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It's over in Sept :(

11K views 65 replies 24 participants last post by  zuiquan1 
#1 · (Edited)
#2 ·
Meanwhile, FCA closes Fiat specific showrooms and try to blend the inventory into the Dodge Jeep Ram Chrysler stores. In some areas. Just sayin'. Not trying to show any bias here. I love Italian stuff. Pizza, Sketties for sure.....
That's Amore' .
 
#43 ·
That investment was for the Dart, 200, Cherokee, Renegade, and 500X. ALL those cars are on a shared platform with an incredible number of shared components. Not since the K-Car have I seen so much design overlap in Chrysler. It was a really efficient thing to do, and what they SHOULD do is just take half the crap out of the Dart, lower the price, and you'll have car that can get out of its own way, gets almost 45 highway mpg (1.4 turbo and a durable light trans like the NVT-350 5spd), and looks pretty sharp. They just put too much junk in it that should have been reserved for the higher-end buyers. I bought a brand new 1st gen Neon for $11,000. My '09 CHALLENGER R/T was $27,000 new - and you can probably spend that much on a Dart in 2016. Crazy! Why bother, when you can get the same thing in a roomier package like the 500X or Renegade? Or fancier in the 200? Or all-out capable in the Cherokee? It's like they just tried too hard to make the Dart good at EVERYTHING (which ends up making something good at nothing), instead of making it the robust performance-minded economy car it should have been.

The Dart may be ending production soon, but Deyeme Racing will continue supporting the Dart communit for years to come.
 
#5 ·
Nobody is ever sure when it comes to FCA's plans, FCA least of all. However, I'm pretty sure that's a legit site and they're saying that FCA announced this yesterday, not that it's rumored or anything. With the Dart's sales the last few months, there was no way to justify keeping it around for another year. I still don't understand the 200. All that effort and investment to develop one of their best-selling mid-sized sedans in decades and they axe it after 2 years? Who does that?
 
#8 ·
He came for the Ferraris and stayed for the Jeeps. Seriously, though, they guy seems to be a specialist at turning around failing companies. Once he had Chrysler and Fiat back on track, that should have been his cue to hand over the reins to somebody who actually knows how to run an automaker on a day-to-day ongoing basis. The fact that no other automaker has felt a need to abandon the compact and mid-sized segments entirely in order to survive says something about FCA's leadership. It's simply not true that those segments are dying. Americans buy more compact and mid-sized sedans than SUVs of all sizes. However, these are low-margin, high-volume segments, and the Dart just couldn't sell in high enough volumes to succeed. I won't say that the Dart was intended to fail from the beginning, but it certainly seems that Fiat, Chrysler, and ultimately FCA didn't especially care one way or the other whether it succeeded. Then again, they spent like $1 billion developing the 200, so who knows, perhaps they're just incompetent and incapable of making intelligent decisions.
It didn't really help using the Dart name. Going from gas-guzzling muscle car to a fuel-efficient sedan threw off a lot of people for sure.
 
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#18 ·
It didn't really help using the Dart name. Going from gas-guzzling muscle car to a fuel-efficient sedan threw off a lot of people for sure.
Not the case according to those involved in naming the new Dart. The target demographic (read: young folks) chose the name Dart in focus groups because "it best fit the style and mission of the vehicle".
Almost none of those consulted knew of or had ever heard of the old Darts!
FCA liked this because it also meant a lack of baggage for the name / car!
It is only those of us of a certain age that remember or care about the old Dart (an inherited '66 was my first car) and I wouldn't trade my '16 for that '66 for anything! 50 years of advancements and my heated seats and steering wheel along with Alpine audio mean only some nostalgia for the crude appliance I first drove!
 
#13 ·
I'm glad I got mine when I did. Was wondering if a 2017 would be built, basically a carryover of the 2016, but sounds like no. I know I was cutting it close when I ordered it, and in typical fashion the dealer is the last ones to know what's going on most of the time. Was hoping they would call and tell me the factory has run out of 2.4's or they have all these Turbo-Intercooled 2.0 Hurricanes sitting around...mind if we put it in your car:)?
 
#16 ·
I honestly don't know what to say about the Dart's failure in the marketplace. The car caught my attention the moment it was announced in 2012, and two years later when I finally had the ability to afford a new car the Dart was what I wanted. I also test-drove the other compacts that I was mildly interested in just to be sure I wasn't missing out on something, but the moment I took a Dart out on a test drive I was hooked. Sexy exterior, nice dash layout, quiet interior... I couldn't find anything to dissuade me from buying a Dart so I did. Unfortunately it appears the rest of the buying public never saw what I did in the Dart. Maybe it wasn't peppy enough, maybe the idea that it had Fiat DNA scared off some people, or maybe Chrysler's previous reputation for breakdown-prone clunkers discouraged others. Whatever the case was, it had a hard row to hoe with all the well-established Toyota Corollas, Honda Civics, and Ford Focuses out there taking the lion's share of the compact market. Maybe it would have eventually succeeded if FCA's heart was into it, but apparently it wasn't and they just let it wither on the vine.
 
#20 · (Edited)
By the time the 2013 Dart showed up people had stopped considering Chrysler dealerships when shopping for a compact car. To be successful the Dart had to prove it offered something the other, more well-established compacts in its class didn't. Unfortunately all it brought to the table was sporty good looks and a few gee-whiz gadgets, things that were low priorities in the compact market. It lacked the power to attract the go-fast crowd and had an uphill battle proving that it could be anywhere near as reliable as a Corolla or Civic, which wasn't helped by the early problems and recalls. I still remember when my wife told a co-worker that I had just bought a new car, and when told that it was a Dart she said she'd never heard of it. When my wife told her it was a compact car she simply responded "Why didn't he just get a Corolla?". That's the kind of attitude Dodge had going against it, and without a strong advertising campaign and no real attempt to fix the few flaws it had the Dart was essentially doomed from the very beginning.

About the only real bright spot is that we all have a fairly unique car and something that won't be a common sight on the roads in a few more years, given how few were made. I still see XJ Cherokees just like mine on the road everyday even though the last ones were made in 2001, but then again Jeep only made a few million of them. I can still find lots of parts and aftermarket accessories for my XJ, but even now dealer and aftermarket support for the Dart is almost non-existent and will only get worse by year's end.
 
#21 ·
Your points are excellent and I will only add that, between folks not even thinking Mopar when shopping and FCA's lack of promotion a lot of folks missed out! Almost everyone who has ridden in my Darts has come away surprised and impressed (one has even purchased a Dart since). To those of us who love the Dart, enjoy, and take good care of them...and smile because we know what the folks in those Corollas are missing! :)
 
#24 ·
The whole "lack of promotion" thing isn't true. They promoted the Dart pretty hard before its launch and during its first year. That was never the problem. The reality is that they is likely nothing Dodge, Chrysler, FCA, or anybody could have done to make the Dart successful. For a new compact to be successful, it needs to be able to appeal to somebody who would buy a 130hp CVT-equipped Civic or Corolla. Those cars are neutered and have been civilized to the point of having no personality. They are appliances and succeed the same way appliances do: by operating reliably and not forcing their owners to think about them. We have to recognize that simply by being active members of this forum, we are not the average car buyers that automakers most care about. It is also true that by 2013, neither Dodge nor Chrysler were likely to be top-of-mind when thinking of compact cars. Hell, I'll be honest, I had forgotten about the existence of the Dart when I was car shopping in 2013 and was initially skeptical about it when the sales person at the CDJR dealership suggested it. The Caliber cast a long, dark shadow on Chrysler's credibility in the compact segment. And now the Dart does as well.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Giving credit where it's due, this is how you sell compact cars:
Oh c'mon DD, everybody knows that a commercial about a paranoid Dart owner telling his neighbor to keep his hands off his car was a much more effective selling tool than something actually showing what the car can do. :wink:

Of course, the only commercials Dodge made showing what the Dart can do showed it drifting and spinning its tires, something it CANNOT easily do. No wonder sales tanked!
 
#25 ·
Yep... the quest to be something special or different in the compact car segment is a perilous one. But I'd also have to say that lack of intelligent money behind the screen is- or must be - a problem.
How else could Hyundai, just as an example, make so many odd and even redundant selections of compact cars and have them remain viable? There is something weird going on when it comes to the whole Fiat merger thing. Forget the usual suspects of Chevy Ford Honda Toyota. The fact that Kia and Hyundai sell a remarkable amount of slightly weird and equally gutless small cars is a story out of the X Files.
 
#32 ·
Knew it was coming fairly soon. But didn't think it would be that quickly. Sigh.

All I know is, I am still very pleased with my Dart. Not quite a year of ownership, but still pretty much everything is going OK with it. I had an issue with the navigation maps being scrozzled. But since Dodge is warrantying the uConnect thing for 10 years, I am not worried about it. After the radio unit has been replaced, no issues so far.

Probably been discussed before, but do you wish they would have called it something else? Whenever I say I am a proud owner of a Dodge Dart, people keep thinking of Al Bundy's old Dodge (or at least Darts of that era). I wish they would have named it the "100" or somethiing such as that. Yeah, I know, they still had a Dodge 100 on the drawing board when the Dart was released. But it appears that 100 project is also dead.

I get why they are doing it. But I still don't like it. And others have already mentioned the many reasons why the launch wasn't successful -- so I won't rehash that again. At least I will still have my Dart to enjoy.

Joe
 
#33 ·
Honestly, other than on this forum, I have never met anybody who remembered the original run of Darts from the 60s. I wasn't around then, but as far as I can tell, they were just the "compact" cars of their day for the most part, and weren't considered anything special. The Dart never reached the iconic status of the Charger or Challenger. The 100 was a rumored Chrysler project, but it's unclear what kind of car that was supposed to be.
 
#37 ·
It was roughly the same time period when my wife and I were looking for new vehicles. We were both driving Dodge Neons with hers a 2001, mine a 2002 model. We both enjoyed the Neon and they lasted over 10 years. The only logical replacement with our Chrysler discount was the Dart, because that is what replaced the Neon. It was the cheapest car they offered.

When we arrived at the dealership in 2013, the lots were FULL of darts. When we got a closer look we realized it was a boring looking car, but it carried a hefty price tag. The only option was the 2.0 for 99% of the cars on the lots. The 2.4 and GT's were pretty much non-existent at that time and if they happen to have 1 or 2 of them on the lots they were asking almost 30k. The 1.4T also carried a hefty price upgrade for no apparent reason other than the word turbo.

She left the lot with a Chrysler 200 V6. I left with a bad taste in my mouth thinking about how boring the Darts were. I managed to keep my Neon another year and went back to the dealership to see what I could get. I was shocked to see a totally different Dart than what I initially saw in 2013. Blacked out front grill, dual exhaust, 18 inch rims, leather interior, red trim accents. I then found out about all the features it now had...... keyless entry, heated seats, heated mirrors, backup camera, HUGE touchscreen, leather with red accents and halo ring, push button start, and finally the 2.4 engine. I left with a 2014 GT for $21.5k.

So in closing, both my wife and I were immediately put off from the Dart when we were looking for new cars in 2013. Three points of failure....sticker price, features, and looks.
 
#44 ·
I'd never trade my 2016 GT for a vintage Dart like the die cast on my desk...you'd rarely see an old Dart that was cool like the 1/64 on my desk, and as other member said ..the Dart NEVER was a legend like a Charger or Challenger. I'm 56 and love Vintage American Muscle cars but I never considered the Dart one of them. Land vehicle Vehicle Car Muscle car Orange

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Hood Bumper
 
#49 ·
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#46 ·
Just like the Neon, those that can work around any shortcomings continue the drive and love them, even though they're no longer made.
Hell, I just rolled over 200k on my '98 RAM, and whilst they had their issues, I wouldn't trade mine for anything else... and 2nd Gen RAM's still have aftermarket stuff available (though it is starting to dwindle now).
 
#47 · (Edited)
If a vehicle is popular enough and made in sufficient quantities the aftermarket will exist long after the model is discontinued. Look at all the vendors for '64-'70 Mustang parts that are still out there for example. Unfortunately the Dart was a very poor seller and we never saw much in the way of aftermarket even with all our cars new and factory fresh. If companies like Haynes and Chilton can't even be bothered to write up a repair manual for them then you can pretty much forget about anything else being available after a few years. Hell, even the Dodge dealers themselves never have any spare parts in stock for the Dart and are always having to put stuff on backorder. That's what worries me the most, that I'll have a failed sensor or control module and the stupid dealer won't even be able to fix me up and get me back on the road again.
 
#48 ·
I believe it's law that manufacturers have to have spares available for 10yrs after year model end... so in theory you should be good until 2026.

Beyond that, how much is truly unique to the Dart, that is not shared with other vehicles (Alfa, Fiat, etc) that use the PF and CUSW platform?
 
#52 ·
There are several darts in my area of RI but I doubt any of them are on the org.
 
#55 ·
Over the past few days of reading this thread, I have been pretty bottled up with my emotions about it. The Dart is ending it's story. No more joking with the parts guy at the dealership counter, no more asking the salesman what next year's model is going to be new and different.

No more....
no more.

and so...I leave you this:


 
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