Thursday, March 14, 2013

Behold: The Hyundai ... er ... Dodge Atos

Dodge Atos from Mexico

Last year, my Uncle Tom, who lives down in Mexico for part of the year, asked me if I was familiar with the Dodge Atos. I said that I'd never heard of it. He said next time he sees one in Mexico, he'll snap some photos. Well, low-and-behold, here's the Atos.

It turns out the Dodge Atos was actually made by Hyundai. It was even sold through Dodge dealers wearing Hyundai badging, but still called a Dodge. The Atos was replaced by the Dodge i10 in 2013, which is, as you guessed, a Hyundai i10 sold through Mexican Dodge dealers. Yes, it also still wears Hyundai emblems.

People getting into a Dodge Atos in Mexico
Back to the Atos. It was powered by a 1.0-liter four cylinder making about 54 horsepower. Keep in mind, the curb weight is just 1,867 lbs. While I'm sure it isn't fast, it doesn't have much weight to haul around. Overall length? A scant 137.6 inches. That's a full 7.1 inches shorter than a Chevrolet Spark. Oh, and if you were wondering, the Atos rides on 155/70/13 tires.

My Uncle says you can find the Atos all over Mexico, and they're also used in taxis in many places. He even has a friend who owns one and drives it from central Mexico up to visit family in the Northeastern part of the U.S. That's a long way to go in an Atos ...

The Atos was inexpensively priced, as you could probably imagine. The last year of the Atos was 2012, and a brand spakin' new one went for $7,863 USD (approximately $97,957 pesos). For that you could get ABS, airbags, air conditioning, and about 37 MPG (U.S. driving standard).

Dodge Atos in Mexico rear

The new Dodge i10, pictured below, looks to be a significant improvement upon the Atos in terms of exterior styling; interior photos I've seen also look to be an upgrade from the Atos. The i10 comes with a new 1.1-liter mill cranking out 66 horsepower, too. i10 Prices, according to Dodge of Mexico start under $10,000 USD ($118,400 pesos).

Dodge i10

Will we see the i10 come north of the border? I'd say it's unlikely, unless Hyundai decides it wants to play in the A-segment here and compete against the Chevy Spark, Smart ForTwo, and Scion iQ. However, don't bank on it. But if you're ever in Mexico, or happen to see a Atos north of the border, just remember: that little Hyundai is a Dodge. Well, kinda.

2 comments:

Foxtrot685 said...

Dodge does the same thing with the Hyundai Accent. Its called the Dodge Attitude. The last gen model did have Dodge emblems, but the current one keeps its Hyundai badges.

Ducati Scotty said...

$7,863? I think that's what my last motorcycle cost. I haven't seen wheels that small looking since the original Mini.