The Dodge Dart has been in a bit of a sales lull over the past few months but in August 2013, the sporty little compact sedan posted a new record sales month with 7,922 units sold around the country. The previous monthly sales record for the modern Dart sedan came in February 2013 when 7,720 customers drove home in a new Dart.
Not only do the September 2013 sales numbers account for a new monthly sales record for the Dodge Dart but with 7,922 units sold last month – Dodge sold 51% more Darts this September than the company did in the same month last year.
On the year, the Dodge Dart has moved 65,836 units which is represents a 611% increase over the first nine months of 2012 but with the Dart not hitting its full sales stride until August last year, comparing the first three quarters of 2013 to the same period in 2012 doesn’t portray a fair picture of the Dart’s growth. That figure of 65,000+ Darts sold is a huge increase over the 25,303 sold all of last year and as Dodge closes out on the first full year of sales for their sporty compact sedan, the company looks to sell around 87,000 copies based on the current monthly average sales rate of 7,315 units sold. Of course, if Dodge can continue the success of September into the final quarter of 2013, the company could near the 100,000 unit plateau and that would be a massive success for the Chrysler Group, the Dodge brand and the new Dart.
The bad news is that even if Dodge sells over 100,000 Dart sedans this year, the Dart is still well behind the competition list that includes the Hyundai Elantra (202,034 in 2012), the Chevy Cruze (237,758), the Ford Focus (245,922), the Toyota Corolla (290,947) and the Honda Civic (317,909). Those vehicles all have big leads through this year and posted substantially bigger sales figures in 2012 than the Dart could ever dream to hit in 2013 but considering that this is the first full year of Dart sales – the newest compact sedan on the block is showing excellent growth.
"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.
