Part 1 of a series on the many unique Mexican market Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth vehicles of recent years.
Production of the Dodge Dart ended in September of 2016. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne blamed slow sales and the failure to find a production partner for both the Dart and related Chrysler 200. The Dart’s discontinuation left Dodge without a compact offering for the first time in decades, but, south of the border, Mexican consumers still had the choice of three. Two of those cars wear very familiar names: Neon and Vision.
The Mexican Dodge lineup opened with the Attitude sedan at $MX174,000. Don’t let the aggressive name fool you—this is simply a rebadged Mitsubishi Mirage sedan with the same 1.2 three-cylinder engine. The Attitude name was previously used on a rebadged Hyundai Accent, however Hyundai and Kia’s entry into the Mexican market in 2015 meant Dodge had to find a new source to tap. And that new source proved to be an old source, with Chrysler and Mitsubishi’s relationship going back many decades.
At least the masquerading Mitsubishi got a neat crosshair grille. The next step up in the Dodge range is the $MX204,000 Vision, a Brazilian-built Fiat Grand Siena that has been rather awkwardly rebadged. Since Chrysler separated the Ram trucks into their own brand, the old ram’s head logo was replaced on Dodge vehicles by a simple text logo with two red stripes, situated to the side of a crosshair grille. However, the Vision retained the same badge slots front and rear as the Fiat Grand Siena, meaning the Dodge text – sans stripes – sits awkwardly within a black circle. A small detail, yes, but it doesn’t look right. Most Mexican consumers won’t have realized it’s a badge job—Fiat’s Mexican lineup didn’t include the Grand Siena or, indeed, any sedans.
The Vision’s body is also rather awkward itself. Unlike the last Mopar product to wear the Vision name – the Eagle Vision – this rebadged Fiat, designed for developing markets, looks uncomfortably tall and high-waisted. The Grand Siena is the sedan version of the Palio and was last redesigned in 2012. Under the hood is a 1.6 four-cylinder with 115 hp and 117 ft-lbs. The Vision actually has a shorter wheelbase than the Attitude – 99 inches versus 100.4 inches – but is longer overall (169 inches vs. 167.4).
When FCA announced the Dart nameplate was returning, it was a surprise to many to see such an old name returned. For the Dart’s replacement in Mexico, based on the Fiat Tipo/Egea, FCA has reintroduced another heritage nameplate—Neon! The compact Dodge enjoyed a great deal of popularity in Mexico, something its Caliber and Dart successors failed to emulate. Unlike the Vision, the $MX245,000 Neon is based on a Fiat that was created for both developing and developed markets alike – the Tipo was sold in Fiat’s homeland – and Mexican market models are sourced from Turkey.
Those waiting for a return of exciting Neons like the SRT-4 will probably have to keep waiting. The Neon is powered by the same 1.6 Fiat E.torQ engine as the Vision, albeit with only 110 hp and 112 ft-lbs. Unlike the Vision, there is no manual transmission available—Neon buyers could choose only a six-speed automatic. If those specifications sound rather milquetoast, you would be right—even the original Dodge Neon’s base 2.0 four-cylinder produced more power and torque (131 hp and 128 ft-lbs).
Neon (top), Dart (bottom)
Dimensionally, the 2017 Neon is 3 inches wider and 6.6 inches longer than the 1994 Neon; the older car has a wheelbase 0.2 inches longer and weighs roughly 300 pounds less. Interestingly, the new Neon weighs around 400-500 pounds less than the Dart although it is around 5 inches shorter and 2 inches narrower. It also lacks that car’s wide variety of engines and trim levels and features a more conservative exterior.
Neon photographed in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. Vision photographed in Roma Norte, Ciudad de México.
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1995 Dodge Neon Sport – Say “Hi” To Dashed Expectations
Curbside Classic: 1997 Plymouth Neon – Brightening Up The Compact Class
COAL: 2015 Fiat 500L Urbana Trekking – I Bought One. That’s Got to be a Bad Omen For Fiat.
Sounds like the right car for the locale to me .
Those who deride Mexico have never been there for any length of time .
-Nate
At the very least, then-FCA could’ve easily made up for the Mexican Neon’s lack of powertrain variety by giving it a variety of body styles – in other markets the Tipo is offered as a hatchback and wagon as well as the sedan, all 4/5-doors.
It’s easy for those of us in some countries (Australia, for one) to forget that Fiat even still exists.
According to VFACTS official figures (*link below), they sold 2005 vehicles here last year, out of a market total of 1,237,287. That’s a stunning 0.16% of the market, or 37th position, if I didn’t lose count. No wonder I can’t place where a dealer is.
With those figure, I have to wonder why they bother? I’m not knocking Fiat, mind you; I don’t know enough about their product these days to be able to do that. Neither do many of my countrymen, it would seem.
But from here, it’s hard to imagine countries where Fiat is a viable option, let alone whole continents.
* https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/vfacts-2024-new-vehicle-sales-hit-record-high-but-slump-expected-soon