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The Chrysler PT Cruiser (PT standing for "Personal Transport") is a retro styled compact car launched by Chrysler as a 5-door hatchback in early 2000 (for the 2001 model year) and as a 2-door convertible in early 2005 (added to the 2005 model lineup). Originally conceived as a Plymouth model, the PT Cruiser received the Chrysler nameplate on introduction in anticipation of the 2001 discontinuation of the Plymouth brand. The PT Cruiser was designed by Bryan Nesbitt, who later also styled the Chevrolet HHR. A 4-seat convertible model was added for 2005. It is a 2-door convertible with an integrated "sport bar" for added rigidity and rollover protection. The sport bar also caused air to flow over the rear seat passengers. Convertible production ended December 21, 2007, but the last 2007 convertibles were marketed as 2008 models. On January 12, 2009, Chrysler LLC, under the private equity firm of Cerberus Capital Management, announced the gradual discontinuation of the main model. On July 6, 2009, after reorganization into the "New Chrysler", the company changed plans to discontinue the model by specifying that it will do so for Canadian and Mexican markets only. On July 9, 2010 the PT Cruiser ended production. Worldwide production totaled 1.35 million units. == Overview == The PT Cruiser is a front-wheel drive 5-passenger vehicle, classified as a van in the US by the NHTSA for CAFE fuel economy calculations but as a car by most other metrics. Chrysler specifically designed the PT Cruiser to fit the NHTSA criteria for a light van in order to bring the average fuel efficiency of the company's van fleet into compliance with CAFE standards. A turbocharged GT model was introduced for the 2003 model year. A convertible was introduced for the 2005 model year. The PT Cruiser was manufactured at Toluca Car Assembly in Toluca, Mexico. On March 8, 2006, DaimlerChrysler announced that it had built 1,000,000 PT Cruisers at the Toluca plant. The PT Cruiser was also assembled at the EUROSTAR Automobilwerk in Graz, Austria, for global markets (outside North America) in 2002, using the production code PG. European PT Cruisers built in 2001 or from 2003 onwards were built in Mexico under the PT production code. The US version came standard with a 2.4 L four-cylinder gasoline engine. In addition to this standard model, a 2.2 L four-cylinder diesel engine built by Mercedes Benz was also available in Europe, Asia, and South Africa. A 2.0 L engine (D4RE) was also available outside the US. It produced SAE at 6500 rpm with of torque at 4800 rpm. In July 2000, the PT Cruiser replaced the Neon in Japan as their small car offering. Chrysler sold over 10,000 PT Cruisers in Japan, despite its high cost liability to Japanese consumers because the width measurements didn't comply with Japanese Government dimension regulations which Japanese consumers were liable for a yearly tax. Both the four door sedan and the two door convertible, and the GT turbo engine package were sold in Japan in right hand drive configurations. Japanese versions were manufactured at the Austrian factory and were equipped very similar to European specifications. From 2002 until 2007, the PT Cruiser was used in the city of Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture by the Maihama Resort Cab company to serve as a taxi in the vicinity of Tokyo Disneyland because of its fun, retro appearance. Due to its use as a taxi, the annual road tax was not as expensive as private ownership. The PT Cruiser taxis augmented the Maihama Resort Line service to Tokyo Disneyland. Unfortunately, the PT Cruiser wasn't built for the rigors of taxi service, and the fleet became expensive to maintain, with eventual retirement in 2007. The PT Cruiser was offered in Japan until April 2010, when it was replaced by the Dodge Caliber. In 2001 ''Car and Driver'' acknowledged the PT Cruiser on its Ten Best list and the PT Cruiser also won the North American Car of the Year. In 2013, Top Gear named the PT Cruiser Convertible as the worst car of the last twenty years.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/TopGear-magazine-20th-anniversary-special-2013-09-10 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chrysler PT Cruiser」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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