Chrysler sales up 20% on strong sedan volume
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Sales of the Jeep Grand Cherokee were up 39 percent in June to 12,506 units. |
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DETROIT — Chrysler Group rode strong sedan sales to a 20 percent gain in June, recording 144,811 sales for the month.
The Chrysler 300 had its best June in five years, with sales nearly tripling compared with June 2011 to 6,971 units, while sales of the smaller Chrysler 200 sedan rose 51 percent to 10,871 units. Dodge Avenger sales jumped 68 percent to 9,404 units.
Light trucks also posted gains. The Ram pickup line rose 12 percent to 23,951 units, its 26th consecutive month of year-over-year gains.
The Ram 1500 pickup will be re-engineered for the 2013 model year with a new powertrain and other features that Chrysler says will give it "best in class" fuel economy when it debuts this fall.
The Jeep Wrangler narrowly broke the all-time monthly sales record it had set the month before with sales of 14,461 units, up 28 percent from June 2011. Sales this June were seven units higher than its record sales in May.
Sales of the Jeep Grand Cherokee were up 39 percent in June to 12,506 units.
Sales of the group's smallest car, the Fiat 500 subcompact, more than doubled June 2011 levels. The subcompact was launched in March 2011 in the United States; Fiat has already sold more units in 2012 than it did in all of 2011.
June was the automaker's 27th consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains. Only three continuing models, the Jeep Compass and Patriot and the Dodge Durango, recorded sales declines for the month.
In the first half, Chrysler Group sold 834,068 units, up 30 percent from the 639,932 units sold during the first six months of 2011.
"We had a very good month. Chrysler is cooking," said Bob Maly, sales manager at Don Miller Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-Ram in Madison, Wis.
The dealership sold 82 new vehicles last month, Maly said, including several conquest deals from German and Japanese automakers with Grand Cherokees and minivans.
Said Maly: "It's a wonderful business to be in again. I hope it lasts another eight or 10 years."
You can reach Larry P. Vellequette at lvellequette@crain.com.
