A Chrysler PT Cruiser, seen in east Beijing in the early spring of 2016. The PT Cruiser is always an odd car too process. It is oddly ugly on one side, and oddly cool on the other.
The PT Cruiser I met was painted in classy black and fitted with factory multi-spoke wheels and tinted rear-side windows.
The Chrysler PT Cruiser was made from 2000 until 2010 with an update in 2006. Our Beijing car is a post-update example. The PT Cruiser was officially sold in China as an import. Sales started in 2006 and ended in 2009. There was only one model and one trim level available, priced at 239.900 yuan (2007). Power came from a 2.4 liter four-cylinder petrol engine, good for 145 hp and 214 Nm. The engine was mated to a 4-speed automatic, sending horses to the front wheels.
The interior was a typical Chinese mess but in a fine shape, with comfortable gray leather seats, the boat-like steering wheel, and the original radio and gear-knob.
The Chrysler PT Cruiser was pricey in China for its size and power. Even so, it sold relatively well. Chinese consumers, especially in the big cities, like quirky retro design. The Volkswagen New Beetle and Beetle also sold pretty well here. Sadly, today the PT Cruiser is fast becoming a very rare sight on Chinese roads, due to age and ever-stricter environmental regulations that ban the cool Cruiser in many cities. May some survive!
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