Will Chrysler really drop the PT?

[Ptrope]

Originally Posted by digitalpinscruiser

But back to the PT's, I remember when it launched there was a frenzy over them, you could not find them or the dealers were over charging cause they were a hot item. Why did'nt the the big suits over at chrysler not notice this and advertise the heck out of it like cool commercials like SCION thought of with all the custom colors they are getting younger buyers by doing that.

Chrysler didn't know what to do with the PT Cruiser - it was something that the pre-Benz management brought into being, something uniquely American, and I think the Germans were, frankly, a bit embarrassed by it. As for advertising it, you point out the very reason why they didn't: it was selling like hot cakes, and you don't spend money on advertising that you don't feel you have to.

Then, because it sold so well, that became the corporate expectation for the sales overall, so when the sales started dropping, they saw it as an indication - probably, for them, proof - that it was no longer a viable business proposition, especially since, as pointed out above, the PT is its own unique platform and not something they could distribute the costs of throughout the line. I still don't understand how you can call a car a 'failure' when the business model they used to put it into production was a target sales figure of 75,000 annually, which the car tripled in its first couple years, and then when sales dropped 25%, they were still far ahead of the business model! Add to that the fact that GM shamelessly copied the car - obviously, GM thought it was a good idea!

I really don't understand the benign - or malign - neglect that Chrysler afforded the PT. Starting from the beginning, they de-contented the car with each new year, stripping it of standard items, of options and of color choices, making it more and more bland, almost as if they were trying to kill it, and maybe they were. By the time I bought my 2006, my first (and still only) PT, I was seriously considering an older, low-mileage used model, because I liked the lines, the interior (the dash and seats, at least) and the content more than the new one; I bought the 2006 new because I got a better deal on it than I could find on a used PT, and I'm happy with it, but it's a lot more 'corporate' in appearance and content than the jaunty little critter that I initially fell in love with (I seriously consider swapping the ends for those of an older model, if not just going with PTeazer's pieces ).

I agree that Chrysler should've looked at the Scion and even the MINI business models - maybe the PT should've even been a separate line, so the bigwigs at Chrysler wouldn't think it 'cheapened' the brand - you know, like the Crossfire and new Sebring didn't . The PT needed more colors, more aftermarket encouragement by Chrysler, and more community-building - the PT fans have done a great job, but certainly not because Chrysler made it any easier. Of course, the company could've come across with some improvements, such as more power and lighter weight - unfortunately, their biggest concern seems to have been that they felt they couldn't come up with a visual 'sequel' to the Nesbitt-drawn lines (and IMHO, neither could he, seeing the HHR, which I think looks like an earlier attempt, before he got it right ). Like the new MINI, which is nearly indistinguishable from the first generation at even more than a glance, they could've reengineered and improved the PT and kept the lines substantially the same - better still if they had backed off on the 'corporatization' that they inflicted in 2006, and maybe gave it a full-height grille to dominate the front, in the same way they implemented the huge 300 grille to great effect.

Unfortunately, for us and for Chrysler, it's too late. They killed a car that, in this economy and at a time when gas prices are going back up, could offer a stylish and practical alternative to the imports and to the bland or even unattractive compact offerings of GM and Ford (the new Focus? Ewww!); an investment in the car's engineering would have probably been well worth it (and should've been done 4-5 years ago!), and if they couldn't figure out what to do with the styling, maybe they could've gotten some input from folks like Chip Foose - guys who understand retro and also the latest technology.

And it wouldn't hurt Chrysler to look into spreading the Hemi brand to a line of high-po 4-cylinders; even BMW is talking about paring back its V-8s!

[Hooligan]

Ptrope, well said!!!

[blucruzer]

I agree. Well said, ptrope. I've been looking at all of the aftermarket parts sites, I think Pteazer has quite a gallery of photos and I'm impressed with how much work people have done to modify Cruisers: I've seen a little humpbacked two door coupe, several panel conversions and of course there's the little pickup truck that's in progress that can be seen on this site. How many other vehicles inspire that kind of commitment and energy by their owners? Early on somebody made a convertible Cruiser and Chrysler picked up on it but never took it any farther and left the panel market for Chevy and their HHR. I can't claim to know anything about business but it sure seems like a case of uninspired, incompetent management to me. Will merging with Fiat help? I kind of hope so, just because I hate to see our proud American manufacturers all fall by the wayside but good grief, they'll have to do better than they've been doing.

[Madturtle]

Perhaps this will be the new PT.

Fiat.co.uk | Fiat Showroom : Latest Offers, Book a Test Drive, Fiat Car Range and more

[Ptrope]

, indeed!

It's amazed me how, in a country with some of the best auto designers in the world, Fiat and others manage to also produce some of the oddest and even ugliest cars cars in the world (barring the Chinese, of course). Still, a platform from something like this could probably work quite well under bodywork similar enough to the PT to be considered 'the next generation.' The potential problem lies in Fiat's line-up, which is generally one of people-movers and not really much in the way of excitement or even basic attractiveness. Sure, they have the new 500, which is the car on my list to replace my PT as a daily driver (but not replace it in my garage ; when it retires, it'll become my 'toy' to customize), and a couple cars in their range would appeal to the U.S. market, but on the whole, I think Alfa Romeo is really their best bet for importing to the U.S., and keep their Fiat mechanicals underneath U.S.-designed sheetmetal (as long as it's not designed by whomever shat out the Sebring!). Build a Dodge Hornet, and maybe even come to their senses and make a new PT - the design is valid, it was only the engineering that needed updating; that, and resist the urge to homogenize it as they did in 2006.

[PT_Cuda]

Originally Posted by Madturtle

Perhaps this will be the new PT.

Fiat.co.uk | Fiat Showroom : Latest Offers, Book a Test Drive, Fiat Car Range and more

No but this might.. It screams "I am a Lambo I really am !!"

Fiat 500 Arbarth




Fiat.co.uk - 500 Abarth

[Mean Green]

Originally Posted by PT_Cuda

No but this might.. It screams "I am a Lambo I really am !!"

Fiat 500 Arbarth




Fiat.co.uk - 500 Abarth

I like it. Why can't American car makers design better looking/running cars?

[PT_Cuda]

Originally Posted by Mean Green

I like it. Why can't American car makers design better looking/running cars?

Because the majority of the car buying public is untrained, uneducated and more concered with it being cheap and how many cup holders does it have.

You would see the taste in cars change totally if we were really trained how to drive and the way licenses were issued changed. No training classes - you would be restriced in what times, what conditions, what people you could carry in the car. It would soooo reduce traffic..

[Mean Green]

Originally Posted by PT_Cuda

Because the majority of the car buying public is untrained, uneducated and more concered with it being cheap and how many cup holders does it have.

You would see the taste in cars change totally if we were really trained how to drive and the way licenses were issued changed. No training classes - you would be restriced in what times, what conditions, what people you could carry in the car. It would soooo reduce traffic..

Headed for Australia tomorrow and it will, again, reinforce for me how spoiled and uneducated most American car buyers are with their wants of large vehicles that have every conceivable option known to man no matter the weight or size. I won't see any large pickups or large SUVs over there. With their paying $5+ a gallon for gas they want only small vehicles. Their dump trucks are only 2/3 the size of ours, too.

[midnight01]