Dart

NEW YORK AUTO SHOW

Dodge: Bigger engine will boost Dart sales

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
Dodge brand chief Reid Bigland says the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine coming this spring in the new Dodge Dart GT model will boost sales of the compact car -- and may become the dominant engine for the Dart.... Read More »

 

Chrysler to spend $374 million on transmission plants in Ind.

11:11 am U.S. ET | Feb. 28, 2013
Chrysler Group is investing $374 million into several Indiana transmissions plants responsible for building eight- and nine-speed transmissions, the company said. After months of preliminary steps, Chrysler will invest $162 million in an empty Tipton, Ind., plant to build nine-speed automatic transmissions for front-wheel-drive vehicles.... Read More »

 

2013 GENEVA AUTO SHOW

Alfa Gloria hints at forthcoming Giulia

Feb. 18, 2013 11:00 CET
A styling model that hints at the Alfa Romeo Giulia will debut at the Geneva auto show next month. The mid-sized Gloria concept resulted from a collaboration between the Alfa Styling Center and the European Design Institute in Turin.... Read More »

 

Chrysler gain propelled by sedans and coupes

11:59 am U.S. ET | Feb. 1, 2013
Chrysler rode strong sales of sedans and coupes to a 16 percent sales increase in January, increasing its string of consecutive monthly year-over-year sales gains to 34 months. Chrysler Group sold 117,731 vehicles last month, compared with 101,149 units in January 2012. Car sales were up 50 percent for the month and accounted for 37 percent of the company’s sales.... Read More »

 

Chrysler drops one shift at Dundee Engine plant line

4:00 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 24, 2013
Chrysler Group has eliminated a shift of production at its Dundee Engine plant on the line that builds 1.4-liter engines, including the turbocharged version, for the Fiat 500 subcompact and some variations of the Dodge Dart.... Read More »

 

NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

Execs unfazed by Dart's slow start

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 21, 2013
Top Chrysler Group executives took responsibility for the 2013 Dodge Dart's sluggish sales start but said they have "a lot of levers" available to boost sales.... Read More »

 

Chrysler CEO sees 200,000 9-speed transmissions for 3 new models

2:37 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 18, 2013
Chrysler Group LLC may have as many as 200,000 nine-speed transmissions available this year that will eventually go in three new models, its CEO said.... Read More »

 

Dodge rethinks the wedding registry to pitch the Dart

6:32 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 17, 2013
Chrysler Group is trying to redefine a wedding ritual with "The Dodge Dart Registry," a site that lets engaged couples raise money toward purchasing a new car by asking their friends and family to chip in.... Read More »

 

Marchionne says Dart's slow start due to transmission availability

12:47 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 14, 2013
Sales of the 2013 Dodge Dart have been slow because the car didn't launch with the transmission it should have, Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said this morning. Speaking to journalists at the Detroit auto show, Marchionne said Dart sales were hampered because only manual transmissions were available at first, with a six-speed automatic sourced from Hyundai serving as a stopgap until a promised nine-speed automatic is available.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Found: The missing Dart, with new name, lower price

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 14, 2013
When the 2013 Dart was launched last spring, Dodge dealers were told to expect a high-performance Dart R/T in September. It never showed up, and until last week there were few clues to the whereabouts of the mystery machine.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

Dodge Dart R/T morphs into GT -- at a lower price

9:00 am U.S. ET | Jan. 8, 2013
What does it take to turn an “R/T” into a “GT?” Apparently for Dodge, the answer is less money and competitors with more powerful and less expensive performance compact sedans.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

Hanger-on Avenger mars the Dart's start

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 7, 2013
It's not yet quite fair to compare monthly Dodge Dart sales with sales of such segment stalwarts as the Ford Focus, Chevy Cruze and Honda Civic. And several Chrysler dealers in recent months have told me that one of the prime factors holding down Dart sales is in their own showrooms: a deeply discounted Dodge Avenger Larry P. Vellequette covers Chrysler Group for Automotive News.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

Dodge Dart posts best sales month yet despite Avenger discounts

4:08 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 3, 2013
Chrysler Group's new Fiat-based compact sedan posted its best-ever sales month in December, more than a half-year after the 2013 Dodge Dart began showing up on dealer lots. The 6,105 Darts that dealers sold last month came as the four-door made the final cut on several Car of the Year lists and boosted its total U.S. sales for 2012 to 25,303 units.... Read More »

 

2012 LISTS OF 10

10 fine designs

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 31, 2012
Great design is in the details. Here we note 10 fabulous fine points found on production vehicles that were unveiled or went on sale in 2012.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Consumer Reports pans 4 Detroit nameplates for '13

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 26, 2012
Despite the Detroit 3's post-recession comeback, one thing refuses to budge: Sedans from Ford, Chrysler and General Motors still earn little respect from Consumer Reports.... Read More »

 

Latest Detroit sedans fail to win Consumer Reports' recommendations

6:00 am U.S. ET | Nov. 20, 2012
Some of the latest new car models from Detroit automakers received mixed reviews from Consumer Reports and have failed to win a recommendation from the popular U.S. shopping guide.... Read More »

 

Dodge Dart gets top crash-test rating

10:49 am U.S. ET | Oct. 4, 2012
The Dodge Dart, the model Chrysler is betting on becoming a top-selling small car, was among four new vehicles on the United States market to receive a top crash-test rating by an influential safety group on Wednesday.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

Chrysler wows dealers with next-gen 200

12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 17, 2012
Chrysler Group dealers who last week got a sneak preview of future products in Las Vegas reserved most of their enthusiasm for the next Chrysler 200. The redesigned 2014 mid-sized sedan will share a Fiat-based platform with the Dodge Dart but will be larger than the Dart.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

Chrysler's latest treat wears a silver suit

3:58 pm U.S. ET | Sept. 5, 2012
Chrysler has made a habit of leaving little “Easter eggs” in its designs -- the 2013 SRT Viper, for instance, has racetrack layouts in various spots. Now, the automaker has left one in the advertising for the 2013 Dodge Dart, at least for the aging nerds who might still be living in their parents' basements.... Read More »

 

Chrysler's 'Iron Man' streak rolls on

4:54 pm U.S. ET | Sept. 4, 2012
Strong sales of sedans and pickups pushed Chrysler Group sales up 14 percent in August, extending its streak of monthly year-over-year sales gains. Chrysler reported sales in August of 148,472 units, compared with 130,120 units for the same month a year ago. The company's car sales jumped 21 percent sales while pickup sales rose 12 percent, leading to the automaker's best August since 2007.... Read More »

 

2012 MANAGEMENT BRIEFING SEMINARS

Ford faces big test with new Fusion, Consumer Reports says

6:49 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 8, 2012
Ford, after two years of consumer complaints about its touch-screen dashboard controls, faces a big test with its remodeled Fusion mid-sized sedan, Consumer Reports magazine's auto-test chief said.Technology glitches have lowered Ford's quality scores.... Read More »

 

2012 MANAGEMENT BRIEFING SEMINARS

Chrysler's Busse: Interiors now have soul

4:05 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 8, 2012
Chrysler Group's head of interior design said the automaker's bankruptcy helped transform its autos' new interiors. Klaus Busse, the lanky German ex-pat who stayed on with Chrysler when former employer Daimler departed in 2007, said the inside of Chrysler's vehicles now have the soul they lacked five years ago.... Read More »

 

Dart ad blitz timed to full supply in Sept.

12:01 am U.S. ET | July 30, 2012
Chrysler Group has broadcast its first TV commercial for the 2013 Dodge Dart, but the big marketing push for its new compact sedan won't start until September, the director of the Dodge brand says. And that's OK, because the additional time will give Chrysler a chance to get extra Darts -- including some with automatic transmissions -- onto dealer lots.... Read More »

 

Dodge Dart production means boom times in Belvidere

9:54 am U.S. ET | July 13, 2012
Chrysler has surged back to health since its 2009 bankruptcy and government bailout, and it's bringing Belvidere along for the ride. The factory completes hiring for a third crew this month, which will bring it to 4,500 workers cranking out vehicles 120 hours a week. It employed as few as 200 people three years ago.... Read More »

 

Dodge Dart TV spot to debut Tuesday during MLB All-Star Game

1:38 pm U.S. ET | July 9, 2012
Chrysler Group's first TV commercial for the 2013 Dodge Dart will debut Tuesday during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game and will feature a rapid-fire video montage of how to design, make and market a car.... Read More »