Let our voices be heard - next PT Cruiser

[PTRich]

The deal breaker for me is still the towel bar. And since I'd be looking at every time I got in the car....

[Mean Green]

Yeah, DCX will listen. Just like they did about the panel version and a competitor comes out with it.

[turbo2004]

Originally Posted by PTRich

The deal breaker for me is still the towel bar. And since I'd be looking at every time I got in the car....

so, you are saying that you do not like the towel bar?

[purplePTgirl]

When I see the 06s on the road, I just think "thank God I didnt wait". They just look cheaper and more sedate--they are not as stylin' as the 01-05s. They are just a little too econoboxy--they lost just enough flair to make them more ordinary. The front grill is the worst thing about them.

[turbo2004]

Originally Posted by purplePTgirl

The front grill is the worst thing about them.

That is what makes them so ordinary and sedate. The grill is too small. Do not let me get started on the interior.

[PTRich]

Originally Posted by turbo2004

so, you are saying that you do not like the towel bar?

I can't stand it, and every time I'd get in I'd be reminded I can't stand it. No thanks. I love the new gauges, those are a huge improvement from the originals. Other than that, I can't really call anything done in the interior an improvement, though that isn't to say it's all worse. Much of it is lateral movement. But too much (the gray they use, the towel bar, the silver center stack, the door panels, the lack of dedicated seatmounted armrests) is a step back from the PT and a step toward the "corporate interior" look of the rest of the line; a look that I'm not fond of to begin with.

Outside, I can live with the lower grille. I don't really like it, but I could live with it. I like the chrome bars on the upper grille.. Out back, I've never been a big 'clear turn signal' fan, but again by itself it's not a deal breaker.

[SilverEagle]

If Chrysler wants to stay in business ,They need to stop making all those gas hogs that there making. Get rid of the Aspen,the Durango, for starters. If they have to make them do at the Dodge plant. Close the PT plant in Mexico and bring them to the Newark Delaware plant that makes the Durango and the Aspen. Keep the basic Design of the PT only make some really good engine's that get more then 20/26, if were lucky . The Chevy impala gets over 30mpg and it's a V6.Look at the VW beetle ,How long was it around before they changed it and look what it did for VW. Now they make more models then Chrysler and they started with only one model in the beginning. If Chrysler played it's cards right they could some day have there own PT group. (Withfull thinking) We like both of our PT's but they are awful on gas. The more I see the Chevy impala the more I want one. I rented an 06 this year when my Dodge truck was stolen and it out performed the PT in every way. And the cost isn't that bad either. You can get one for around $18,000 with a 3.5 V6 pretty loaded. What Chrysler needs to do is make the Impala with the PT Body style. Then I can have my cake and eat it too.

[Mark29]

Originally Posted by SilverEagle

If Chrysler wants to stay in business ,They need to stop making all those gas hogs that there making. Get rid of the Aspen,the Durango, for starters. If they have to make them do at the Dodge plant. Close the PT plant in Mexico and bring them to the Newark Delaware plant that makes the Durango and the Aspen.

You do realize that in order to do this, the price is either going to go up or Chrysler will have to really cut corners. Neither of which will make anybody happy.

[QuicksilverDon]

Originally Posted by PTRich

I do like that there are several elements in the PT you don't see in any other car (door handles as an example). It's one of the little things that make it such a value and unique vehicle.
I don't really care if the next one looks nothing like the current one; all I care about it that it's a retro themed vehicle with the same 'triangle' of style, affordability, and functionality.
Chevy's SSR and Ford's Thunderbird were long on style, woefully short on the other two.

Well said. I agree completely.

[PTRich]

Originally Posted by SilverEagle

If Chrysler wants to stay in business ,They need to stop making all those gas hogs that there making. Get rid of the Aspen,the Durango, for starters. If they have to make them do at the Dodge plant. Close the PT plant in Mexico and bring them to the Newark Delaware plant that makes the Durango and the Aspen.

Yup, doing all that should only take, oh, only a week or so....

Now, realistically, what they *are* in the middle of doing is converting all their plants to flex manufacturing, which will enable them to build a wide variety of vehicles at different plants, as long as certain 'hard point' dimensions are shared. The Belividere plant which produces the Caliber, Compass, and coming-soon Patriot is a flex plant. Ditto the Grand Cherokee/Commander. The beauty is that the total sales mark needed to reach profitability is shared among all the vehicles - so if they need 100k in sales any combo of Compass/Caliber/Patriot sales that hits 100k means the whole shebang is profitable. Adding more vehicles to the mix doesn't appreciably increase the numbers of sales needed to be profitable.

That last sentence is important.

That one means that they'll be more likely to take a chance on something like a retro themed PT even if they don't think that particular model will fly off the showroom, because more mainstream models will take up the slack.

This is more of a long term project though, and may or may not impact the next PT, depending on what they do with it.

However, if it works, they'll be in great shape and extremely flexible with regards to the way they build and equip - and design - vehicles. If it doesn't, well, the media won't have Chrysler to kick around any more....