Dodge Dart misses sales targets as inventory mounts

Zach Bowman — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 09:14:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Sedan, Dodge, Earnings/Financials

November was a rough month for the Dodge Dart. All told, Chrysler managed to deliver 4,489 units, down from 5,455 in October, but perhaps more telling is the sizable inventory Dodge now has on hand. Chrysler added a third shift to the Belvidere, Illinois plant that produces the new compact in order to satiate projected demand, and as a result, Dodge now has a 112-day supply of Dart models. That equates to 23,446 units waiting for a new home. Automakers typically average a supply of around 73 days. But the news wasn't so grim for the rest of the Chrysler stable.

Ward's Auto reports the Chrysler 200 saw particularly good sales through November, with the four-door seeing a 49.6 percent increase through the first 11 months of 2012 compared to the same time period on 2011. Likewise, the genetic sibling to the 200, the Dodge Avenger, saw sales jump 54.8 percent year over year through the same 11 months.

Dodge Dart misses sales targets as inventory mounts originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Dec 2012 09:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Email blast: Nardelli tells employees sales will worsen

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:33:00 EST

Filed under: Chrysler, Dodge, Earnings/Financials

Chrysler, already hurt by slow sales of its bread-and-butter pickups and SUVs, doesn't think things will improve any time soon. According to an email sent by CEO Bob Nardelli to Chrysler employees, he believes that sales will continue to spiral down the drain. So far, though, the third of the Detroit 3 isn't ready to announce any additional layoffs or plant closures. Chrysler must have had some really foresighted, or extremely pessimistic, people on the team who set early '08 predictions, as Nardelli claims that the company he's leading is still on track to achieve its goals.

Dodge has already shut the doors of its Saltillo plant in northern Mexico in an effort to "adjust" inventory levels of the current Ram pickup. The next vehicle set to debut for Dodge is the completely new Ram, which will appear just as gas prices have seriously trimmed truck sales. For Chrysler, the Hornet can't come soon enough.

[Source: The Detroit News, Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty]

Email blast: Nardelli tells employees sales will worsen originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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