The first generation PT Cruiser was launched in 2001 by Chrysler as an offering into the emerging retro market. The acronym PT stands for Personal Transportation. The Chrysler Company ended the Plymouth line and adopted the PT Cruiser at roughly the same time. In the beginning, the PT Cruiser was targeted for young males. Though the name PT Cruiser was used in The 1930s by Plymouth as a concept vehicle, Chrysler adopted the name in 2001 when the Plymouth line of vehicles stopped its production run. The PT Cruiser seats five passengers as per the NHTSA standards. The PT cruiser is counted as a car according to all other standards. On introduction in the US the PT cruiser was powered by a 2.2 Liter engine that ran on diesel, while in all other countries it was powered by a 2 liter gasoline engine. The company added a GT version of The PT cruiser in 2003, and a convertible version in 2005. The latter model was a two door car that seated four passengers.

Though the basic shape of the PT Cruiser remained the same over the years, Chrysler kept tinkering with its outer look and introduced a number of different versions. In 2006, Chrysler redesigned and gunned up the engine of the car. The car got better headlights, the lower front end was given new parts, and the dashboard was changed with new components. The stereo system included MP3 capability. The stereo system is now located in the dashboard. You now have a choice between a 180 horsepower and 230 horsepower version of The 2.4 Liter engine to power the PT Cruiser.

For the model year 2008, The PT Cruiser is available in the small wagon or convertible body forms. While the former comes in three versions, Base, Touring and Limited, The latter comes in just one version. The Base model is equipped with 15 inch tires made of steel and a keyless entry. The Touring version comes with 16 inch tires, air conditioning, a front seat that can be folded, a satellite radio and seat covers made of better fabric. The Limited version comes with all these features plus 17 inch tires and front seats that are heated. The convertible models have the same equipment as the Limited versions.