Chrysler brings back the Dodge Dart

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The Dodge Dart, a 1960s compact car that gearheads turned into street racers, is making a comeback.

Chrysler said Tuesday that it will use the Dart name for a new compact car based on Italian technology that it will introduce in the U.S. next year.

The Dart, which is expected to get 40 miles per gallon of gas on the highway, is an important car for Chrysler Group LLC, which has outdated offerings in the fast-growing compact car market. Young buyers in the U.S. generally pick compacts as their first new cars, and research shows they'll stick with a brand if they like their first vehicle.

The new car is based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, a compact sold in Europe, but will be wider and longer to handle Americans' need for space. Chrysler said in a statement that the four-door will handle and perform well, yet be efficient. It's the first car sold by Chrysler dealers that is based on Fiat underpinnings.

The Dart, due in showrooms in the first half of next year, will replace the Dodge Caliber, a slow-selling compact SUV based on a design from Chrysler's lean years before bankruptcy protection. Two other compact SUVs, the Jeep Compass and Patriot, will continue to be sold.

The Dart also is important to Fiat because the Italian company will get another 5 percent stake in Chrysler once it starts making a car in the U.S. that gets 40 mpg. The Dart will be made at the Chrysler assembly plant in Belvidere, where the company is investing $600 million.

Chrysler said the Dart, to be formally introduced in January at the Detroit auto show, will come with three four-cylinder engines. The car will have a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine that also goes in the high-performance Fiat 500, a 2-liter 4 and a larger 2.4-liter engine.

Chrysler nearly ran out of cash in 2008 and needed a $12.5 billion government bailout to survive bankruptcy protection. In exchange for management expertise and technology, the government gave Fiat SpA control of Chrysler and a 20 percent stake in the company.

Under Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, who now leads both automakers, Chrysler repaid its government loans, and Fiat bought the government's stock in Chrysler. The government will lose $1.3 billion of its original $12.5 billion bailout.

Fiat now controls Chrysler with a 53.3 percent stake in the company. Under a 2009 deal with the U.S. government, Fiat got a 20 percent stake after Chrysler exited bankruptcy protection. Fiat gradually raised its stake and gained a majority share in July, when it paid the U.S. Treasury for its remaining shares.

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/busin...-coming-to-belvidere-20111206,0,6057714.story
 
i actually like it and plan on checking one out if I like it I'll buy one in 2014 so its exactly 50 years from my 64 50th anniversary dart.
 
Noooooooooooooo!!:banghead: Where's the heritage in that,or even the fun factor,looks like an import.
 
Well... While im glad that the Dart name is coming back, I can't say I'm excited about is described here. Lol. But I'll hold all other opinions until it's released
 
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I think that looks pretty damn cool, although the front end appears very "concept car-ish" still and not realistic. I would sure hope it's fairly quick (which I doubt) and cheap. Chrysler's still a business and the name of the game in business is making money. I really do wonder if a retro-styled Dart would be successful in the marketplace....? I would think yes, but then again these companies also want to come across as fresh and youthful, not too stuck in the past.
 
I like the good and strip my self. But I will hold off getting one, you never buy a car in its first years
 
Not a bad looking car...not great, but at least looks like every other Korean built Hyundai and Kia with that frontend! That being said...Chrysler abandoned us in 1989 when you could no longer buy a v8 rear wheel drive...then to add insult to injury they went to D.C. groveling for a handout, and then took it! I will NEVER own another new Chrysler or Gm Product for the rest of my life, I wont even put a new Hemi in my Duster. As someone else posted a while back...look at the crate motor program....yeah right, you can blow me before I spend 12K. I would consider a Gm crate motor before a Chryco. However the $45k I spent on my wifes Honda Oddyssey last January was the best money I have ever spent in a car, short of my 90 F250!!
 
I'm surprised by all the negativity from Mopar followers. I'm not sure I like the name, but it looks to be a good car that should raise the bar in the small car category (something that Chrysler definately needs). The whole Daimler debacle left Chrysler with nothing, except the 300 and Charger. People may not like the Charger name being used, but it is a great car for the money. Ford and GM can't touch them. The last couple of years are showing some real promise. Chrysler has a bunch of car guys at the top. They are trying to bring products to market to set the new standard in the segment. Take a look: Charger, 300, Durango, Cherokee etc. As they get rid of the junk (caliber, sebring etc) and replace this with new cars, engines and power trains, Mopar enthusiasts should be happy. Take a look at the SRT's and the new Viper that will deput this year. Yeah I know there expensive, but what isn't anymore. As a Mopar enthusiast (and no I do not work for Chrysler), I am ecstatic about the future, and want to see them succeed. Sorry for the long rant.
 
Ok, but they closed the St. Louis truck assembly plant and kept the Mexican ones open!!! We saved Mexican jobs with the bailout money, not American.

Did they say where the new Dart and its engine are going to be built?


Sorry Joey. I just can't stand that our tax money didn't save AMERICAN JOBS.
 
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