Introduced in 2000, the Chrysler PT Cruiser was an instant hit. During its first couple of years on the market, sales were hot and PT Cruisers were hard to find on dealer lots. The Cruiser promised great things for Chrysler, a carmaker that seemed to have its pulse on what Americans wanted.
Even better, it was built on engineering borrowed, inexpensively, from already existing Chrysler products. So it was cheap and profitable
Unfortunately, Chrysler couldn't maintain that special flair through its merger with Daimler, which turned out disastrously. Chrysler now is recovering from bankruptcy as it finds its way back with the help of Italy's Fiat.
The talent that brought us the PT Cruiser is sorely needed now, said Edmunds.com's Smith.
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