Dodge Dart Sales Lag Because of Stick Shifts

Another knell for the manual transmission. On the bright side, there are at least 974 people who know how to row their own gears.

The competition is tough and the new Dart is relatively unknown. Don't think it is just the manual trannie.

@ vdiv

Exactly. I remember seeing one Dodge Dart commercial during the last few weeks in comparison to four different Focus commercials.

You have to spend money to make money, and in this case, Chrysler has dropped the ball on advertising this model.

In part its the name. Dodge Dart? C'mon, the marketing weenies could not come up with anything better than that?

Oh, and for the manual, more proof that Americans are automotive retards - they want sedans (not hatches), slushboxes (not manuals) and gas engines (not diesels). Morons.

Oh, and before you jump my case - I am an American.

Oh, your case should be jumped on precisely because you are an American and you should know better about cars. Of course naming a car something that is hard to distinguish from Dirt and then trying to sell it to the American kind is a tough proposition.

Another factor cited for the low sales is that it's a Dodge Dart.

Manual or automatic, this car just like its other siblings will only see the light of day in the rentals, plain and simple.