Orphaned Dart, Chrysler 200, Fiats cleared out of US dealers

In the first quarter of 2022, Chrysler sold 29,113 cars—26,366 Pacificas, 2,745 300s, and … two 200s. The 200 sedan has not been made since 2017; the Dart was shut down even before that.

How are these cars still being sold?

It’s possible dealerships had a few still in stock and were waiting for the right price. They may have been demonstrators sitting around on the used market. They may even have been awaiting parts or repairs to be in the right condition. Or perhaps they were part of a failed dealership’s inventory, being sold at auction.

2013 dodge dart

In any case, long-dead cars provided six sales for FCA US—an Alfa Romeo 4C; one each of the Fiat 500 and 500L, which were actually being sold fairly recently; a lone Dodge Dart, presumably from 2016; and the two 200s.

There were also five Fiat 124 Spiders, but these were likely simply being held by dealers aiming for the right price; the Spider was still actively being sold a year ago.

The phenomenon does seem to be fairly unique to FCA US. GM did not list a single vehicle with fewer than 99 sales this quarter or last quarter. It did list some Hummer sales, but they were the exotic, high-performance new Hummer EV—and they sold 99 of them.

Ford, likewise, had no loners out there; the dead Fusion, MKZ, and Continental all stayed dead. There were just 13 GT sales, but that’s normal for the GT; there were 11 in the first quarter of 2021.

In any case, if you were looking for a new Dart or Chrysler 200, chances are the last one’s been sold already.

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