Chrysler Group posted its December sales, which were the carmaker’s best sales since 2007 when the recession decimated the sale of automobiles. Chrysler’s report said it sold more than 150,000 vehicles under the Fiat, Ram, Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler brand names. That’s a 10 percent increase from one year ago, and it increases the company’s market share to 11.2 percent in the U.S. Last year Chrysler’s U.S. market share was 10.5 percent.
According to USA Today, company executives say the new Dart sedan had a strong showing across its numbers. Sales of the Dart were the best monthly report since the vehicle first became available in June.
Other major vehicles that added to Chrysler’s bottom line were the Jeep Wrangler, Ram Cargo Van, Fiat 500, Dodge Journey and Dodge Challenger. All of those vehicles set a new sales record for December. Also the full-year sales for the Fiat 500 were significantly increased. They rose 121 percent to almost 44,000 units sold, although they still didn’t quite meet Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne’s projection of 50,000 vehicles sold. The 500 is the only model in the Fiat brand that is sold in the U.S. There are a number of variations of the 500 offered.
Four vehicles in the Chrysler saw significant declines in sales. The Jeep Liberty dropped 43 percent, while the Jeep Compass was down 26 percent. Chrysler’s Town and Country minivans lost 4 percent, while the Chrysler 200 sedan lost 1 percent.
Chrysler is the first automaker to report its sales, but we should expect numbers from other automakers today.
