The Chrysler Group posted their best February in five years last month with 139,015 vehicles sold accounting for a 4% improvement over the same month in 2012. The Ram brand was up 2% thanks to the Ram truck lineup while the Dodge brand was the star of the company in February 2013 with 55,639 vehicles sold account for a 30% year over year gain for the brand.
Every existing model in the Dodge brand lineup except for the Caravan lineup showed positive growth in February with the Charger and Caravan both topping the 10,000 unit mark while the Avenger fell just short of 10k for the second month in a row. The big news was that the Dodge Dart and the Dodge Challenger each posted their best sales months ever.
For the Dodge Dart, February’s sales total of 7,720 compact sedans sold is the best month since the new Dart was launched in June of 2012. The Dart still has a long way to go to compete with the heavy hitters in the ultra competitive C segment but for the time being – the Dart is headed in the right direction. If nothing else, the Dart has proven itself to be more popular than the Caliber which it replaced and if not for the fact that dealers are deeply discounting the Avenger – which is causing some prospective Dart buyers to go with the Avenger – the Dart would likely be selling at a better rate.
The winter months are usually slower sales months for rear wheel drive performance cars but the Dodge Challenger managed to post its best sales month ever in February 2013. With 4,911 units sold last month, the company has never sold more Challengers since the brawny Mopar muscle car was introduced for the 2008 model year. The previous best month came in May 2012 when the company sold 4,816 copies of the Challenger in what proved to be a very good year as a whole.
While we expect to see things continue to improve for the new Dodge Dart, it will be interesting to see if the Challenger can continue this momentum into the warmer months of 2013. If the Challenger sales in February are an indication of how the 2-door Mopar muscle car will do throughout the rest of the year – this could be a banner year for the Hemi powered beast.
"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.
