Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Canada has released their official sales numbers for March 2019. The company stated that 21,684 vehicles were sold during the month.
“Our dealers are excited to welcome the new Ram Heavy Duty on the heels of a month where the outgoing model saw sales rise nine percent,” said FCA Canada President and CEO Reid Bigland. “Zooming out, Ram 1500 remains the second highest-selling vehicle in the country and anticipation for the 2020 Jeep® Gladiator midsize pickup truck could not be higher.”
Jeep Brand:
The Jeep brand sold 6,798 vehicles during the month of March. However, that was down 20 percent over the same time period last year. The Jeep Wrangler lead the way for the brand with a total of 2,568, down 33 percent over last March. Grand Cherokee was the second most popular nameplate for the brand with 1,933 units sold during the month, up 45 percent over the previous March. The mid-size Cherokee sold 1,345 units for the month, while the Jeep Compass sold 882 units. The compact Jeep Renegade had 70 units leave dealership lots as well.
The Jeep brand is struggling this year, with a 22 percent decline in year-to-date (YTD) sales over the same time period last year.
Chrysler Brand:
The Chrysler brand showed no increase in sales over the previous March, with 1,042 (only three more units than March 2018). The Chrysler 300 lead the way for the brand selling 738 units of the large four-door sedan. It made the 300 have a 382 percent increase over the same time the previous year. The Chrysler Pacifica however, continues its struggle downward. The flagship minivan was down 66 percent over the same time last year with only 304 leaving dealer lots.
The Chrysler 300 continues to show its presence in the marketplace, however, the updated Chrysler Pacifica can’t come soon enough.
Dodge Brand:
The mainstream performance brand, had an 11 percent growth over the same time last year, with 5,817 units being sold during the month of March. The Dodge Grand Caravan led the way for the brand with well over 50 percent of the brand’s sales, with a total of 3,370 units sold. The Dodge Charger was the second best selling vehicle for the brand, with 1,021. That was an increase of 67 percent, over the previous March. Dealers sold 957 Durango models during the month, while the Journey sales dropped 60 percent compared to last year with only 271 units sold. Challenger sales were up 17 percent with 198 units sold during the months.
Dodge Grand Caravan continues to show its dominance in the FCA Canada lineup, by being the second best selling nameplate.
Ram Brand:
Ram sales dropped 16 percent over the previous March, with 7,920 units sold. The Ram Pickup lineup lead the way, with 7,230 units sold. That was down 19% over the previous year. The full-size Ram ProMaster van had an increase of 28 percent in sales, with 592 units leaving dealer showrooms. The Ram ProMaster City also had a great month, with 98 units sold (an increase of 345 percent over the same time last year).
Alfa Romeo Brand:
With 67 units sold during the month, FCA Canada’s premium performance brand sales were down 56 percent compared to March 2018. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio led the way for the brand, with 40 units sold. During the month 22 Alfa Romeo Giulia sedans left showrooms and the mid-engine Alfa 4C sold 5 units.
FIAT Brand:
The Italian mainstream brand continued its decline during the month of March. Sales were down 44 percent with only 44 units sold for the brand. The sporty Fiat 124 Spider has more than half the sales for the brand during the month, with 21 roadsters sold. The small 500 city car sold 16 units, down 62 percent. The 500X crossover only had 3 units leave dealer lots, with the 500L crossover has no units sold.
With the new 2019 Fiat 500X crossover, Fiat Canada is hoping that the new turbocharged crossover will help push sales in a market dominated by crossovers.
