For the first time since the late seventies the Dodge Dart is coming back into production. It'll be made just east down 20 in Belvidere.
"Sure we had the Caliber out there recently but that really just competed in a smaller piece of the market which is a hatch market," say Ceril Benitah, Lead Programming Manager for the Dart. "The sedan market and compact car is about fifteen percent of the total volume of cars sold in the US. So its a large share of volume that we frankly haven't been in since the days of the Neon."
For a younger generation the Dart is a catchy name, a sleek look and a fun, yet economically efficient ride. For the generation that remembers the Dart's beginning, the selling point might be in the sentiment.
"Well that was a very high value, highly reliable car that everyone could buy and afford and we sold many," says Benitah. "From the 60s all the way to the late 70s."
With 14 interior combinations, 12 exterior colors six wheel choices and more than 150 accessories, there are roughly 100,000 ways to personalize your Dart.
"We like to think of the car as having borrowed many of the luxury elements that you'll find in premium cars and we brought them down into this compact car."
And with features like 10 standard airbags,reactive front head restraints and options such as blind spot monitoring and a camera showing what's behind you while you back up, the Dart is rated high in safety.
Benitah also says a look under the hood is sure to please.
"Its a very high tech engine that give us great performance and great fuel economy and makes the car very fun to drive."
