At the 2013-MY fleet preview June 4-6 in Savannah, Ga., Chrysler Group LLC Chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne praised fleet as “an integral part of our comeback story,” sharing how the company reached or exceeded all its goals set forth in 2009. While many factors contributed to its turnaround, product is “at the heart of what we do,” he shared.

As far as product goes, the biggest news was the 2013 Dodge Dart, which is the first collaboration of Chrysler and Fiat resources and the automaker’s first true compact car since the Dodge Neon. Pete Grady, VP of network devleopment and fleet, described the Dart as “a compact that thinks it’s a mid-size.”

Chrysler also announced Jim Sassorossi as the new director of fleet commercial and rental sales, succeeding Pat Dougherty, who moved to a new role at Mopar.

Fleet attendees also had the opportunity to give the products a real workout during the ride-and-drive, which included a street course, an off-road course, and a nearby race track.