Oh, PT, what is to become of thee….
The above is one of the most pressing product questions facing many Mopar fans, especially us PT owners. The questions have only gotten louder with the to-be-built-in Toluca Dodge Journey being introduced. What will Chrysler do? Will they allow the current iteration to soldier on as a cheap-to-produce cash cow like the M and L bodies of old and then kill it off? Will they retire the name and bring out a Journey-based crossover with no retro cues? Or, worst of all, *not* retire the name, and bring out a Journey-based crossover with no retro cues?
What *should* they do? In my opinion, any “PT Cruiser” has to have a decidely retro feel to it. The Journey is very modern in the exterior especially, leaving room for Chrysler to continue the retromobile. The Journey also has a symmetrical instrument panel…so that theme can continue as well. While it is true that a PT based on the Journey would be significantly larger than one based on a Caliber, it would also follow Chrysler’s upmarket movement, without much of an MPG hit, if any, based on the estimates. This would,in my opinion, be the best option. A new PT Cruiser, complete with retro flair, and not competing with the entry level Compass/Caliber/Patriot. If you like this option, sign the Save the PT Petition at http://www.savethept.com/ !
Next, surprisingly, would be just building out the current vehicle until the line was needed elsewhere, or it was no longer profitable. They’d certainly get their moneys’ worth out of the current iteration, though we’d see little in innovaton and likely further decontenting. Thus would end the PT Cruiser, with the “replacement” being called something completely different and having no retro cues. It would, however, not sully what the PT Cruiser essentially is, and avoid the “then they stuffed it up” syndrome.
The worst option would be showing a complete disregard for what the name has built and ignorance of the brand by carrying over the name on a vehicle that shares nothing, in spirit, with the original. This would saddle the new vehicle with double baggage; PT Cruiser fans would say “That’s not a PT Cruiser!” and non fans would say “I hate PT Cruisers!” In the end you’d have a vehicle with an uncertain identity and, quite possibly, damaged chances for success.
We’ll find out how different the New Chrysler really is; as Option #3 is the type of boneheaded move the “Old Chrysler” was all too good at.
Please guys, get it right.
The PT was very good for Chrysler.
Do right by it.
I believe that any next-generation PT Cruiser should be as close, not only in spirit and style but also in size and function, to the first-generation Cruiser as possible. Therefore, I think that any new PT should be put on the Caliber platform. It can maintain (roughly) its size, function, and styling — and hopefully the spirit will make it through the translation as well.
Unfortunately, if Chrysler is truly moving upmarket, there is really no place for the PT at all, unless you make the Cruiser more “luxurious” and therefore lose some of its PTness; that is, unless the premium “model image cascades down to the entry-level models.” Failing that, let the PT continue to be the anamoly of the Chrysler line-up, but without giving it goofy-looking headlights and a corporate clock to try to hide the fact. The most natural home for the PT, in a lineup where it wouldn’t be the anamoly, would be a new line of Plymouth cars and vans; but since that isn’t likely to happen, let the PT continue to be what it always has been: an iconic car that stands on it own, and happens to wear the Chrysler wings.
If you’re going to use the Caliber platform for a new PT Cruiser, then the obvious thing in my opinion to do would be scrap the Compass substitute PT in it’s place. You’ve got a place to build then and don’t have to worry about trying to find a factory.
Another option is to give up on the PT’s current size, much as I hate to say it, and give that market to the HHR while doing everything possible to make a PT version of the Journey.
I still think the best option is moving it to the Newark, Delaware plant and squeezing it for all it’s worth before dropping or modernizing it.
The Caliber…just isn’t very high caliber, so to speak. If the PT did move to that platform I’d want a different engine than the 2.4 — perhaps a retuned 2.4 that can actually generate some steam below 4,000 rpm.
mite i add that PT stands for PLYMOUTH TRUCK. so slap a sailboat on the noise already.
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WHATS UP WITH THIS AT THE BOTTOM? MITE I REMINDE YOU THAT IT IS INFACT CHRYSLER LLC NOT DAIMLERchryslerAG
Smalltownboy:
When did you copy that disclaimer - mine reads “Mopar, Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler are trademarks of Chrysler LLC. We are not Chrysler.”
And did your momma ever tell you it is impolite to “SHOUT”, as all caps are considered shouting.
I agree with the comments on keeping the PT Cruiser on the Caliber platform rather than the Journey.
Since we are now Chrysler and have left Mercedes, we only have 2 car lines left.
Maybe we could slowly work Plymouth back into the mix. Starting with the new (redesign) of the PT Cruiser,
let it be PT Cruiser “by Chrysler”, a stand alone line. Then there wouldn’t be any need to move it upscale.
And maybe to expand the line by bringing out the PT Panel, maybe a PT Prowler, etc.
I changed it after he made the post. I did miss the weblogs when I converted over the rest of the site.
I thought so Dave, that was a fast response.
I voted at http://www.savethept.com, and note the options there were quite similar to mine.
I considered a PT when they first came out, but never owned a car that small before.
However, if they keep it on and make some options available like the availabilty of the 5 speed manual with the
lower horsepower cars, it will be worth another look.
The PT Cruiser looks like nothing else on the road, and the problem with the 2006 refresh was that they tried to make it look like the rest of the Chrysler lineup. Not only did they fail in making the PT fit into the lineup, but they also diluted the PT’s image and uniqueness.
Rather than toning down the PT’s styling, Chrysler should be moving in the opposite direction by making the styling even wilder and more distinctive. If I were designing the next Cruiser, I would be spending a lot of time with the 1934 Chrysler Airflow — it has the high beltline that Chrysler is so enamored with these days as well as a tall vertical one-piece grille that some aftermarket sources offer a variation on for the 1st-gen PT.
I like the idea of a Caliber-based “PT Cruiser by Chrysler” line with the original wagon, convertible, and GT (with the SRT-4 drivetrain), as well as panel, coupe, and pick-up versions of it. They could design it with class-leading aerodynamics and advertise it as the successor to the Airflow. With funky, eye-catching new styling, more variations, increased power and fuel efficiency, AWD, and a media advertising blitz, a full-on PT revival could take place!
Of course, this is all just wishful thinking. CLLC will drop the Cruiser or put the name on something completely inappropriate, and our PTs will become collectors’ items. Sad, really. It will be interesting to see if in 20 years or so they revive the retro retro PT Cruiser.
What if they just downsized the Nassau, made it FWD and called it PT Cruiser? That might work. Same type of body style.
Nick– The Nassau is twice as big as the PT Cruiser, was built on a full-sized RWD platform, and is intended for completely different use and market. The styling of the Nassau is modern and the PT Cruiser is retro. To go through the trouble of downsizing it to where it would be even close to the same size as the PT or even the Journey and reconfiguring it for FWD– they might as well create a new platform from scratch. Oh, and the Nassau is ugly.
Now, they COULD take the extended LX/LY platform and create a RWD/AWD 7- or 8-passenger crossover big brother to the Journey… But they’d have to keep the PT Cruiser name FAR away from that beast.
Frankly, to me, it matters less whether it’s Journey sized or Caliber sized, and more that it’s true to the vision: A retro mobile that’s also incredibly useful. I agree with Bethlumboy that it should go more retro and not be watered down even further.
We’ll see….
Michele Krebs @ Edmunds auto observer commented this week that the PT Cruiser will be built alongside the Journey in Toluca, Mexico. She offered no further info than that, but sounded very confident about her news. Don’t know where she is getting her facts from but I hope she is right. As long as they do it right!