NEWS & VIEWS

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#663300" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="04400610dvmwfe.gif"> <div> <I><B>Okie Cruzer's Garage</B></I><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.okiecruzer.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.okiecruzer.com"><U><B>HOME</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABOUT ME"><U><B>ABOUT ME</B></U></A><B>  |  </B><A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PT CRUISER GALLERY"><U><B>PT CRUISER GALLERY</B></U></A><B>  |  </B><A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="JAGUAR GALLERY"><U><B>JAGUAR GALLERY</B></U></A><B>  |  </B><A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="THE REAR DECK"><U><B>THE REAR DECK</B></U></A><B>  |  </B><A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="AWARDS"><U><B>AWARDS</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PHOTO ALBUMS"><U><B>PHOTO ALBUMS</B></U></A><B>  |  </B><A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="VIDEO CLIPS"><U><B>VIDEO CLIPS</B></U></A><B>  |  </B><A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="EVENTS CALENDAR"><U><B>EVENTS CALENDAR</B></U></A><B>  |  </B><A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="OKLAHOMA ROUTE 66"><U><B>OKLAHOMA ROUTE 66</B></U></A><B>  |  </B><A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ITEMS FOR SALE"><U><B>ITEMS FOR SALE</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2004 DREAM CRUISER TRAILER FOR SALE"><U><B>'04 DREAM CRUISER FOR SALE</B></U></A><B>  |  </B><B>NEWS & VIEWS  |  </B><A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="COLOR MATCH INTERNATIONAL"><U><B>COLOR MATCH INT'L</B></U></A><B>  |  </B><A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PT CRUISER NETWORK"><U><B>PT CRUISER NETWORK</B></U></A><B>  |  </B><A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LINKS"><U><B>LINKS</B></U></A><B> </B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=207 BGCOLOR="#FFFFCC" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="9d56cf33.jpg"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="9dcbe5f0.gif" border=0 width="190" height="95" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFCC" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="9d46cf33.jpg"> <div> <I><B><U>NEWS & VIEWS</U></B></I></div> <div> <B><U>Rest in Peace PT Cruiser - </U></B><B><U>2000~2010</U></B></div> <div> <B>After 10 years, Chrysler has killed one of its most successful and iconic designs ever.  Due to inherent corporate ignorance and refusal to listen to PT owners, the retro-design car that has made millions of people happy ceases production today, June 9, 2010, some 6 months sooner than we were told a year ago.  Chrysler is once again having financial problems (shocker, eh?) and they've shot themselves in the foot.  The 'updates' Chrysler made to the PT over the years were nothing more than an insult - cheaper parts, fewer options and other cost-cutting measures.  According to </B><A HREF="http://www.detnews.com/article/20100709/AUTO01/7090395/1148/Chrysler-ends-production-of-iconic-PT-Cruiser" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.detnews.com/article/20100709/"><U><B>DetroitNews.Com</B></U></A><B>, the </B><B>Toluca Assembly Plant</B><B> in Mexico will build the Fiat 500 in the space vacated by the PT Cruiser.  I'll continue to enjoy my three Cruisers, the wonderful friends I've made as a member of PT & Mopar clubs, and support PT Cruiser events.  But after having owned five PT Cruisers, Chrysler won't be getting any more of my money.</B></div> <div> <B>They don't deserve it.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="a00e1a50.jpg" border=0 width="225" height="677" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B><U>Chrysler's PT Keeps Cruising</U></B></FONT></div> <div> <B>Scott Burgess - </B><A HREF="http://www.detnews.com/article/20090630/AUTO01/906300344/Chrysler-s-PT-keeps-cruising" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.detnews.com/article/20090630/"><U><I><B>The Detroit News</B></I></U></A><B> - June 30, 2009</B></div> <div> <B>The Chrysler PT Cruiser should be history. </B></div> <div> <B>  But the new Chrysler Group LLC has given the</B></div> <div> <B>  retro-styled car a last-minute reprieve. </B></div> <div> <B>  Chrysler Group chief spokesman Gualberto Ranieri confirmed Monday that Chief Executive</B></div> <div> <B>  Sergio Marchionne, who also is CEO of Fiat SpA,</B></div> <div> <B>  said the company will keep building the</B></div> <div> <B>PT Cruiser. </B></div> <div>   <B>Chrysler had announced earlier this year that it would discontinue it this summer. Now, the assembly plant in Toluca, Mexico, will keep churning them out. </B></div> <div> <B>  Jim Hall, an auto analyst at 2953 Analytics in           Birmingham, said continuing the PT Cruiser</B></div> <div> <B>makes sense, even with its poor overall sales          performance.  The company sold 50,910 last year. </B></div> <div> <B>Sales peaked in 2001 at 144,717. </B></div> <div> <B>Analysts said the decision to keep building it was a good one.   "The PT Cruiser is a car that is selling even without marketing," Hall said.   "The labor costs are cheap and the tooling is paid off." </B></div> <div> <B>Karl Brauer, editor and chief of the automotive research Web site Edmunds.com, added, "Every PT Cruiser Chrysler sells ... is pure profit." </B></div> <div> <B>The car will likely stay in production through 2011, Hall said, until Fiat vehicles are ready for production in North America. </B></div> <div> <B>Chrysler planned to end production of the PT Cruiser because redesigning it would cost too much, Hall said.   Additionally, retro-themed cars are extremely difficult to redesign. </B></div> <div> <B>Brauer said the change of heart came after Chrysler entered bankruptcy and emerged in a partnership with Fiat, the Italian automaker that has management control of the company.</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>"Chrysler is in bridge mode," Brauer said. "Fiat can't do anything immediately, and in the meantime, this car will make Chrysler money."</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><U>More PT Cruiser Info</U></B></div> <div> <B>Courtesy Kim & Gail Peterson</B></div> <div> <B>The PT Cruiser platform was intended to last five years, and went</B></div> <div> <B>into production in December, 1999.  With the new timetable, the last</B></div> <div> <B>PT Cruisers will come off the line in December 2010, 11 years later.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="a0b2c0b0.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="267" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="2" VSPACE="0">But for now, here's a parking lot full of Cruisers at the Toluca Assembly Plant in Toluca, Mexico.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="a0f2c0f0.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="271" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="2" VSPACE="0">In this image of the Toluca Assembly Plant, the main plant is in the center, with the finished PT Cruisers at top left.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="a02c2e00.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="224" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>2009 PT Cruiser Limited</B></div> <div> <I> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pub45.bravenet.com/counter/code.php?id=373154&usernum=3808175660&cpv=2"></script>  </I></div> </td> </tr></table></body>