Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced on Monday that the company is working to "reposition" its Dodge Dart line-up by slashing the price of three models - The Dart SXT Sport, Dart GT Sport and Dart Turbo, by about $1,100 or even more. Simultaneously, the company has decided to discontinue the entry-level SE and premium Limited trims of Dodge Dart line-up.
A statement issued by Tim Kuniskis, the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles passenger car brands head for North America, said that the company is "repositioning" the Dart line-up with a view to improve the arrangement between production and dealer inventory with consumer demand as well as preference.
The move from FCA comes in the wake of the American consumers' preference for larger and crossover vehicles, while the compact car segments continue to struggle, MLive reported.
Since its launch in 2012, the Dart has not been able to fulfill the aspirations of Fiat Chrysler. When the company launched this lineup, it hoped that the Dart would turn out to be a worthy competitor to other small and mid-sized cars, including the Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cruze, Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic.
In fact, the Dart is somewhat larger compared to several of its competitors and was rather under-powered at its launch. Moreover, it came in an assortment of color and option combinations targeting the young buyers, but it actually became a problem for the dealers who were unsure as to which particular variations they should order for customers, USA Today said.
In fact, in January 2016, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne announced that the Dart, as well as the Chrysler 200 mid-size sedan, will "run their course." In other words, eventually they would be phased out. However, until that happens, the company will be marketing three Dart models - Dart SXT Sport, Dart GT Sport and Dart Turbo, priced between $1,100 and $1,600 lower than their comparable models.
Currently, the company is offering the Dart in SE, SXT, Aero, Limited and GT variants. However, Fiat Chrysler has already announced that dealers can start placing orders for the new variations of the 2016 Dodge Dart in April.
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