DETROIT — The Dodge Dart, a 1960s compact car that gearheads turned into street racers, is making a comeback. Chrysler said Tuesday 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The Dart, expected to get 40 mpg on the highway, is an extremely important car for Chrysler, which has outdated offerings in the fast-growing compact-car market.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’ desire for more space. The Dart will be 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 sport utility vehicle that is based on a Spartan design from Chrysler’s lean years before bankruptcy protection.
It will be produced at the Chrysler assembly plant in Belvi dere, Ill., where the company is investing $600 million. The Associated Press
