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SAN FRANCISCO — Just as the luster has nearly faded from the Chrysler PT Cruiser, we get the next-best thing: the all-new, 2006 Chevrolet HHR.

Although General Motors hates the comparisons, they are inevitable: The HHR is Chevy’s answer to the once wildly popular PT, but perhaps just a few years too late. While Chrysler sold about 115,000 of the PT Cruisers last year, sales are off significantly and incentives are running as high as $4,500 off base prices — just the opposite of five years ago, when the PT was a must-have car and some models sold for thousands of dollars above sticker.

At Chevy’s national media introduction of the HHR recently in San Francisco, the company made few references to the PT, instead saying that the HHR’s biggest competitors will be the Scion xB and Honda Element, and that the annual sales target is about 60,000 units.

GM refuses to acknowledge any links between the HHR and PT Cruiser’s styling, even though the HHR is a pet project of GM designer Bryan Nesbitt, who, coincidentally, was the chief architect of the PT Cruiser in his previous job at Chrysler. GM says the HHR was already in development when Nesbitt jumped to GM from Chrysler, but that he did have significant input on the HHR project.

But GM insists that the HHR’s design originated not from the PT, but from the 1949 Chevrolet Suburban. Of course, it has been said that the PT, too, borrowed heavily from that earlier GM design. During the San Francisco media program, GM designer Phil Zak passed around a die-cast steel model of the ’49 Suburban to underscore the company’s contention that the HHR has its roots in a classic GM vehicle.

Where Chrysler has the edge, of course, is that it was the company that thought of bringing such a retro design to market in a small crossover sport utility wagon such as the PT Cruiser. With its fad following waning now, Chrysler is working on an evolutionary redesign of the PT that would keep the spirit alive, but give present Cruiser owners something different to move on to next.

GM is hoping that the HHR could be that vehicle. A Chevrolet spokesman said, however, that some current PT Cruiser owners have told GM that the HHR will be their next new-car purchase. Some quality problems have dogged the PT, which is built on a platform derived from the lowly Dodge Neon. GM hopes to avoid any such problems with the HHR, using as its basis GM’s new Delta small-car architecture, also used on the well-received 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt, as well as the Saturn Ion.

The name stands for “Heritage High Roof,” an early GM internal description of the vehicle that has stuck. The early Suburbans were known in their time as high-roof vehicles.

The time also is right for the HHR because the small crossover vehicle represents is the fastest-growing segment in the industry, Chevrolet said. One reason for the PT’s stagnation could very well be the increased competition in the segment, which has seen the xB and Element added in the past year-and-a-half.

Designer Zak said the HHR represents a combination of the styling of the early Suburban with the “essence” of the current Chevrolet SSR sport pickup, whose front end is quite similar to that of the HHR. The differences in those two vehicles, though, are significant: The SSR is a niche-market $40,000-plus roadster pickup with seating for two, while the HHR, whose prices begin at $15,990 (including freight), is an affordable small family wagon that can carry five people and their stuff.

The HHR’s styling actually might be more true to the early Suburban than the PT’s was. The car also looks a lot like the panel trucks of the ’40s and early ’50s that plied neighborhoods selling bakery products and other merchandise when door-to-door sales were quite popular.

Coming five years behind the PT, the HHR also has the advantage of being able to capitalize on the PT’s mistakes. For instance, the rear seat is roomier and much more comfortable.

The HHR is aimed at a cross-section of consumers, young and old, who are looking for a car with a unique appearance, Zak said. “We’re targeting a younger mindset.

“We tried to stay away from the designs of the car-based crossovers and stick with a truck look,” he said. “We think that the HHR’s flexibility and fun will be tremendous. It’s something different for Chevrolet, and we think it should do quite well for us.”

Chevrolet needs for the HHR to be a hit. Although it is billed as a truck product, it is really a car underneath — it shares much of its content with the Cobalt, including its drivetrains. While Chevy has done well selling trucks over the past decade, its car lines have suffered. The HHR is one of the new cars the company is banking on to help change that.

The HHR is one of 10 new products Chevrolet is bringing to market over a 20-month period, many of them cars. Some, such as the Cobalt and the revised Corvette, arrived last fall for 2005. Through May, Chevrolet had delivered 1,081,700 new vehicles, leaving the brand just 21,834 units behind Ford. Through the same period last year, Chevy was more than 81,000 units behind Ford. The goal, of course, is to put Chevy back on top as the leading car brand in the United States.

To that end, the Cobalt is helping considerably, Zak said. More than 23,000 Cobalts were sold in May, and the car has overtaken the Ford Focus in the compact segment. The HHR also is coming to market at a time when high gasoline prices are driving consumers to smaller, more-fuel-efficient vehicles and away from the larger, gas-guzzler SUVs. With its EPA estimates of 23 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mph on the highway, the HHR offers about 60 percent better fuel economy than the average midsize or larger sport utility.

Under the hood is a choice of two four-cylinder engines. The base HHR LS model, with the $15,990 price, comes with a 2.2-liter Ecotec engine rated at 143 horsepower and 150 foot-pounds of torque. That engine also comes in the midlevel 1LT model; while the uplevel 2LT version gets a 2.4-liter Ecotec engine with 172 horsepower and 162 foot-pounds of torque.

Standard is a five-speed manual gearbox; for $1,000 more, a four-speed automatic is available on all models.

All HHRs come with air conditioning; power windows/mirrors/door locks with remote keyless entry; 16-inch wheels; and a six-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo (with a front-mounted auxiliary input jack so an iPod or other audio device can be played through the system. A 260-watt Pioneer system with subwoofer is available on the LS and 1LT models.

LS is $15,990. HHR 1LT’s MSRP is $16,990, with the 2LT listing for $18,790 MSRP (prices include destination and freight charges).

The 1LT model ($16,990, including freight) also includes a standard MP3 player, eight-way power seat including power lumbar, 16-inch cast aluminum wheels and a satin-chrome exterior appearance package. Bright chrome exterior trim and a bright exhaust tip are optional,GM says.

Other options include antilock brakes and traction control, although traction is offered only with the automatic transmission.

The 2LT version ($18,790, including freight) brings the larger engine, along with antilock brakes, fog lights, bright exhaust tip, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, the 260-watt Pioneer sound system, 17-inch aluminum wheels, sport suspension and bright chrome exterior trim.

Heated leather seats (with two heating levels) are available on both LT packages, GM says.

Other options include a power sunroof with express close feature, OnStar, XM satellite radio, and a remote vehicle starter (standard with automatic transmission).

Chevrolet expects owners to customize these vehicles as they do the PT Cruiser and xB. To that end, several accessories will be available through Chevy dealers, ranging from chrome 17-inch wheels to custom floor mats.

The interior is designed to make the vehicle a practical family hauler, yet offer the utility of a small truck. The right front and back seats fold flat into the floor to create a eight-foot-long long load surface. There are storage areas throughout the vehicle, including an auxiliary glove box, two large storage bins behind the rear seat, and holders for plastic bags in the luggage area.

Among colors offered are Daytona blue metallic, sunburst orange metallic, sport red, silverstone metallic and majestic amethyst metallic.

Production of the HHR began in May in Ramos , Mexico, and the vehicles will begin arriving in dealerships in late August or early September.

G. Chambers Williams III is staff automotive columnist at the San Antonio Express-News and former transportation writer for the Star-Telegram. His automotive columns have appeared regularly in the Star-Telegram since 1995. You may contact him at (210) 250-3236; chambers@star-telegram.com.