Get Your Kicks With Chrysler PT Street Cruiser Route 66 Edition

Get Your Kicks With Chrysler PT Street Cruiser Route 66 Edition

New Chrysler PT Cruiser Edition introduction kicks off annual Woodward Dream Cruise
Limited-production Chrysler PT Cruiser dedicated to “The Mother Road”
First Factory-customized version of the newly refined 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser
Eleventh version of Chrysler PT Cruiser since introduction in 2000

Royal Oak, Mich., Aug 16, 2005 -
Chrysler kicked off Detroit’s annual Woodward Dream Cruise today, introducing the all-new 2006 Chrysler PT Street Cruiser Route 66 Edition dedicated to “The Mother Road” on another famous road, Detroit’s Woodward Avenue. Announced in conjunction with the famed Woodward Dream Cruise, the Chrysler PT Street Cruiser Route 66 Edition will be available later this summer as a limited-production version of the 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser.

DaimlerChrysler uses a natural-fiber component in the exterior of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class

DaimlerChrysler uses a natural-fiber component in the exterior of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class

First use of natural fibers in a standard part for a car exterior

Abaca fibers replace glass fibers in underbody protection

DaimlerChrysler makes use of its established expertise with natural fibers in an innovative application

Stuttgart, Jun 29, 2005
DaimlerChrysler is using natural fibers with extremely high tensile strength from the abaca banana plant in the standard underbody cover for the spare-wheel compartment of the 3-door version of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class model. After using natural fibers such as flax, hemp, sisal and coconut in the interior of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and commercial vehicles for many years, now a component is in use in the exterior of a car for the first time. DaimlerChrysler research engineers patented a novel mixture of polypropylene (PP)-thermoplastic and abaca fibers in 2002. Manila Cordage, a Philippine producer of semi-finished materials, supplies the fibers of the musa textilis plant, which is related to the banana. The components are manufactured by Rieter, an automotive supplier in Switzerland.
The direct long-fiber thermoplastics (d-LFT) method was further developed for the production of the components. The challenge consisted of adapting the machines’ precision to the natural fibers, which are subject to natural fluctuations in their length and thickness, and fulfilling the particular demands placed on a component used in the exterior of a vehicle, such as stone impact, weathering and water resistance.