Chrysler’s decision to name its compact Dodge Dart drew plenty of interesting reactions 2013 Dodge Dart

According to Khabarkhodro, This name hasn’t been used on a new vehicle since the 1970s. This new sedan, which is set to arrive in showrooms in the spring, uses a Fiat platform. The Dart name was used on a production car that was assembled from the 1960 to 1976 model years. During that period, 3.3 million units were built. The Dart name had been in use internationally for five more years at least. While many thought that the name still has value, others believed that it has too much baggage.

Wayne Cunningham, automotive reviewer, CNET.com, commented that the Dart name “retained its currency” due largely to hipsters. He thinks that Dodge must have come to the conclusion that the model “still has cachet." Paul Stenquist of The New York Times said that this new model won’t be the “plain vanilla scoop of the '60s that its namesake was.” 

Jonathan Welsh, auto reviewer of The Wall Street Journal, said that the Dart had the reputation of being a “grocery getter,” the type that grandmothers, teachers, and the church choir drove in 1974. Dave Zatz, webmaster, Allpar.com, actually likes the Dart name. He said that he appreciates the Darts because their engines didn’t produce blue smoke and its transmissions continued to shift “just fine” even when they got old