2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible.</P>


Auburn Hills, Mich., Jan 29, 2004 -With the top off, the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible continues the phenomenon begun with the introduction of the 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser sedan, but at a level even cooler than the breeze through your hair.</P>


“There’s only one way to top the original Chrysler PT Cruiser sedan, and that’s by losing the top,” said Jeff Bell, Vice-President-Chrysler/Jeep® Marketing. “We consider the new PT Cruiser Convertible the ultimate factory-backed customization of the ultimate segment-buster and see it as an opportunity to expand on the original PT Cruiser frenzy.”</P>


With its distinct combination of PT Cruiser heritage styling and Swiss-army-knife versatility, the new Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible is poised to make a unique statement in the convertible market. Add to that levels of comfort yet unseen in the segment and the ability to carry on conversations while driving, and the PT Cruiser Convertible pulls into a new parking space all its own. </P>


While the convertible segment is relatively small at about 300,000 annual units, volume in the luxury specialty segment increased almost 50 percent in the last four years, and the standard luxury segment was up more than 40 percent, demonstrating potential growth on several levels within the market. The Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible will draw from the entire convertible segment in addition to appealing to those who may not have considered a convertible before.</P>


“Because of its unique blend of customized styling and versatile packaging, we expect that the Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible can and will crisscross the customary divisions within the convertible segment,” said Bell. “The PT Cruiser Convertible features like best-in-class rear leg room, a quiet ride and more pass-through cargo space will appeal to convertible customers no matter where they fall in the segment.”</P>


Blue Skies Above With Space to Enjoy Them</P>


No other convertible can pull off the PT Cruiser’s cool styling and maintain its legendary versatility, something the PT Cruiser Convertible is chock full of. With 84.3 cu.-ft. of space and 13.3 cu.-ft. of pass-through luggage volume, the PT Cruiser Convertible offers more interior cargo volume than its competitors. Designed to be a convertible you can actually do things with, the seats can be configured in nine different ways, including a position that creates a pass-through trunk opening with enough room to store two golf bags or similar lifestyle equipment.</P>


The newest, most useful convertible in the market is available in Standard, Touring and GT models. </P>


At a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $19,995 (including $590 destination), the Standard PT Cruiser Convertible includes a standard 150-horsepower 2.4-liter engine with a manual transaxle. Also included as standard equipment are loads of features not usually found in convertibles at this price, such as a power convertible soft top, sport bar with integrated dome lamps, solar-tinted “Smart” glass, rear glass window with electric defroster, cloth sport seats with driver manual lumbar adjuster, rear 50/50 split-fold and tumble seats, pass-through cargo area, power exterior mirrors, touring-tuned suspension and body-color fascias and bodyside moldings.</P>


With a starting MSRP of $22,900 (excluding $590 destination), the Touring model Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible features a standard 150-horsepower 2.4-liter engine with a manual transaxle and an available 180-horsepower 2.4-liter turbocharged engine with automatic transaxle. All the Standard model features are included as well, with the addition of a convertible top boot, 16-inch painted cast aluminum wheels, speed control, security alarm, fog lights, floor mats and an AM/FM stereo with CD player.</P>


The Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible GT model includes a standard High Output 220-horsepower turbocharged engine with a five-speed Getrag manual transaxle, plus all of the Touring model standard equipment. Other key GT model standard features include a performance-tuned suspension with ABS four-wheel disc brakes, low-speed traction control, chrome-accented grille and fascia, 17-inch Empire painted cast aluminum wheels, all-season performance tires, a 2.75-inch chrome-plated stainless steel exhaust tip, leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather seats, driver seat power height adjuster, unique silver painted shifter ****, “GT” embroidered floor mats, supplemental side air bags, an AM/FM stereo with CD and cassette player and driver-and-front passenger side air bags. MSRP for the GT model PT Cruiser Convertible is $27,565 (excluding $590 destination).</P>


Custom Customers</P>


Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible customers are as unique as the vehicle itself. They defy demographics, fitting instead into a psychographic of fun-loving, confident, style-conscious consumers that goes beyond age, sex or income. Motivated by a desire to enjoy life to the fullest, PT Cruiser Convertible customers value creativity and individuality. </P>


No matter what the personal vision of the Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible, the car fulfills both the rational and emotional expectations of its owner. It is distinctive and practical; classic and casual; agile and roomy; likeable for all the ways it’s different.</P>


Continued Convertible Leadership</P>


Drop-top customization is a trend long familiar to the Chrysler Group and the Chrysler brand. Chrysler sold almost 44,000 Chrysler Sebring Convertibles in 2002 and enjoyed a 14.5-percent share of the convertible market, the highest of any nameplate. Chrysler Sebring Convertible is America’s best-selling convertible.</P>


“With the newest factory-backed Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible joining the recently announced Chrysler Crossfire Convertible and the record-setting Chrysler Sebring Convertible, the sky’s the limit on the Chrysler brand’s command of the domestic convertible market,” said Bell. “We look to a very sunny future with our convertible portfolio.”</P>


This newest PT Cruiser Convertible continues DaimlerChrysler’s tradition of offering convertible customers market “firsts.” Others include the first automatic convertible top from Plymouth in 1939 and the first U.S. introduction of a convertible after the sales lull in the ’70s with the 1982 Le Baron Convertible.</P>


2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible Production</P>


Production of the Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible begins in early 2004 at DaimlerChrysler’s Toluca (Mexico) Assembly Plant. The plant also builds the Chrysler PT Cruiser sedan, which tied for first place for the best ownership experience in the Compact Car category of Strategic Vision’s 2003 Total Quality Index™.</P>


The Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible will be available in more than 30 markets around the world beginning in the spring of 2004.</P>

 

I like the convertable.

 

Yeah it has been long overdue... now if they just built the Panel Cruiser like they were going to when Bob Lutz left, it would prolly restore the PT lineup!

redriderbob

 

Another get source for this incredible PT Cruiser!

http://www.ptcruizer.com/convertible.html

redriderbob

 

It looks really good with the new lines and roll bar.

 

Wish i didn't have so many other toys to play with. I saw one at a dealer in Houston,tx the other day it was the flame red one nice ride. But it was already presold before it hit the lot they just had it in the showroom, anyone got one yet? The convertible pt or rt? If so how are you likeing it?

 

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. - Thinking back on it now, the PT Cruiser phenomenon seems a blur. First it was a well-received concept in 1999. Then Bob Eaton's on-the-cheap cigar smoke and boom box "reveal" of the production "models" at NAIAS 2000, which led to a journalists' stampede for the press kit that included those models. The invites to PT's press introduction that March were the most coveted of the year. The talk was could Chrysler keep up with demand by making Cruisers in Graz, Austria and Toluca, Mexico, and would the waiting lists (and dealer mark-ups) ever dwindle down to allow anybody to buy one?

How things have changed in three to four years. The most-desired car in the world in 2000 had found most of its "gotta-have-it" buyers by the end of 2001, as calendar year production topped 140,000. PT sales dropped just below that in '02, respectable but hardly straining production capacity. Despite a variety of appearance packages ¾ Woodie, Flame, Chrome Accent, and Dream Cruiser Series ¾ and the much welcomed High Output Turbo engine, 2003 calendar year sales fell 22 percent to 107,759. This isn't a positive trend, especially for a vehicle originally planned to be Chrysler's volume leader.

But the folks at Auburn Hills haven't run out ideas or PT permutations. So meet the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible, "one more time a Chrysler concept car reaches production," pointed out Larry Lyons. "No other vehicle combines the six attributes of style, versatility, performance, comfort, quietness, and price," said Chrysler's VP for Small Vehicle Product Team Engineering. "Plus this car's specifically designed to be a convertible and it's quiet top up or top down."

The concept PT convertible was a seven-week rush job early in 2001 when the Chrysler PR folks realized they didn't have a concept for that year's New York Auto Show and asked the engineering folks what they could whip up. The result received good reviews, but given how quickly it was built, it's also not surprising that the production version "is all new from the A-pillar rearward, except for the taillights. They continue as one of the PT's styling cues that glorify custom cars," according to Designer Brandon Faurote. With 20/20 hindsight, some point to PT's custom car cues and 1930s retro styling as drawbacks to more universal appeal; the average age of PT sedan buyers is 51.

But if there's a company that can do a convertible right, it's Chrysler. The Sebring's been America's best-selling convertible for most of its lifespan, while drop-top versions of Crossfire and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited will join the new PTs in showrooms this spring. I use the plural for this "truly practical, four-passenger convertible" comes in three trim levels, each with its own version of Chrysler's 2.4-liter DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder motor. "Standard" is the $19,995 price leader, riding on 15-inch steel wheels and powered by the normally aspirated 2.4-liter four producing 150-horsepower and 165 pound-feet of torque. Brakes are front discs/ rear drums with no anti-lock or traction control options.

The mid-range "Touring" model moves you up to a new turbocharged version of the 2.4 that debuted as an option for '04 model year PT wagons. It develops 180 horses and 210 lb-ft and mates only to a four-speed automatic. Optionally, you can choose either anti-lock on the disc/drum setup, or four-wheel discs with both anti-lock and low-speed traction control (standard on GT). Sixteen-inch, seven-spoke, painted cast aluminum wheels come standard; six-spoke, chrome finish aluminum 16s are optional.

The high-end GT is performance-oriented thanks to a High Output turbo that boosts the 2.4-liter to 220 horses and 245 lb-ft. A smooth, easy-shifting Getrag five-speed manual is standard, but if you must have an automatic, a four-speed incorporating Autostick is optional. A number of features, such as the optional brakes mentioned above or side airbags are optional on Touring but standard on GTs. But only GTs get a sport-tuned suspension, 17-inch wheels, leather seats, and leather-wrapped steering wheel.

All three models have the same incredibly stiff chassis that makes the normal convertible bugaboo - cowl shake - almost nonexistent, improves handling and ride quality, and actually lets you conduct conversations with the top up or down. "We had very aggressive targets for torsional and bending rigidity," noted vehicle development director Dennis Krozek. "It was all towards good NVH and part of totally re-engineering the vehicle's structure to be rock solid."

No matter where the top is, the color-keyed sport bar remains in place. It's made of hydroformed steel and connects the rear quarters, crossing over the front seatbacks. At the base on either side facing outward is a Chrysler winged emblem, while two flush-mounted courtesy lamps provide some interior lighting. Functionally, the sport bar reduces wind buffeting with the top down, serves as a cross vehicle reinforcement, and improves rear-end stiffness.

Of much more interest to non-auto-enthusiast convertible buyers will be PT's amazing interior space. How about 40.9 inches of rear legroom vs. 30.1 in VW's New Beetle and 29.9 in Ford's Mustang? Chrysler delivered on the "true four-passenger convertible promise." And as with its wagon sibling, flexibility in configuring the seats (nine different ways) and making maximum use of all 84.3 cubic feet of interior volume is important. Among the most clever is to fold and tumble the rear seats against the front, thus creating 13.3 cubic feet of trunk space, which yes, easily accommodates two full-size golf bags.

Chrysler's also quite pleased with PT's three-layer premium cloth top and "fully serviceable glass heated backlight." Available in black or taupe, the top layer (or "top" itself if you prefer) is soft to the touch, not a hard vinyl; the middle layer is an insulating pad while a full, premium cloth headliner completes the sandwich. It raises and lowers using a system of extruded high-strength steel roof bows and rails that maintain roof integrity. Plus all the roof's components, from hydraulics to weather stripping and latches are installed using just six fasteners. All you do is release the two latches via a single D-shaped handle on the windshield header and then push the power top button on the center stack. The top boot is a simple, one-person affair that snaps into place.

Most of our Arizona driving was in less than perfect convertible weather in both Touring and GT model. The latter's high-output turbo leaves no doubt that your right foot controls 220 horsepower, not 150 or 180. The prowess of the GT's sport suspension is equally obvious on any but the smoothest boulevard, a job well done in my book. But again, for the non-enthusiast, the Touring's regular suspension and automatic-transmission-controlled 180 horses should bulls-eye the market. It's a fun car to drive, way less anemic that the automatic 150-horsepower versions we've experienced.

We wanted to tell you how the Chrysler folks figured the PT convertibles sales would break down by model, and of course, how many more total Cruiser sales the convertible would add. But nobody wanted to answer those questions. About the closest we got to real information was Chrysler Vice President Jeff Bell's admission that the GT version of the PT Cruiser sedan had done better than the 30 percent they'd expected for 2003, "so we might expect that level or higher for the PT convertible. We do believe that price helps people position a vehicle … today most of the convertible business is in the $25-30,000 range. We participate very aggressively there (with Sebring), but now having the only convertible under $20,000, we can tap some untapped volume."

We also had a nice chat with Chrysler Group CEO Dieter Zetsche about why the PT Panel Cruiser has never reached production after much early speculation and interest. "We've tried to make a good business case for it even since I've been here," he told us. "But that doesn't mean we couldn't revisit it with the next generation." So street rod fans, stay tuned, you might yet be able to buy a PT panel. The rest of us will be watching the sales charts to see how successful the convertible will be.



2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible
Base price: $19,995 (Standard); $23,490 (Touring); $28,155 (GT)
Engine: 2.4-liter in-line four, 150 hp/165 lb-ft (Standard); 2.4-liter turbo in-line four, 180 hp/210 lb-ft (Touring); 2.4-liter High Output Turbo in-line four, 220 hp/245 lb-ft (GT)
Transmission: Five-speed manual transaxle, (Standard & Touring); heavy-duty Getrag five-speed manual transaxle (GT); Options: four-speed automatic on Standard & Touring; GT adds Autostick
Length x width x height: 168.8 x 67.1 x 60.6 in
Wheelbase: 103.0 in
Curb weight: 3381 lb (Standard), 3426 lb (Touring), 3483 lb (GT)
EPA fuel economy (city/hwy): 21/29 mpg (Standard-manual); 20/26 (Touring-manual); 20/25 (Standard & Touring-automatic); 19/26 (GT-automatic), 21/27 (GT-manual)
Safety equipment: Dual-stage front airbags; side airbags (optional on Touring, standard on GT); four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock (GT)
Major standard equipment: 100-watt/six-speaker AM/FM/cassette sound system (Touring gains CD player, loses cassette; GT gets both); air conditioning; tilt steering column; power door locks, remote keyless entry

Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles

http://www.thecarconnection.com

redriderbob

 

Bad chrysler! [sm=nothatway.gif]

-Matt-

 

IMHO it's just too small for that type of design....it looks like a toy. Make it a mid-size car and you might have a whole different story....(can we say Chevy SSR?)

 

I agree Jim I dont hate it but it makes me think of the newer VW BUGS not sure why