Chrysler Will Keep PT Cruiser But Cut PT Cruiser Convertible
Chrysler Will Keep PT Cruiser But Cut PT Cruiser Convertible
Chrysler LLC will cut the PT Cruiser convertible from its lineup, but leave the regular Cruiser in production, a person familiar with the company's plans said today.
The retro-styled PT Cruiser had been on the short list of four models that Chrysler was expected to cut due to slow sales. Despite a sales decline of 27% through September, the PT Cruiser is still the third best-selling model in Chrysler's lineup, behind the 300 sedan and the Town & County minivan.
In addition to the PT Cruiser convertible, Chrysler will announce tomorrow that it will shed the Pacifica wagon, the Crossfire coupe and the Dodge Magnum wagon over the 2008 model year. The aging Pacifica and Crossfire share no common underpinnings with other Chrysler vehicles and need expensive updates, while the slow-selling Magnum will be replaced by the Dodge Journey crossover when it launches next year.
The PT Cruiser has been a mainstay of the Chrysler lineup, and the company has struggled to find a way of updating the Mexico-build wagon without losing its styling flair. The PT Cruiser has often been the most reliable Chrysler in durability surveys, and fans of the model started an online petition in August to convince Chrysler to keep it in production.
Source: Freep.com
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