Chrysler PT Cruiser News

I remember when I first saw the Chrysler PT Cruiser in its original Plymouth Pronto Cruizer concept vehicle form at the Ottawa auto show in the late 1990s.

The PT Cruiser is the once-award-winning car that will not die: Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne says the attractive small car will continue to be produced for another year at the Toluca, Mexico station, according to an Automotive News report.

Despite distracting financial problems, Detroit's Big Three automakers showed a substantial improvement in off-the-assembly-line quality, according to the latest Initial Quality Survey by automotive gurus J.D. Power and Associates.

This is the last year for the PT Cruiser , a vehicle that rocked the industry with its unique retro styling when it was launched in 2001.

The Chrysler PT Cruiser should be history. But the new Chrysler Group LLC has given the retro-styled car a reprieve.

Jeremy Cato is an expert on cars, trucks and the auto industry. Check back often for his insights on the issues, the players and the products.

With Chrysler just out of bankruptcy, GM still stuck in the courts and Ford keeping its head down, it's been a tough month for domestic automakers.

Well, maybe it is, but since the PT Cruiser had been on the market since 1999 , it does seem reasonable that GM would want to get in on the retro wagon market after Chrysler had been in the market without competition for 6 years.

As reported by our colleagues over at GreenCarReports.com, the PT Cruiser has a somewhat 'irrational' following, especially given a car that was debuted in 1999.

Jo Winterbottom MILAN - Reuters Last updated on Wednesday, Jul. 01, 2009 01:49PM EDT C hief Executive Sergio Marchionne's immediate product plans for Chrysler could be limited to weeding out weaker models and tweaking prices as he gears up to launch new designs in about two years' time.

Chrysler's new design chief, Brandon L. Faurote, is only 38! As The Motor Report reports, REFLECTING the design and branding organisation of its Italian partner Fiat, Chrysler has given each of its three brands - Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep - their own design bosses, reporting to Senior Vice President of Product Design, Ralph Gilles.

Technically, it's a small minivan, but the retro-styled gangster look has always disguised that fact completely.

Chrysler Group LLC restarted seven assembly plants after silencing all of its factories during its six-week stay in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Hundreds of local Chrysler plant workers are headed back to work today for the first time since the end of April.

It's hard to sell much in a region where the unemployment rate is nearing 20 percent, but the saving grace for the Heart City Automotive dealership on Elkhart's North Nappanee Street has been its used car business.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., June 22, 2009; New vehicles sold by Chrysler, Ford and GM's domestic brands have improved in initial quality by an average of 10 percent, compared with 2008, surpassing the 8-percent rate of improvement by the industry overall, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Initial Quality Study released today.

A biweekly roundup of automotive news, good, bad and just plain weird: KOENIGSEGG BUYS SAAB Just when we were all getting a trifle bored of hearing about the various financial woes of GM and Chrysler on a daily basis, here comes the best news I've heard all Financial Crisis.

J.D. Power and Associates has revealed the results of its 2009 Initial Quality Stud y and named Lexus the top manufacturer for initial new car quality .

New vehicles sold by Chrysler, Ford and GM's domestic brands have improved in initial quality by an average of 10 percent from 2008, but Toyota Motor Corp.

The new JD Power Initial Quality Survey is out, and several Big 3 models are tops in their class.