2013 Dodge Dart Compact Car Features Industry-Leading Amount of Advanced Steel Technologies

DETROIT, Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) has reason to celebrate early in this 2012 New Year. High-strength steel will be used in an industry-leading 68 percent of the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart's body structure. The Dart marks the Dodge brand's re-entry into the compact sedan segment and will debut at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Jan. 9, 2012.

According to Dodge, the Dart is the first Chrysler Group vehicle based upon the Fiat architecture – adapted from the award-winning Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The Giulietta is renowned for satisfying the most demanding customers in terms of road-holding, agility and safety, with exceptional driving dynamics. The Dart's all-new Compact U.S. Wide architecture, which includes a state-of-the-art body structure that makes good use of a wide variety of high-strength steel grades, affords the vehicle a very strong and rigid structure.

"High-strength steel allows automakers to offer the very best in safety, lightweighting and fuel efficiency, while still maintaining a brand's unique look and feel," Ron Krupitzer, vice president, automotive applications for SMDI, said. "The Dodge Dart is an excellent example of how advanced steels can be implemented to create groundbreaking vehicles that meet the evolving style and performance needs of customers, while still being safe, affordable and environmentally conscious."

Similar to the Dodge Dart of the late 1960's, the 2013 Dart offers a special blend of style, performance and innovation. The Dodge brand leveraged its nearly 100-year history of passion and the global compact car expertise of its partner Fiat, to develop the all-new Dodge Dart. The vehicle will be made in America, at Chrysler Group's Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois.

The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI), a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute, grows and maintains the use of steel through strategies that promote cost-effective solutions in the automotive, construction and container markets, as well as for new growth opportunities in emerging steel markets. For more news or information, visit www.autosteel.org.

SMDI investors include:

• AK Steel Corporation
• ArcelorMittal Dofasco
• ArcelorMittal USA LLC
• Nucor Corporation
• Severstal North America Inc.
• ThyssenKrupp Steel USA, LLC
• United States Steel Corporation

SOURCE Steel Market Development Institute

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