PT Cruiser v2

[Dragon]

Chrysler ponders PT Cruiser Version 2.0

As the beloved Cruiser ages, Chrysler is wonders if new one should get bigger.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - The PT Cruiser has been a huge hit for Chrysler. Now, the company wants to make sure it stays that way, even as the car enters its eighth year and Chrysler executives wrestle with the big question: What should an all-new PT Cruiser look like?

The PT Cruiser doesn't sell at prices way over sticker like it did when it debuted in 2000, but it's still selling well - more than a million have been sold over the years.

The PT Cruiser has the advantages of a cool retro look along with a space-efficient shape that makes it a practical and fuel-efficient alternative to a small SUV.

"The PT remains one of the few iconic cars that is really useful in everyday life," said David Zatz, who runs the Web site Allpar.com, devoted to current and past Chrysler products.

The Cruiser's look was originally borrowed from the Plymouth Prowler, a hot-rod-styled two-seat convertible that debuted in 1997. At the time, Chrysler's Plymouth brand was moving toward a style harkening back to its earliest years in the 1930s. (The Plymouth marque was created in 1928 as Chrysler's lower-priced alternative.)

By 2001, following the merger with Daimler-Benz, Plymouth was dead. So the PT Cruiser, with its depression-era look, was introduced as a Chrysler instead.

Now, according to reports in two industry newspapers, Chrysler is struggling about what comes next.

The Cruiser did get a facelift for the 2006 model year, but the differences are so mild that only serious Cruiser fans would notice them. So, it's getting to be a long time without a major redesign and, in the car industry, that just won't do.

Where to now?

Chrysler executives are looking at a new PT Cruiser, possibly for the 2008 model year, according to WardsAuto.com. Automotive News puts the date at 2009 or '10.

But it won't be easy.

"You have a retro vehicle - and how do you update a retro vehicle?" Frank Klegon, executive vice president for product development, told the auto industry news site WardsAuto.com.

Good question.

Even experts can't think of a single retro-themed car that has ever been substantially redesigned. Retro design can be a trap because it relies on very specific visual cues to evoke a strong emotional response. Messing with those cues could lead to an equally strong rejection.

"Will they attack all the things people pick out as problems and sandpaper off all the edges until there's nothing?" worried Zatz.

Part of the Cruisers character is its small size. It's built on a modified form of the now defunct Dodge Neon's small car platform.

But Chrysler might opt to make the new PT Cruiser substantially larger, according to the reports. That might mean sharing its underlying structure with the redesigned Chrysler Sebring, Klegon told WardsAuto.com.

That would provide the possibility of offering a V-6 engine, Chrysler Chief Operating Officer Eric Ridenour told Automotive News. That would answer critics' complaints that the PT Cruiser, particularly with its base engine, is too slow.

A larger PT Cruiser with a V-6 engine would also fit better into the Chrysler brand's renewed focus as a luxury marque, said Mike Jackson of the auto marketing consultancy CSM Automotive.

"They can move it upmarket a little bit," he said.

Another, and possibly cheaper, solution would be "badge engineering" the just-introduced Dodge Caliber. In the same way that the Dodge Charger is essentially the same vehicle, underneath its body, as the Chrysler 300, the new PT Cruiser could be a retro-themed version of the Caliber.

The Caliber has roughly the same size and shape as the PT Cruiser, although the cars share no engineering. The Caliber is available with all-wheel-drive and, in AWD models, it has a fuel-efficient continuously variable transmission.

The Caliber suffers from the same criticism as the Cruiser when it comes to power, though. The Caliber, even in its supposedly performance-oriented R/T trim level, feels slow.

But with gas prices rising, introducing a bigger Cruiser with a V-6 engine might be an ill-timed move, suggested Jim Hossick of AutoPacific.

"A year ago I would have said America would really rather have a six than the four," he said.

With gasoline prices topping $3 a gallon, Americans want smaller engines and better mileage, he said.

No final decision has been made, Chrysler executives told the newspaper.

Zatz isn't buying that, though. By this time, they know the fundamentals of the next Cruiser and all this industry talk is just a shell game to keep competitors and Chrysler-watchers like him guessing, he said.

Chrysler executives declined to comment for this story.

Best question in there, "How do you update a retro vehicle?". I'm looking forward to seeing the answer

[MGZ06]

"How do you update a retro vehicle?"

Good question. . . for most they dont, like the SSR and T-Bird. It's going to be interesting to see how long the PT lasts into the next 4-5 years.

[ocnblu]

Hmmm... I think the best bet would be to make it a retro-inspired sister to the Sebring. And make the 2.4L standard, with light and high-pressure turbo versions optional. Changing it too radically might alienate buyers. These things have quite a following, and they've been pretty reliable for Chrysler. One thing going for the retro look of the Cruiser, it doesn't hark back to any particular model in particular like the Beetle and T-bird. A new Cruiser could retain it's 30's inspired style in a way different from the current car and still be successful. Edited June 25, 2006 by ocnblu

[Northstar]

I guess in order to update a retro design you have to look at a different retro design. The HHR is supposed to look like a '49 Suburban, so why not make the NG HHR like the '55 or so Suburban? They seem different enough to me...

(I don't know what the PT is inspired by, but they could do something similar).

[Guest YellowJacket894]

One way would be to make the PT a little more hard edged and apply the Art-Deco themes applied to the Crossfire, Sebring, and others. Another thing DCX could try would be to expand the PT beyond its 5-door hatch and convertible configurations.

I still wonder why the refreshed PT didn't look more like the California concept.

The roofline of that concept could provide a cue to include on the next car.

Also, a few notes can be taken from the two concept cars that made the PT design advance forward, the '97 Pronto and '98 Pronto Cruiser:

And the convertible version could be remade to look something like this concept which should have been a part of Plymouth/Chrysler's line-up to start with:

(I don't know what the PT is inspired by, but they could do something similar).

I think the PT was partially inspired by the 1934 Chrysler Airflow, but don't quote me on that.

(This is the Airflow for the undereducated:)

Hell, why were at it, why not make the car rear-drive and give Dodge a version that could take themes from thirty years later in the Sixties? I'm not kidding.

Edited June 26, 2006 by YellowJacket894

[Northstar]

I don't think the Airflite inspired the PT... the PT was out way before the Airflite debuted.

[Guest YellowJacket894]

I don't think the Airflite inspired the PT... the PT was out way before the Airflite debuted.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I edited the post. Go back and read it. :AH-HA_wink:

[sciguy_0504]

Five-door, three-door, convertible and SRT models would help, along with a little bit more room and power. Sliding rear seats like the Maxx, available navigation and entertainment system. A cool sunroof option. Available AWD.

For design, perhaps more edgy like the Pronto concept? It would be an evolution and would look a little less wussy. I like Northstar's idea, though. Surely, 1930's design had more nooks and crannies that what the PT shows.

[ocnblu]

I like the squared-off blue PT concept. Very snazzy, and that little Pronto is incredibly cute. It would be fresh today. It wouldn't work as a PT Cruiser because it's not retro enough, but it would have made a great car for Plymouth to compete with these new B cars.

I agree with those that want to see a wider range of PT Cruiser bodystyles. Basing it on the larger Sebring and making a coupe and perhaps a panel in addition to the wagon and convertible would help distinguish it from the HHR, which has stolen its thunder a bit.

[Mule Bakersdozen LS]

Great idea I totally agree with-pattern after previous concepts (also the 2003 GT Coupe concept), and revive the Airflow on its own, Sebring-based, a cross between Buick Enclave, the Pacifica, and the Lincoln MKX, closer to the latter in layout, but with more Pacifica-like in being a crossover tall hatch-wagon and not a crossover SUV.

[Sixty8panther]

Retro designs are not going anywhere, they'rer just getting better

and better. The New Beetle & T-Bird were not all that great, the

PT Cruiser & '05 Mustang were a lot better & the Camaro concept

is downright awsome. THe Challenger is not bad and the new 911

is kind of a throwback to previous models as well as the C6.

[Bimmer325]

It'll be interesting to see what automakers do to modernize an already decidedly retro design.

It defeats the entire objective behind producing a retro-styled vehicle and should be the most challenging aspect.

[PurdueGuy]

It struck me while reading through all this...

one major advantage to a retro styled vehicle is that IF it takes off, you can leave the looks pretty much alone for a long time. IIRC, the Beetle has had an extremely minor refresh, but is pretty much the exact same looking. Same with the PT. Where many cars look stale after 3-5 years, retro cars seem to either flop or last more like 10 years...