A Sweet Goodbye to the Chrysler PT Cruiser

The car that seemed to be the center of all jokes is finally reaching the end of its production run. The last Chrysler PT Cruiser will be rolling off the assembly line in less than two weeks.

When it was first launched, the PT Cruiser was a brilliant little car, unique in every sort of way. The car went on sale in 2000 during the American SUV craze. The retro design, like the New Beetle, made it a massive sales success. In fact, the car sold well beyond anything Chrysler could have imagined.

"For a while, it was the best-selling Chrysler-brand vehicle," said Jim Hall, managing director of 2953 Analytics, a Birmingham consultancy.

On July 9, the car’s last day, Chrysler will have sold over 1.3 million PT Cruisers. The PT was the first of many retro vehicles, including the Fiat 500 and Mini Cooper. The simply average base model eventually grew into a turbo GT version, a convertible and a dozen or so special editions.

Despite the poor build quality and the horrendous handling, the car continued to sell well, even though Chrysler never refreshed the look or the features.

"It’s plugged along and still has a loyal fan base," Hall said.

Though the car is in its final days we still have so many questions. If Chrysler had actually updated and made the PT better, what would have come of it?