Goodbye, PT Cruiser: Chrysler Pulls Plug Friday

The PT Cruiser was the unexpected smash hit of 2000, evoking images of Al Capone and tommy guns with its sleek retro lines, and catapulting its way to be Chrysler's sales juggernaut, with some buyers paying thousands more than the sticker price to get their hands on one. But a decade later, the quirky idea hasn't been refreshed or expanded upon, and sales have slowed to the point that the last PT will roll off the assembly line on Friday, reports the LA Times.

Chrysler has toyed with pulling the plug before, but "it's plugged along and had a loyal fan base," says one industry expert. Some 1.3 million PT Cruisers have been purchased over the last decade, but with just 5,500 units having sold this year, the Times notes, the retro novelty is done and destined to become nostalgia.
(More PT Cruiser stories.)