Last Chrysler PT Cruiser rolls off assembly line in Mexico

As reported before, Chrysler said that the last PT Cruiser will be rolling off the assembly line on July 9th – well, it’s July 9th and the last unit of Chrysler’s most successful and iconic vehicle rolled off the assembly line in Mexico today.

The Chrysler PT Cruiser, which debuted over a decade ago, sold more than 1.3 million units in sales for a vehicle that had a very daring design and targeted a certain niche.

Sales of the Chrysler PT Cruiser never dipped below 120,000 units for the first 8 years, even though Chrysler never built a second-generation model. Chrysler decided to keep interest of customers by offering a dozen variations and special-edition models over the decade.

So why kill the PT Cruiser? Apparently, Chrysler couldn’t come up with a successor to the model that would keep the same fame.

“The PT Cruiser was one of the first retro vehicles that Detroit did,” said John Wolkonowicz, senior analyst with IHS Automotive in Lexington, Mass. “It was unabashedly brash and very American.”

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Detroit News