Chicago’s Soldier Field has been the site of some pretty impressive events over the years – a college football national championship game (Army vs. Navy, 1926); the “Long Count” heavyweight championship fight between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney (1927); the Chicago Freedom Movement rally led by Dr. Martin Luther King (1966).
And now, another significant event played out today at the stadium listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Nearly 300 2013 cherry-red Dodge Darts encircled the venerable field and, after a rally led by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Dodge Brand President/CEO Reid Bigland, drove off in a caravan down Lake Shore Drive, with the final destination being Dodge dealerships across the Midwest.
“We’ve launched the Dart in a very special way,” noted Bigland. “We’ve hosted 12 of these 'ride aways' across the country, and having one in the Chicagoland area was an easy decision.”
“The
auto industry is alive and well in Illinois,” said Governor
Quinn. “The next generation of Dodge Darts is being assembled at our Belvidere plant and since 2008, Chrysler has gone from 200 jobs to more than 4,000 jobs – we want that growth to continue.”
The Soldier Field event is significant because the all-new Dodge Dart is built at Chrysler Group’s Belvidere (Ill.) Assembly Plant, about 60 miles from Chicago. The Dart blends Alfa Romeo DNA with Dodge’s passion for performance and style, resulting in a groundbreaking compact sedan.
And dealers can’t wait to get their hands on them.
“We really want to get this Dart in the showroom for everyone to see,” said Mike Bettenhausen, a dealer from Tinley Park, Ill. “It’s got so many attractive features – inside and out – that it will end up selling itself.”
“Today’s event is a great example of a momentum shift forward for the Dodge brand,” said Eric Maines, a dealer from Elgin, Ill. “Being able to offer the public a compact car with lots of features at a great price is just the ticket to get dealers excited about sales prospects for the coming year.”
The attendees represented close to 300 dealerships in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Missouri, with some traveling distances greater than 450 miles away to attend.
Chrysler Group invested nearly $700 million in the Belvidere plant, reconfiguring the facility to accommodate production of the Dart.
Visit the Chrysler Communications Facebook Page for more event images.
