The Final Chrysler PT Cruiser
The final PT Cruiser will come off its Chrysler assembly line on July 9th. With that, Chrysler is asking the question of whether or not to continue the long running, successful model.
“For a while, it was the best-selling Chrysler-brand vehicle,” said Jim Hall, managing director of 2953 Analytics, a Birmingham consultancy. In fact, the numbers show this as fact. Chrysler will have sold more than 1.3 million PT Cruisers when production ends on July 9. That means that there is a huge following for the design – maybe enough that Chrysler should do a next-generation version.
The Chrysler PT Cruiser went on sale in the year 2000 – at the height of America’s SUV craze. The vehicle, though much smaller than any SUV, became popular for a nostalgic look, cargo space and for being easy to drive. It broke the mold for that time in automotive industry.
If Chrysler executives had followed up on the PT’s initial success, they could have turned the car into an icon for the company. Instead, they left it alone as a singular sensation that bore no relationship to any other Chrysler vehicle. That alone made it a cult favorite.
PT Cruiser also became successful as a rental car. Companies like Hertz and Enterprise have ordered thousands of Cruisers over the years to rent to customers. For now, you can check out the final PT Cruisers at dealerships near you, after that – Hertz.com.
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