Chrysler PT Cruiser

The Chrysler PT Cruiser is a "retro"-styled station wagon or hatchback built by Chrysler, a marque of DaimlerChrysler, launched in 2001 as the entry-level Chrysler.
The PT Cruiser was on Car and Driver's Ten Best list for 2001 and won the North American Car of the Year award that year.
Officially, the "PT" stands for "Personal Transportation," but the initials also designate the car's platform. The Neon was based on the Chrysler PL platform, or "Platform Low," while the Cruiser was based on the Chrysler PT platform, for "Platform Tall." "PT" was also the production code for the PT Cruiser. Unofficially, the name may stand for "Plymouth Truck", as it harks back to the 1930's line of Plymouth Trucks (known by the "PT" moniker). The original concept car was a Plymouth, the Chrysler brand adopted the production car when the Plymouth brand was discontinued.

Overview

It is a front-wheel drive 5-passenger vehicle, classified as a truck by the NHTSA for CAFE fuel economy calculations but as a car by most other metrics. Indeed, Chrysler specifically designed the PT Cruiser to fit the NHTSA criteria for a light truck in order to bring the average fuel efficiency of the company's light truck fleet into compliance with CAFE standards.[1] A turbocharged GT model was introduced for the 2003 model year. A convertible was introduced for the 2005 model year.
The PT Cruiser is manufactured at Toluca Car Assembly in Toluca, Mexico. DaimlerChrysler announced on March 8, 2006 that it had built 1,000,000 PT Cruisers at the Toluca plant since 2001. The PT Cruiser was also assembled in Graz, Austria for global markets (outside North America) in 2002, using the production code PG. European PT Cruisers built in 2001 or from 2003 onwards are built in Mexico under the PT production code. The American version features a 2.4 L four-cylinder gasoline engine. In addition to this standard model, a 2.2 L diesel engine is also available in Europe, Asia, and South Africa. A 2 liter engine (Chrysler_Neon_engine#D4RE) was available outside the U.S. It produces 140 hp SAE at 6500 rpm with 130 ft·lbf of torque at 4800 rpm.

Updates

While the body style remains remarkably consistent from year to year, there are actually multiple models of the PT Cruiser, designated by unique badges in the lower left hand corner of the rear lift-gate. Models include the Classic Edition, Limited Edition, Touring Edition, "Dream Cruiser", "Street Cruiser", "Pacific Coast Highway Edition" and GT Cruiser. Turbo edition models are identified by a "2.4L Turbo" badge on the lower right hand corner of the rear lift-gate.
A four-seat convertible model was added for 2005. It is a two-door car with an integrated "sport bar" for added rigidity and rollover protection. It was also discovered that the sport bar also caused air to flow over the rear passengers, resulting in a less drafty ride for those in the rear seats.
The PT Cruiser was updated for 2006. Notable exterior features include scalloped headlights, a new grille, and redesigned taillights. Inside, an updated dashboard and more upscale materials are used. The audio system now features a line-in jack for MP3 players and is integrated into the dashboard, making it more difficult to replace with an aftermarket unit. The turbocharged 2.4 L engine is now available in 180 hp (134 kW) or "High-Output" 230 hp (172 kW) versions.

Design

The PT Cruiser was originally meant to be a Plymouth, before Chrysler's merger with Daimler-Benz. The concept car was orginally targeted at young male audiences, but the large increase by female consumers have caused the target audiences to switch to young females. At the time, Chrysler had planned a new look for Plymouth, previewed by the Plymouth Prowler "hot rod". Styling cues from the Prowler, particularly the grille, were used to create the Plymouth Pronto concept car in 1997. The look was refined, and in 1998, another Plymouth concept called the Chrysler Pronto Cruizer directly previewed the styling of the PT Cruiser. The Pronto Cruizer was designed as a modern interpretation of the Chrysler Airflow with Dodge Neon components, but the final design used a separate platform. The new DaimlerChrysler firm did not have much faith in Plymouth as a separate entity, and began steps to rationalize and cancel the marque. Consequently, the PT Cruiser appeared in public only as a Chrysler.
The PT Cruiser also bears a resemblance in size and shape to the 1997 Chrysler CCV prototype. The styling of the latter elicited a better response from the auto show circuit, and would evolve into the styling of the PT Cruiser.