PT Cruiser is hot, hot, hot; DC increasing production

Dealers began receiving DaimlerChrysler AG's PT Cruiser just last month, and the automaker already is boosting production of its all-new segment-redefining crossover vehicle. Because of the unprecedented demand, DC will supplement production of the Cruiser at its Eurostar factory in Graz, Austria. The DC plant in Toluca, Mexico, assembles the Cruiser and is scheduled to build 120,000 units this year with two shifts. Capacity of the plant is 185,000 vehicles and is unlikely to go higher because of Mexican laws limiting three shifts in factories. Since the PT's concept debut in January 1999, DC says it has received more than 300,000 requests for information about the vehicle and has taken numerous orders. The Graz factory has capacity for 50,000 Cruisers, for a total of 230,000 units worldwide. About 70% of PT Cruiser sales will be domestic. But DC expects the vehicle to have global appeal.