Think coming up with new cars is easy? Think again, especially when your company is headed by the notoriously-opinionated Sergio Marchionne, and especially when the car is as financially significant as the new Dodge Dart. Designing cars, the video tells us, takes countless hours of meetings, a calendar full of sleepless nights and enough coffee to float an aircraft carrier.
Get it right, and the end result is likely to be a home run product. We’re pretty confident in saying that about the 2013 Dodge Dart (despite the fact that we’ve yet to drive one), since it offers up reasonable performance, impressive fuel economy and an almost unbelievable starting price. The fact that it’s got a state of the art infotainment system and comes wrapped in sexy sheet metal won’t hurt sales one bit, either.
Given the commercials we’ve seen from other automakers lately, this spot (which will debut on national TV during tonight’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game) is truly a breath of fresh air, and we tip our caps to Chrysler for making us smile. Now, if they’d only put a Dart in our hands to evaluate, maybe we can tell you if the car is as good as the commercial, too.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
