Pt Cruiser

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Sha Na Na tribute to the Chrysler PT Cruiser – Click above to watch video after the jump

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

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 liste

We've been telling you that Chrysler's PT Cruiser is destined for death for years now, yet the little wagon continues to endure. Inside Line is reporting that the PT has yet again escaped the gallow's pole, and instead the Little Paddy Wagon That Could will soldier on until December 2010.

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.

Scott Kissinger knows a thing or two about Chrysler's PT Cruiser. In fact, he knows enough about it to have started ptenthusiasts.org in 1999, before the the PT was even for sale.

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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.

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The Canadian transport ministry is buying electric vehicles converted by Hybrid Technologies, Inc for testing and evaluation. Hybrid Technologies will convert a Chrysler PT Cruiser and a Smart ForTwo to be powered by electric motors and lithium batteries. The cars are part of the Advanced Technology Vehicles Program and they will be tested to evaluate efficiency, emissions and safety of the systems. By using these types of vehicles, the transport

Peter Valdes-Dapena has penned a nice piece examining Chrysler's options for the next PT Cruiser. It's an interesting question, as Valde-Dapena notes, because no retro vehicle has ever been substantially redesigned. Like the recent refreshening of the Volkswagen New Beetle, Chrysler's redo of the PT Cruiser for 2006 amounted to minor visual tinkering. Reportedly, however, Chrysler is looking to have an answer ready for an end of the decade launch.

It seem like the most suitable laboratory for testing an advanced propulsion system is the engine bay of a New York City taxi cab, just ask Ford. Hybrid Technolgies has announced it is in negotiations with the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commision to get its lithium-ion battery-powered PT Cruisers on the streets of NYC ASAP. PTCruizer.com reports the electric cabs will sport a 600-pound, 320V battery

DaimlerChrysler is on the receiving end of some flack from Germany's own Federal Emissions Agency, which is accusing the automaker of inadequate pollution controls on the European-market Chrysler PT Cruiser.