Some vehicles refuse to die by still showing up in sales charts years after being discontinued. We like to refer to them as zombie cars, and Stellantis had its fair share gathering dust on dealer lots in the United States last year. The full numbers are out for 2023, revealing more than a few models that are stubbornly sticking around.
It only makes sense to start with the most spectacular of them all – the Dodge Viper. The dead-but-alive performance machine racked up two sales, both of which took place in the final quarter of 2023. Sales were technically up by 100 percent compared to the year before when only one found a new home. Looking further back, four were sold in 2021 and another four in 2020. It’s worth noting the last Viper was made in August 2017 at the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit, Michigan.
Moving on to a far more boring vehicle, someone bought a Jeep Patriot in Q4 2023. Sales of the compact crossover declined by 75 percent compared to 2022 when four people got behind the wheel of a new Patriot. Well, we’re loosely using “new” because the last one rolled off the assembly line in December 2016 at the Belvidere Assembly Plant.
The Chrysler 200 somehow made it to the sales charts as well, with a total of four cars delivered throughout 2023. Three of them were purchased in the final quarter of the year. The compact sedan saw its sales double compared to 2022. We’ll remind you production ended all the way back in December 2016 when the final econobox was assembled at the Sterling Heights Assembly plant in Michigan.
The 200 wasn’t Chrysler’s only zombie car last year because the Town & Country made the sales charts as well. Two minivans were delivered in 2023, both in Q4. It’s rather strange because none were sold in 2022. The Town & Country was last built at the Windsor Assembly Plant in, Ontario, Canada in 2016.
| Zombie Car | Units Sold In 2023 |
| Dodge Viper | 2 |
| Alfa Romeo 4C | 1 |
| Fiat 124 Spider | 28 |
| Jeep Patriot | 1 |
| Chrysler 200 | 4 |
| Chrysler Town & Country | 2 |
| Dodge Dart | 3 |
| Dodge Journey | 36 |
| Dodge Caravan | 27 |
| Fiat 500 | 16 |
| Fiat 500L | 7 |
What else? Dodge managed to sell three Darts last year, all of which were purchased in the final quarter. The sister model to the Chrysler 200 had a slightly better 2022 when four vehicles were delivered. Stellantis (technically FCA back then) assembled the last Dart in September 2016 at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois.
The Journey wasn’t over in 2023 because Dodge sold 36 units, down by 81 percent compared to 2022 when 194 people bought one. The midsize crossover was retired in 2020 when production ended at FCA’s factory in Toluca, Mexico.
The Caravan also shows up in the sales charts for 2023 with 27 minivans delivered to match the previous year’s results. This model was axed in 2020 from the Windsor plant in Ontario, Canada.
As for dead Italian sports cars, Alfa Romeo sold a 4C last year when Fiat shipped 28 124 Spider convertibles. Notable mentions include the Fiat 500L with seven minivans and the tiny 500 with 16 hatchbacks.
