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The rise and fall (and rise again) of retro car design | Ars Technica

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The rise and fall (and rise again) of retro car design | Ars Technica

Odds are you probably never liked the Chrysler PT Cruiser, a retro-style five-door hatchback sold from 2001 through 2010. In fact, you might even hate it. Most people do. Just ask Tom Gale, Chrysler Corporation’s former vice-president of design.

"The PT Cruiser gets hammered by a lot of people,ȁ Gale said. “But it really hit a spot. You know, we sold 1.3 million of those things.ȁ

Today, it’s easy to forget how outrageously popular this compact car was when it was launched. Credit the PT Cruiser’s success to its retro look, which was a relatively new automotive design trend that was growing in popularity at the time. The PT Cruiser would ultimately be but one of many retro-style vehicles created by automakers. Others include the 1989 Nissan S-Cargo, 1991 Nissan igaro, 1992 odge Viper, 1993 BMW Z8, 1994 odge Ram, 1994 ord Mustang, 1997 Jaguar XK-8, 1998 Plymouth Prowler, 1999 Jaguar S-Type, 1999 Volkswagen New Beetle, 2001 Mini Cooper, 2002 ord Thunderbird, 2002 Jaguar X-Type, 2004 Chevrolet SSR, 2004 Chrysler Crossfire, 2004 ord GT, 2004 Jaguar XJ-8, 2006 Chevrolet HHR, 2008 odge Challenger, 2009 Chevrolet Camaro, 2011 iat 500, 2017 iat 124 Spider, and, most recently, the forthcoming 2022 ord Bronco.

In South Bend, he challenged assumption that streets are for cars above all else – The Washington Post

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Pete Buttigieg: In South Bend, he challenged assumption that streets are for cars above all else – The Washington Post

When Pete Buttigieg took office as mayor of the Indiana city in 2012, he changed that. He pitched a $25 million plan to convert downtown’s wide, one-way roads into two-way streets with bike lanes and sidewalks. He hoped making it safer to get out on foot would encourage more people to spend time and money in the area.

A Dream Car May Be Hard To Find : NPR

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Auto Production Disrupted By Chip Shortages: A Dream Car May Be Hard To Find : NPR

Automakers around the world, from Japan to Texas, are grappling with a global shortage of computer chips.

Volkswagen sounded the alarm about the growing problem last month. Now more automakers are reporting problems, including a ord plant in Kentucky that shut down temporarily, a Jeep plant in Mexico that extended its holiday shutdown and other factories that are trimming production plans based on their supply of semiconductors.