When the June 2012 sales report from the Chrysler Group was issued around this time last year, it included a line item for the new Dodge Dart with one single vehicle being delivered and when the June 2013 report being issued this week – the Dodge Dart has officially been reaching customers for 12 months. The larger scale delivery process of the new Dart got moving quite a bit more in June 2012 with 202 units sent to dealerships but the newest sales report marks the one year anniversary of Dodge Dart sales reporting. An occasion like this brings about a fine time to look at the sales results of the sporty new compact sedan from the first year of sales.
The Chrysler Group sold 7,448 Dodge Dart sedans in May 2013 which accounts for the fourth best month of sales since being introduced last summer. The Dart’s best sales period came just last month when 8,099 examples of the new compact sedan were delivered and with the slight dip in sales last month, May marks the first time this year that the Dart did NOT set a new monthly sales record.
Since first hitting dealership lots last May, the Chrysler Group has sold 63,815 Dodge Dart sedans for an average monthly figure of 5,318 units sold per month.
Between the introduction in May 2012 and the end of the 2012 calendar year, Dodge delivered 25,303 new Dart sedans over the course of 8 months for an average of 3,615 units sold per month. However, since September 2012, there have been far more than that average number sold each month due to the extremely low sales in May, June and July of 2012. The best month in 2012 for the Dart was December, in which 6,105 units were sold.
Since the beginning of 2013, there have been 38,512 Dodge Darts delivered in the US for a monthly average of 7,703 units sold – more than double the average from 2012. The best month in 2013 thus far was April with 8,099 units sold and the worst month was January when 7,154 Darts reached new owners. Should the Dart carry on with a similar average monthly sales figure of 7,700 units sold each month, the Dart will end up with a 2013 sales total of roughly 92,400 units sold in its first full calendar year of availability.
Dodge Dart sales could see another spike in sales later this year with the introduction of the new higher performance Dart GT along with another increase in sales figures with the debut of the even more powerful Dart SRT4 – although the Street and Racing Technology variant of the Dart could be some time off while the GT will arrive later this year.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
