If the television commercial for the 2013 Dodge Dart is to be believed, building an all-new car in arguably the market’s most competitive class isn’t really that difficult. All it takes is genius, inspiration, hard work for obscenely long hours and enough coffee to fill Lake Michigan.
Those of us who’ve been around a while know that it’s not quite as easy as the ad makes it sound. Plenty of cars have started out with the best of intention, only to be killed by accountants (like the new Honda Civic Si) or committees (like the Pontiac Aztek) along the way. So far, at least, the Dart seems to have escaped this fate.
For Chrysler, having a hot-selling sedan in the compact segment is essential to success, since the brand hasn’t been competitive in this area since the days of the Dodge Neon. The Neon’s replacement, the Dodge Caliber, was largely shunned by critics and consumers alike, especially when compared to others in the segment.
Based on its price positioning, fuel economy, performance and long list of available options, the Dart is showing every sign that it will be an out-of-the-park home run for Dodge. It’s fitting, then, that the automaker will kick off the Dart’s television campaign with this spot airing during tonight’s Major League Baseball All Star Game.
Look for the commercial to run on MTV, VH1, Spike and Comedy Central, too, and moviegoers will see it in theaters from July 20 to August 31. Expect Dodge to rely heavily on social media exposure as well, as it tries to get the maximum bang for its advertising buck.
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