Chrysler LLC is breathing some life into the aging PT Cruiser with a new limited-edition model.
The PT Dream Cruiser Series 5, unveiled Tuesday ahead of this weekend’s Woodward Dream Cruise classic car event, is the 14th factory-customized PT Cruiser that Chrysler has produced.
This time, the retro wagon is bright white with a painted black roof, chrome accents and new 17-inch wheels. Buyers can choose from a standard 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine with 150 horsepower or a turbocharged 2.4-liter, four-cylinder with 180 horsepower.
Perhaps its most striking features are the new upper and lower grilles with a crosshatch pattern. The grilles are individually milled from solid billet aluminum and then dipped in chrome as part of a 13-step process, according to Larry Lyons, vice president of Chrysler’s car and minivan team. Lyons said it takes more than 2½ hours to make the grilles, compared with mere minutes for a standard grille.
The Dream Cruiser Series 5 will start at $22,700, only $2,000 more than a standard PT Cruiser. The turbo version costs $1,280 more. Chrysler is limiting production to 1,750, and the cars will start rolling off the assembly line in October.
Chrysler has sold 1.3 million PT Cruisers since it launched the vehicle in 2000. Michael Berube, Chrysler’s senior marketing manager, said the car has an extremely loyal following and demand for the special-edition PT Cruisers has been strong.
But like the rest of the U.S. auto market this year, the PT Cruiser has fallen on hard times, with sales down 40 percent through July. Chrysler has already cut the slow-selling PT Cruiser convertible from its lineup and has made no promises that the PT Cruiser will be produced after 2009.
Lyons declined to discuss the future of the PT Cruiser on Tuesday.