When was the last time you wore that neon orange shirt in the back of the closet?

When Day-Glo fabrics went out of style, you probably turned the $12.95 shirt into a dust rag.

Think about automakers who spend millions on cars that are the fashion statements of the automotive industry: VW Beetle, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Ford Thunderbird and BMW’s Mini Cooper.

They look stylish. Heads turn when they are driven down the street. People stand in line to be the first one in the neighborhood to own one of them.

But when everyone on the block owns one, the novelty fades, as do the sales. That has not happened with the Mini yet. It has with the Cruiser and Beetle and is beginning to with the T-Bird.

All these cars sold for well above the sticker price when they debuted, and all have seen sales peaks and valleys.

Beetle sales dropped from a high of 8,013 in August 1999 to 2,921 last November. PT Cruiser sales dropped from a high of 14,611 in October 2001 to 8,332 last December. The pricey Thunderbird, which never was intended to sell in high numbers, has seen its ups and downs. Sales ranged from 1,858 in December 2001 to 1,139 last September.

To avoid offering cut-rate incentives, the car companies dig deeply into their bag of tricks to refresh allure with new colors, limited editions, turbos and convertibles.

"It’s been clear from day one that fashion and style is a big part of the Thunderbird’s appeal," said Paul Russell, Thunderbird marketing manager. "It’s all about being seen in this vehicle, driving down the boulevard and having everybody turn their heads."

A car like the Beetle or PT Cruiser can redefine a brand and fire the imagination of millions of people who never will buy it, said Tom Marinelli, vice president of Chrysler marketing.

"The PT Cruiser had a huge impact on the Chrysler brand," he said. "People look forward to owning a Chrysler now."

The Beetle put Volkswagen back on thousands of shopping lists, said Charles Waterhouse, an executive in Volkswagen of America’s product strategy group.

But high-fashion vehicles can have a short shelf life if they’re not done well, said Stan Herman, a New York fashion designer and president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

"There’s a definite link between fashion and cars," said Herman, a self-described "frustrated auto designer."

"Auto design is a sexy industry," he said. "You establish a root with the design, then you can grow from it: Paint it different colors, give it more power, make a convertible."

Volkswagen, Chrysler and Ford all chose different strategies to keep their stylish specialty cars growing.

VW plotted virtually every tweak for the new Beetle before the first car went on sale in March 1998, Waterhouse said.

"The car’s emotional appeal will take you through the first year," Waterhouse said. "In the second year, we tapped into that emotionality by offering more individuality with limited batches of cars in special colors."

VW offered eight short-run specialty colors in the new Bug’s second year on the market. VW had 10 limited-edition colors ready, but decided it had reached the point of diminishing returns after eight.

"You don’t want to oversaturate the market," Waterhouse said. "We planned on selling 50,000 to 60,000 a year. We sold 80,000 in the first year and almost pushed it too far."

In the Beetle’s third year, VW shifted its appeal to rationality by offering more powerful engines and promoting the car’s safety and practicality.

A convertible Beetle officially went on sale in January, bringing VW full circle to the car’s initial emotional appeal.

The little ragtop even comes in exactly the same colors as the 1960s Beetle convertible, although the colors have been rechristened with names borrowed from classic ’60s and ’70s songs by artists ranging from Neil Young to Donovan.

Chrysler planned models like the powerful PT Cruiser Turbo and the PT convertible that goes on sale in 2004, but many of the best ideas came from owners who customized their cars shortly after the Cruiser went on sale in April 2000, Marinelli said.

The PT’s new Woodie model, which calls to mind surf movies and Beach Boys songs, was inspired by visits to owners’ clubs in California, he said.

"Our philosophy is to have a new appearance package every four to six months," Marinelli said. So far, those packages have included two Woodward Dream Cruise limited editions, an array of special colors and a flame decal.

Chrysler has sold more than 500,000 PT Cruisers since the car went on sale, an extraordinary level of success for what originally was envisioned as a low-volume, high-image car.

The T-Bird had a different task. Ford never planned to sell many of the $37,000-plus roadsters. The PT Cruiser might need to change colors as often as you change your socks, but Thunderbird planners think in terms of model years, Russell said.

"We like to offer unique colors on an annual basis," he said. "It adds to the car’s collectibility."

Tiny-volume special editions, like the 700, $43,000 T-Birds painted the same coral pink shade as the one Halle Berry drove in the latest Bond movie, also keep up a buzz about the Thunderbird, he said.

"The vehicle itself is really a style statement," he said. "We’re always working on how you dress it up and make it unique."

BMW put "product substance" first when it developed the Mini, said Andrew Cutler, Mini spokesman. "It elicits emotions when you first see the car. The second stage is how you feel behind the wheel."

The Mini has won wide praise for its exceptional handling and performance, which helped it win several awards.

Mini does not plan any special colors or limited editions, Cutler said, but several new models are in the works.

A convertible will be the first, BMW board member Burkhard Goeschel said.

"The Mini is a very strong concept," he said. "We can make many variants of it."

A car will not succeed unless its basic design is consistent with the automaker’s image, fashion designer Herman said. "Fashion is momentary; style is lasting," he said.

"The Pontiac Aztek is a neon shirt. The Jaguar XJ sedan is a classic Ralph Lauren suit you wear year after year."

© New Haven Register 2003