Storey time for PT Cruiser

CHRYSLER wanted to do something extravagant to herald the launch of its remarkable PT Cruiser, so it took a leaf out of the art world and wrapped up a building. Not just any building, but the 15-storey DaimlerChrysler Corporation headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The entire building will be coated throughout April in an adhesive-backed vinyl which carries an illustration that gives the illusion of the PT Cruiser bursting out. This is clearly in the style of pop art legend Christo, a Spaniard who travelled the world wrapping enormous objects during the 1970s and 1980s, including an entire ocean cliff in Sydney. Appropriately, Christo began wrapping objects in the 1950s - the same era that inspired the hot rod-style Chrysler PT Cruiser. He wrapped his first building in 1968 and then graduated to skyscrapers, forests and even islands. DaimlerChrsyler marketing chief Mr Bud Liebler said he wanted to make the official debut fun and memorable to reflect the nature of the vehicle and the excitement it has generated. "Wrapping a high-rise building is an ambitious and out of the ordinary concept that matches the innovation of the PT Cruiser as 'Cruisermania' continues to accelerate," he said. The PT Cruiser advertising campaign officially starts on April 22 but the company has already had more than a quarter of a million requests for additional information. Six more oversized wallscapes will appear around the United States on May 1, though not on the same scale as that on the Chrysler building. The wallscapes will appear on oversized billboards in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City and San Francisco. Chrysler Australia will release the Neon-based PT Cruiser in July.