Dodge plans to give a decidedly upscale look to the new Dart - which will feature a high-tech reconfigurable TFT display.
Preparing for what could be the company’s most important launch since its 2008 tie-up with Italy’s Fiat, Chrysler is continuing to dole out small sugar cubes of images and information about the new Dodge Dart it plans to introduce at the Detroit Auto Show next month.
Those who count themselves part of the Baby Boom generation will undoubtedly recall the original Dart as one of the more popular of Detroit’s compact offerings in the 1960s and 1970s. The model that will join the automaker’s line-up for 2013 likely won’t ever come close to that model’s popularity but will nonetheless be essential if Chrysler plans to maintain its recent momentum.
The 2013 Dodge Dart notably will be the first product developed jointly by Chrysler and Fiat off what they have dubbed the new Compact U.S. Wide, or CUSW, architecture. It will replace the largely forgettable Dodge Caliber, the result of a misbegotten triangle that paired former partners Chrysler, Daimler AG (once known as DaimlerChrysler) and Japan’s Mitsubishi.
An earlier Dart "teaser" image. The new compact sedan will debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
For now, the Dart will be offered in sedan form only but a little digging reveals that Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has cautiously hinted that a hatchback could be added later on. While the Caliber’s 5-door body did little to excite the market there’s been a surprising renaissance in hatchback demand, the more functional body style also viewed as more sporty by younger buyers who have made hatches a strong seller for some product lines – notably including the Ford Fiesta and Focus.
As these images suggest, the new Dodge Dart will be a decidedly different creature from the relatively stripped-down econobox of decades past – or even more recently with Caliber.
Long crucified for its relatively stark and poorly finished cabins Chrysler has made interior refinement one of its big targets with models like the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300 lines. Now, it appears, it is taking that strategy down to some of its most affordable models.
Though the exterior “footprint” of the new Dart will fall into the compact segment it will boast midsize interior space based on EPA-approved measurements.
The new model features what Dodge has dubbed a “driver-centric” layout, with all gauges controls within easy glance or reach. A “floating island” bezel will wrap around a relatively large – for the segment – 7-inch TFT customizable gauge cluster with a surrounding light pipe giving it a more upscale appearance.
Meanwhile, where most small cars have a decidedly limited range of interior options Dart will be offered with 14 color and trim options and six separate steering wheel choices – as well as three engine and three transmission alternatives.
From a safety standpoint the new 2013 Dodge Dart will come with 10 standard airbags and optional features including Blind-Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Path Detection – which uses low-power radar to watch for oncoming traffic when backing out of a parking spot.
The Dodge Dart will be the first of many planned models to share a common Fiat/Chrysler platform going forward. Winning a positive response to the 2013 sedan will be essential, said a senior company official, asking not to be identified by name, if Chrysler hopes to continue rolling up the double-digit sales gains it has seen for more of the past year.