What's A Dodge Dart Worth? 5 Percent Of Chrysler
Jack Baruth showed you the Alfa-based new Dodge Dart – but what does it mean? For Sergio Marchionne, the little car means a lot. It means the final five percent of Chrysler, to be exact.
Marchionne told Reuters [via Automotive News [sub]] that Fiat could soon receive its final 5 percent of the Chrysler stock, which would give Fiat 58.5 percent. The rest would be held by the UAW’s retiree health care trust.
A vehicle that is built in the United States and that has achieved an unadjusted combined fuel economy rating of at least 40 mpg (closer to 30 MPG combined on the window sticker) is the final milestone worth those 5 percent. Even if the vehicle making that number is a special edition (think Cruze Eco).
As Jack’s piece mentioned, the Dart will come with a number of engine options. One of these is the 1.4-liter turbocharged FIRE engine that also powers versions of the subcompact Fiat 500. A new 9-speed transmission coming from ZF Group could increase the Dart’s fuel efficiency by an additional 10 percent to 16 percent over a similar 6-speed dual clutch transmission.
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I'm trying to imagine Autostick or manual shift mode on one of these 9-speed boxes. Lock out three ratios to keep it manageable?
So the new Dart will be based on the Alfa and built in America. What's to keep Sergio from building actual Alfas in the same factory to supply Fiat dealers who can't sell the 500? There's talk of Fiat leaving Italy, and if Alfas could be built in America and shipped to Europe, wouldn't the dollar/euro exchange mean bigger margins? I'm sure someone will tell me all about the technical difficulties of building Euro- and American- spec cars on the same line, etc. But switching from fractious Italian unions to the reeling UAW, and taking advantage of the exchange rate have got to make the effort worth it.
I see that no one has asked the obvious: Do any of you think of what it costs to fix these transmissions when they go bad? Yes, the sky may be the limit as to number of gears, but try researching how much parts are to fix, and that includes CVTs. Hope the warranty is good! From what my friend in Missouri has found out - and he works on transmissions and has worked for AAMCO in the distant past, he's longing for the days of Powerglides, Turbohydramatics and Torqueflites! Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I've raised a legitimate point.
The Dart will debut with a 6-speed dual clutch. I wonder if that box will have any Ferrari DNA in it...