PT Cruisin' for a bruisin'

Chrysler is aiming at increased interest in its PT Cruiser via a Special Edition model loaded with extra gear for a driveaway price starting from $29,990.

The PT Cruiser Special Edition brings a power sunroof, a six-speaker 368-Watt Boston Acoustics premium sound system -- plus styling changes -- on top of regular gear fitted to the Touring model on which it is based.

From outside, it's unlikely there will be any mistaking the special PT Cruiser: New 17-inch SRT Design wheels and chrome side strips at the bottom of the doors complement the feature that will leave observers in no doubt -- a special, cross-hatched solid billet aluminium grille replacing the normal louvered fitting.

The new-look front end fits well with the less than subtle grille customisation favoured by many buyers of the flagship Chrysler 300C.

And in the best American traditional where colour choices are concerned, it's simple: you can have your PT Cruiser Special Edition in Brilliant Black -- or Brilliant Black.

Inside, Special Edition buyers get premium cloth upholstery with heated front seats, six-disc CD player, leather-rim steering wheel with "bright" spokes and deep-tinted glass.

The extra equipment is added to the PT Cruiser Touring's dual front and front side airbags, anti-lock brakes, "low-speed" traction control, air-conditioning, cruise control, trip computer and multi-level rear parcel shelf.

Powerplant is the familiar 2.4-litre four-cylinder producing 105kW and 214Nm of torque and driving through either a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed "Autostick" automatic. The automatic version is priced at $31,990.

The Special Edition PT Cruiser is in Chrysler showrooms around the country right now, although the company says only a "handful" will be coming our way.

PT Cruiser sales are languishing in Australia at the moment, with the year-to-date figure for the five-door version at the end of August down to just 62 vehicles, which is a 74.1 per cent drop on last year's YTD figure of 239 vehicles.

The two-door Cabrio version is barely hanging on with just 10 vehicles sold by the end of August this year compared to 130 at the same time last year. Hero performer for Chrysler remains the 300C sedan that accounted for 622 sales by the end of August -- a drop from 894 for the same period last year.

The Special Edition PT Cruiser comes after Chrysler Group LLC's announcement in August its intention to keep the individually styled hatch as part of its lineup.

"The heritage-styled Chrysler PT Cruiser continues to be a global success story," said Peter Fong -- President and Chief Executive Officer -- Chrysler Brand and Lead Executive for the Sales Organisation, Chrysler Group LLC.

"With more than 1.3 million PT Cruisers sold in more than 60 countries since 2000, we're excited to announce we're re-energising the iconic and award-winning PT Cruiser."

More than 7000 PT Cruisers have been sold in Australia since the local launch in May 2000.

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