The first production Dodge Darts were full size cars developed to replace the Plymouth as the low-priced car for the Dodge dealer network. Dodge dealers had been selling the Plymouth since 1930. The Dart was a shorter wheelbase full size car than the standard sized Dodge line, and was based on the Plymouth. The Dart line was divided into three sub-series: the entry-level Seneca, the Pioneer, and the well-appointed Phoenix.
   Introduced for the 1960 model year, the Dart was at once a marketing masterstroke - sales of the Dart out-stripped those of the full sized Dodge Matador and Dodge Polara, but it also created an in-house competitor for Chrysler's very own Plymouth division. Even advertising from 1960 and 1961 compared the Dart to the "C" car (Chevrolet), the "F" car (Ford) and the "P" car, Chrysler's Plymouth. As Dart sales climbed, Plymouth's sales dropped. Dart sales were so strong in 1960, that Dodge had to cut back its medium-priced model line-up. The Matador line was discontinued for 1961 as the lower-priced series outsold the higher.
   
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