I know it's not to everyone's taste, but I love this car. Or, I did.

It was an immediate hit, but now sales are slumping. Why the slump?

This is the New York Times report:

What happened? Industry analysts say the fate of the PT Cruiser mirrors that of other halo cars - the industry term for unique vehicles that are meant to cast a favorable light on a company's lineup, drawing customers into showrooms.

The PT's experience echoes that of Volkswagen's New Beetle, which arrived on the market two years earlier, in 1998, to even more acclaim. Interest in the car fell after VW failed to offer new versions to keep the excitement going.

But I wonder if "new versions" would have saved the PT Cruiser. My take is that the initial enthusiasm was because this was a truly different car, and that it then slumped because too many other people had the damn thing for you to be a true individualist, different-from-the-crowd guy if you then bought one.

Buy one of the first, you’re a trend setter. By one now, you’re a trend follower.