Dodge has limited appeal in South Africa, partly due to a limited offering in the forms of the Caliber and Journey and also partly because those products aren’t terribly special. Depending on the company’s strategy, local sales could see a rise if they gave the all-new Dart a chance to compete locally.
Not much has really been revealed about the Dart except that it borrows its architecture from Alfa Romeo’s Giulietta and that it will make use of some of its technical innovations – in line with parent company Chrysler’s partnership with Fiat.
More importantly, the technology sharing between the two automotive giants includes powertrain development – which means that the Dart benefits from the economical and efficient 1,4 MultiAir turbocharged and a 2,4-litre “Tigershark” normally-aspirated MultiAir units and a new 2,0-litre 16-valve powerplant. The Dart will also be introduced with a choice of three transmissions.
With the dark teaser images released by Dodge so far, it’s difficult to speculate on the Dart’s looks, except that it boasts a sleeker take on the traditional crosshair grille, and headlamps that are angled more aggressively than on the larger Charger saloon. The rear end features more Charger cues in the full LED “racetrack” tail lamps and integrated dual exhaust.
Chrysler South Africa says there has been no confirmation about the Dart for the South African market, but we’ll probably hear more about those plans after it makes its debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month.
