Production of the Dodge Dart will end in September 2016, with its plant in Belvidere, Illinois, being retooled to make more Jeep Cherokee SUVs.
Launched in 2012 as a 2013 model, the Dodge Dart was the first new model released by the new Fiat Chrysler. As a fuel efficient model, it was developed as part of an undertaking with the US government, which allowed Fiat to take over Chrysler for a song.
With bungled launch that over emphasized manual models and Dodge’s poor reputation in this segment of the market, sales peaked at around 9,000 cars per month with heavy incentives.
Sales have tailed off this year, with just 29,079 sold until the end of June. Last year, 87,392 Darts were sold in the US.
On its own that doesn’t sound too bad, but it’s way behind the Dart’s competitors. Leaders in the segment sold significantly higher numbers, with the unlamented previous generation Honda Civic notching up 335,384 sales in 2015.
It’s also a long way behind the more profitable Cherokee, 220,260 of which were sold in 2015 in the US.
