Chrysler: 2013 Dodge Dart continues growing sales

Since its limited launch in June, Chrysler has sold nearly 15,000 of the compact sedans in the U.S., including 5,455 in October.

AUBURN HILLS, MI- The 2013 Dodge Dart continued to perform well for Chrysler Group LLC in its fifth month of sales.

Since its slow launch in June, Chrysler has sold nearly 15,000 of the compact sedans in the U.S., including 5,455 in October.

Dealer orders for the vehicle last month also exceeded planned production by 8,000 vehicles, according to Chrysler CFO Richard Palmer.

“I think we’ve had an excellent reception for the Dodge Dart,” Palmer said during a media and analyst conference call Tuesday afternoon to discuss Chrysler’s third-quarter earnings of $381 million.

Palmer said the vehicle, which starts at just under $16,000, has had an average selling prices “a little higher” than $20,000.

The average time on dealer lots for the Dart -- the first compact sedan from Chrysler since the Neon in 2005 -- is 17 days, according to Chrysler.

“We expect sales to continue to rise as the various models become available at dealerships, including the new Aero model,” he said.

The all-new Aero model, offering up to 41 highway MPG, began production in September and is arriving in dealerships, according to a Chrysler spokeswoman. That only leaves the R/T version with its new 2.4-liter Tigershark MultiAir 2 four-cylinder engine that has yet to be released.

Chrysler’s assembly plant in Belvidere, Ill. started producing the 2.0- and 1.4-liter Tigershark engines with manual transmissions in May, before adding production of the 2.0-liter six-speed automatic in June. In July, production was ramped up with a third shift to start producing the 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo automatic transmission as well in August.

Palmer said the sales “mix has been very positive” between the five trim levels, three engines and two transmissions.

Advertising for the Dart, including a number of fast-paced television ads, kicked off in July and is ramping up through November.

Here’s a breakdown of Dart sales in the U.S.:

October: 5,455

September: 5,235

August: 3,045

July: 772

June: 202