2013 Dodge Dart Photos Leaked Ahead of Detroit Motor Show Debut

There has been much excitement over the brand-new 2013 Dodge Dart as it's the first Chrysler product to be based upon a Fiat architecture – in fact so much that some couldn't just wait and unleashed a slew of pictures as well as the first video of the compact sedan on the road.

The Dart effectively replaces the Caliber in Dodge's lineup offering the Chrysler Group a direct rival to the Ford Focus and Chevrolet saloons.

It is based on a wider and longer version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta's platform and will offer American buyers an initial choice of three gasoline four-cylinder engines including a pair of natural aspirated units with a displacement of 2.0-liters and 2.4-liters rated at 160 and 184-horses respectively as well as a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine from the Abarth 500 with 160-ponies.

The front-wheel drive Dart will debut with a Fiat Group-sourced 6-speed dual-clutch transmission and a six-speed manual gearbox but in 2013, it will gain a new 9-speed transmission that is currently being developed by the ZF Group.

We'll have all the details from the Detroit Motor Show but for now, enjoy the first official pictures and video after the break.

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Dodge Bids Farewell to Caliber Crossover and Nitro SUV

The end of 2011 brings about the death of two much-criticized Dodge models, the Caliber crossover and the Nitro SUV, both of which were conceived and developed during the time Mercedes-Benz's parent company Daimler reigned over the Chrysler Group.

The last examples of the Caliber and Nitro models rolled off Chrysler's Belvidere, Illinois and Toledo North assembly plants respectively this month.

Introduced in 2006, the Caliber was designed to replace the Neon in the same fashion that Nissan tried to win the European C-segment (think VW Golf) with the Qashqai crossover, but without the same success.

The Caliber left a lot to be desired, especially in the powertrain/drivetrain department and its rent-a-car like interior.

Monthly sales of the compact five-door model peaked in May 2008 with 12,856 units, dropping to a pitiful 412 units in November 2009, with Dodge delivering 1,202 Calibers last month.

The Caliber's replacement will be introduce in a couple of weeks at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show with the new 2013 Dodge Dart, which is a compact-sized sedan model based on the platform architecture of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

The Nitro SUV made its debut in 2006 as a more masculine and sportier Dodge derivative of the second generation Jeep Liberty with which it shared its platform but not the latter's more hardcore all-wheel drive hardware. It too suffered from a cheap interior while its on-road dynamics were poor.

The best sales month of the Nitro was in March 2007 with 7,532 deliveries, while the worst was in July 2009 with 1,115 units, with Dodge selling 1,661 units in November 2012.

In a recent interview, Fiat-Chrysler Group CEO, Sergio Marchionne, said that "This car should never have been built” referring to the Nitro.

Story References: Automotive News

 

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