Want a Dodge Dart? You can probably get a deal since they aren't selling well

[Byteme]

 

Slow Dodge Dart sales prompts temporary layoffs at Chrysler plant    March 5, 2014 3:18 PM     0shares   

   
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. View photo Workers assemble a pre-production 2013 Dodge Dart during a tour of the Chrysler Belvidere Assembly plant ...         DETROIT (Reuters) - Poor sales of the compact Dodge Dart led to a week of layoffs for 325 workers at the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plant in Belvidere, Illinois, a company spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

    Dart sales are down 33 percent so far this year for the first jointly designed vehicle in the Fiat-Chrysler marriage, built on the same architecture of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

In 2014 results through February, Dart fell to ninth place among compact cars in the U.S. market, from eighth place last year, overtaken by the Forte from Kia Motors Corp <000270.KS>. Toyota Motor Corp's <7203.T> Corolla, the most popular compact car, has sold nearly five times as well as the 10,000 Dart sedans through February, according to Autodata Corp.

The Chrysler spokeswoman would not give production cut figures at Belvidere, saying only that the temporary layoffs were meant "to balance vehicle supply with current sales demand."

The plant, located about 70 miles northwest of Chicago, has about 4,500 employees.

Dennis Virag, president of the Automotive Consulting Group in Michigan, said Chrysler is struggling to sell the Dart because it lags competitors despite improvements over the previous model, the Caliber.

"It's a good-looking car, but it's under-powered. Dodge is just not a brand that's in the minds of the customers when they go out looking for a small car," Virag said.
That was a perception Chrysler hoped to change with the Dart.

Gary Brown, a Long Island, New York store owner who heads the Chrysler Dealer Council, said a relatively late model year change has left an inordinate amount of 2013 Dart models on dealer lots.

Auto sales website AutoTrader.com shows there are twice as many 2013 models of Dart on dealer lots as 2014 models.
Alec Gutierrez, an analyst with industry research firm Kelley Blue Book, said Dodge in February increased the average incentives discount by $400 from a year earlier, to $2,200 per vehicle.

Before incentives, the Dart retails for about $17,000 to the mid-$20,000s.

[2o6]

The Dart isn't underpowered, it's just too damn heavy.


160HP should be plenty for a car of this size, but the 160HP in the Dart (1.4T and 2.0) feel sluggish. Other competitors have less HP and get around just as well

[giant_mtb]

I thought they were selling pretty well. I see more of them than I "expected" to when they first came out.

[cawimmer430]

I thought that they sold poorly because most of them we're being offered with a manual transmission...

[ifcar]

Gas mileage is a major problem; most of them are pretty bad for a compact car. They should have made it just a little bit longer and called it Avenger, then done something else entry-level.

[2o6]

I thought that they sold poorly because most of them we're being offered with a manual transmission...

Initially, yes.

Gas mileage is a major problem; most of them are pretty bad for a compact car. They should have made it just a little bit longer and called it Avenger, then done something else entry-level.

Also this. The Dart reminds me a lot of the Gen 1 Mazda 6 in theory....

Driving it feels like a sporty midsizer rather than a compact.

[Atomic]

The competition is staggering in this combined compact-midsize family sedan segment and even in the Chrysler-Dodge showroom with unbelievable deals on the competing Dodge Avenger and outgoing clearance sale priced MY14 Chrysler 200 sedans and convertible/coupes. The "New Dart" is far better in every way than the last of the 2014 Avenger and 200 sedans, IMHO but I would bet that the average buyer could easily be swayed by their bargain basement prices.

Those midsize car customers I am actively working with in my consulting business, one friend and my nephew are all awaiting the arrival of 2015-MY 200 LX, 200S and 200C for its AWD option, sleek styling and 9 speed automatic transmission before opting for that next new car -- putting the MY14 Dodge Dart option on hold for now.

I checked out the '15 200C at an auto show -- still needing to post some pics. [Sadly, ongoing and worsening family illness and obligations keeping me rather busy and stressed... Grr...] I say a BIG WOW in regards to the all new Chrysler 200 -- it will be worth the wait, IMO. However, I think many consumers will see the value in the Dodge Dart once the dust clears. We all know competition is a great thing for the shopper and it won't be long before the 2014 Dodge Avenger and '14 Chrysler 200 models sell out and the realism of a more expensive and rather unique to the Dart Chrysler variant -- the larger 200 -- is not necessarily going to be financially feasible for all desiring one.

There are many rumors that the MY15 Dodge Dart will gain some of the new 200 sedan's upgrades and revolutionary features at a lower price than the Chrysler, but one cannot blame Chrysler Corporation for remaining mum about these. I am hearing, once more: (1) More Potent V6; (2) Std. FWD, AWD opt.; (3) Possible 9 Speed Automatic Transmission; (4) Improved Upon Manual Tranny; (5) SRT Variant*

One issue with the Dodge Darts on dealer lots: too many 2013 vs. 2014 models
Another issue: Delayed introduction of the Dart GT
Issue three: No AWD option as many had anticipated for '14

I really like the Dodge Dart and can honestly say that the 200C AWD model I closely inspected is so different from the Dodge in nearly every visible way, I don't see a lot of cross shopping once the '15 Chrysler 200 sedan is made widely available.

It's a buyers market and discontinuing the Avenger (although a replacement is expected -- it is said to be a very different type car, with RWD/AWD vs. std. FWD) will help prevent canalizing at Dodge and even across the board at Chrysler-Jeep-SRT, Dodge-Ram-Promaster, Fiat-Alfa Romeo-Maserati...

*Unofficial

[Atomic]

Update: From my previous post ^ Things are forever changing in this industry, but here is what Ralph Gilles said one month ago regarding the "next" SRT-4... NOTE:

The SRT-4 package, not SRT Division...

SRT CEO Ralph Gilles has revealed some new details about the company's future product lineup. Speaking to Car & Driver, Gilles confirmed the company is thinking about four-cylinder engines because they have a "great history" with them. Sadly, they are "in between great engines" so "there's nothing available right now." When pushed for more details, the executive said an SRT four-cylinder is in their long term plans but won't be based on the MultiAir Tigershark engine. Gilles declined to talk about the Barracuda, Challenger or Hellcat engine but hinted the company could be working on SRT-branded packages. There's no word on what the packages would include but the executive simply said "stay tuned on that."

Source: Car & Driver, February 2014

[Mustangfan2003]

Want a Dodge Dart?  Not really but I'll take one if you're giving one away. 

[Eye of the Tiger]

I'd take an Aero if they can knock the price down to about $13K.