Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA US) has released their sales numbers for the month of May and there is some exciting news. During the month, FCA US broke three sales records, which include, the Ram Truck brand having its 12th consecutive monthly sales record, the Jeep® Grand Cherokee had its best May sales ever, and the Dodge Charger had its best May sales in six years.
The overall total sales rose 2% over May of 2018 sales, with a total of 218,702 vehicles sold in the United States. Fleet sales represented about 31% of the total sales during the month. According to FCA US, 22% of the total of vehicles sold during the year thus far, have been fleet sales.
“On a year-over-year basis we have increased our average transaction prices by more than $3,000 a vehicle and still managed some notable sales increases,” said Reid Bigland, U.S. Head of Sales. “In its first full month on sale, our all-new Jeep Gladiator pickup truck delivered more than 2,500 vehicle sales, our Ram pickup truck sales soared 33% and the Jeep Grand Cherokee delivered its best May sales ever.”
Jeep Brand:
Jeep brand sales were down 7% over May 2018, with 90,326 vehicles sold during the month. The brand is still the highest volume brand in the FCA US portfolio, however sales overall for the year are down 7% compared to the same time last year.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee led the way for the brand with a total of 25,394 of the midsize SUV sold during the month of May, up 18% over last May. The legendary Jeep Wrangler was not too far behind with 24,530 vehicles sold. Jeep Cherokee sales were down 27% over May 2018 but still came in as third best selling Jeep nameplate with 17,283 units sold.
Jeep Compass sales were also down 16% over the same time last year, with 14,534 units sold. While 6,001 of the compact Renegade SUVs were sold. With the all-new Gladiator finally reaching dealers, 2,584 units of the new Jeep truck left dealer lots.
Ram Brand:
FCA US’ second biggest brand, had a phenomenal month, with a total sales of 67,117 units sold. That was up 29% over May of 2018, and continues the brand’s success with 24% more sales for the year, compared to the same time last year.
The Ram Pickup lineup led the way for the brand with 62,250 units leaving dealer lots. That is up 33% over the same time period last year. The Ram ProMaster van was the second best-selling nameplate, which was down 11% over last May’s numbers, with 3,651 units leaving dealer lots. The Ram ProMaster van is still having a solid year, with 55% better sales for the year compared to the same time year. The Ram ProMaster City also had a great month, up 20% with 1,216 of the compact vans finding new homes.
Chrysler Brand:
The Chrysler brand has been struggling throughout the 2019 calendar year. While the overall year-to-year sales are down 31% so far this year, the brand also had a 26% decrease in sales this past month compared to May 2018, with a total sales of 10,903 of the mainstream brand.
The Chrysler Pacifica minivan led the way for the brand with 8,232 units sold during the month of May. Those numbers were down 26% over the same time period last year. The Chrysler 300 Series sedans sold 2,665 units during the month, down 24% over the previous May. The brand also had 6 left-over Chrysler 200 Series sedans, leave dealer lots during the month.
Dodge Brand:
The third biggest brand in the FCA US portfolio is the performance-oriented Dodge brand. The brand was up 3% over the previous May, with a total of 47,759 units sold during the month.
Despite being a performance-oriented brand, Dodge’s best-selling nameplate again this month was the Grand Caravan with 16,809 units sold. That was up 9% over the same time period last year. The Dodge Charger was the second best-selling nameplate with 9,296 units sold, up 35% over last May.
The Dodge Durango had a solid month, with a total of 8,263 vehicles leaving dealer showrooms, up 33% over May 2018. Dodge’s budget based Journey crossover wasn’t far behind with 7,642 units sold, down 30% over the same time period last year. The two-door Challenger was also down 18% over it’s May 2018 numbers, with 5,748 leaving lots.
There was 1 new left-over Dodge Avenger sedan (last in production in 2014), sold during the month as well.
Fiat Brand:
The Fiat brand continues its downward spiral as the entry-level brand was down 29% over the same time period last May. The brand managed to sell 1,025 vehicles during the month. Overall sales thus far in 2019, are down 39% over the same time period last year.
The Fiat 124 Spider was the best-selling nameplate for the brand, with 349 units sold. Those numbers were down 18% over the same time frame last year. The brand’s halo vehicle, the 500 was not far behind with 335 units of the city car leaving dealer lots. The all-new Fiat 500X crossover continues to struggle upon its recent launch with 272 units being sold during the month. The Fiat 500L was down 63% with a total of 69 units sold during the month.
Alfa Romeo Brand:
The luxury-performance brand of Alfa Romeo had a far from an acceptable month in the United States. Only 1,572 units were sold for the entire brand, during the month of May. That was down 34% over the same time last year.
Leading the way for the brand was the Giulia sedan, with 797 units leaving dealers during the month, down 32%. Not too far behind was the Stelvio crossover, with 761 units leaving lots, down 36%. The sporty mid-engined Alfa 4C sold 14 units during the month of May.
