Chrysler LLC has reversed course and decided not to kill the PT Cruiser, the innovative hit vehicle that critics claimed was mishandled by management after its 2000 debut.
The automaker, fresh out of a reorganization under bankruptcy-court protection, said Friday that the Mexican facility where production has been taking place will keep building the vehicle. First-half PT Cruiser sales slumped 74 percent at 8,591; U.S. sales topped out in 2001 at 144,717, according to Autodata Corp.
Globally, more than 1.3 million PT Cruisers have been sold this decade. Critics say sales have waned in part because the car was never substantially overhauled since its debut.
The vehicle has consistently been ranked among the best for initial quality. But Chrysler had decided early this year to stop making PT Cruisers as part of its cost-cutting efforts.
In keeping the vehicle alive, Chrysler spokesman Jiyan Cadiz noted the PT Cruiser is sold in more than 60 countries, one of the company’s broader footprints, and “for the Chrysler brand, it is a good entry-level point.”
