version could also be discontinued.

While those Chryslers likewise won't be terribly missed, except by small pockets of devoted enthusiasts, the next to lie under the Chrysler LLC guillotine will be the Dodge Magnum, which is being discontinued in March. The gonzo wagon dropped 25% in sales in 2007 over the previous year. As Inside Line points out, however, if you're still keen on getting a Magnum (or a PT convertible, for that matter), some good deals are likely to be had from local dealers eager to sell the last remnants of a dying breed.

[Source: Inside Line]

The Chrysler Crossfire was one of those unfortunate exercises in style-over-substance. What's worse is that its style was somewhat questionable, garnering reactions from "oh, that's interesting" to "make it stop, please make it stop". Well, Chrysler finally listened to the latter, and here at Autoblog we're not exactly weeping over the demise of the coupe and roadster, the last of which rolled off the assembly line in Germany on Tuesday.

During its five-year lifespan, the "all-American" coupe built in Germany sold 80,000 units, but last year US sales accounted for only 8,216. The car was offspring of the now-defunct partnership between Chrysler and Mercedes, and shared its platform with the original SLK roadster after it had been replaced.

The Crossfire is the first of four models that Chrysler is giving the axe under its new ownership, and since production of the car and many of its components are so closely tied to Daimler, it makes sense that it's the first to go. Next to be cut are the Dodge Magnum (unfortunately), Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible (unfortunately only the convertible) and Chrysler Pacifica (wait, which one was that again?).

[Source: Motor Authority]

As General Motors refines the future of their brands, they're trimming out redundancy and we have a hard time coming up with a more redundant vehicle than the multitude of GMT 360 based 'utes across all the GM brands.

The Buick Rainier is one version of this ubiquitous platform that no longer has any reason for living; thus, production will end during the second quarter of 2007. Buick's plan is to trim the lineup back to three or four models, while focusing on developing and turning them out extremely well. The focus of Buick's future is taking the brand further into luxury, rather than offering everything the other divisions do, but with plusher seats. The buying public has found religion with car-based CUVs, as well, so dropping the Rainier to focus on execution of the Enclave is a shrewd move. Competition from other luxury brands, such as the Lexus RX vehicles, which have been based off car platforms since their inception are preferred by consumers and no amount of niceties inside will make up for the lumbering feel of a body-on-frame truck. Rather than have two vehicles vying for consumers hearts -- and confusing them in the process -- we laud the decision to lay the Rainier to rest.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Thank God it's over. Goodbye Freestar, you won't be missed. Ford has turned out its last head-gasket-consuming, transmission-torturing, flaccid minivan. It was a good try twelve years ago when it debuted as the Windstar, but time has not been kind to Ford's efforts. Moreover, Ford was not kind to the Freestar, letting it die on the vine while the competition became ever more competent. The Oakville, Ontario plant will continue to build cars, keeping all its employees busy with Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX production.The only folks that will even notice the unavailability of the Freestar (act fast, there's about 2,500 left) are fleet customers, with whom Ford will work to substitute other FoMoCo vehicles. Seems like a win-win-win: a tired horse is put out to pasture, the blue-collar folks kept their jobs and the fleet customers who lose out will be made whole.

[Source: Automotive News]