Ram remains the best seller by far at Chrysler Group. Minivans are strong as well.
Chrysler Group LLC today reported U.S. sales of 121,730, a 31% increase compared with sales in March 2010 – Chrysler’s best March since 2008, and the highest sales for any month since May 2008.
Both Chrysler Group car and truck sales posted year-over-year sales gains, led by car sales which increased 46%, the best month for car sales since May 2008 before the financial markets collapsed that fall and Chrysler faced bankruptcy. Overall U.S. auto industry sales were up 17% for the month; 20% for the quarter.
Chrysler is now growing at a slightly greater rate than the industry, and is in the fifth U.S. sales spot calendar year-to-date in a dead heat with Nissan as General Motors continues to lead, followed by Ford, Toyota and Honda.
However, Chrysler’s heavy reliance on truck and SUV sales – 72% remains a concern as fuel prices soar due to unrest in the mid-east.
Nonetheless, truck and SUV sales continued to post year-over-year sales gains, plus 27% in March, in large part from sales of Ram pickup trucks, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, and an all-new 2011 Dodge Durango sport-utility.
First quarter sales of almost 287,000 vehicles were up 23% compared to the same period last year. Retail sales during the first quarter of this year were up 51%.
“Our pickups and sport-utilities have been strong performers in the market, and now we are seeing our cars gaining momentum in the marketplace as well,” said Fred Diaz, President and CEO – Ram Truck Brand and Lead Executive for U.S. Sales.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
