If you want confirmation that Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is shaking up his American patient look no further than the new Dodge Dart.
It’s a new compact car for Dodge – based on the underpinnings of an Alfa Romeo Giulietta. It’s an important launch for Dodge and this sector accounts for 15% of all US car sales.
Dodge Dart: the lowdown
The Dart goes on sale in the second quarter of 2012, priced from a UK-painful $15,995.
A range of petrol engines will be offered:
• 160bhp 2.0
• 160bhp 1.4 Multiair turbo
• 184bhp 2.4 Multiair turbo
All with a mix of six-speed manual, automatic or semi-auto dual-clutch transmissions.
Inside the Dodge Dart
Dodge promises an interior far removed from the Dodge Caliber which this car replaces. There’s an 8.4in touchscreen with a computer which syncs with your MP3 player, tells you which movies are showing locally, and even alerts you via an app if your car is travelling where it shouldn’t if it’s on loan to the kids.
Naturally, personalisation is the name of the game: more than 100,000 different combinations of Dart are available, should you want to bling yours up.