Chrysler's New York Auto Show car, the PT Cruiser Convertible, went from "strictly a study" to the automaker's next hot model in one quick press conference. Design chief Trevor Creed says that anything's possible at Chrysler. A few publications ran with that and called the concept a potential '04 model.
The truth is less exciting. PT Cruiser production is limited because it's 5.0 in. too tall for Chrysler's Belvedere, Illinois, Neon plant's paint booth. The ragtop's body is just 1.0 in. shorter than the Cruiser wagon (for a total of 2.0 in., including a lowered suspension), so it won't fit in the paint booth, either.
Next year, Chrysler expands the Toluca, Mexico, PT Cruiser/ Neon plant's capacity to 310,000 units per year, so there'd be room for two-door panel vans and ragtops if demand for the Cruiser ever levels off.
The convertible features recontoured rear fenders, a cueball shifter (like the manual) for its automatic, and body-color bumpers and trim. It's a last-minute concept, ordered up after the Dodge Super8 Hemi and other models debuting at Detroit met with lukewarm response and when huge financial losses prompted the company to put projects on hold. One delayed concept with potential for future production is the Chrysler version of the Super8, which may get the historic New Yorker name and, therefore, was rumored for New York. Look for it at an auto show early next year.