Chrysler Posts Best April in Six Years
Most Chrysler models recorded positive results, but sales of the 300 sedan have been declining for most of the year.
Deliveries of the Chrysler 300 large sedan slumped for a third consecutive month in April, a blemish on an otherwise healthy sales month for Chrysler Group.
WardsAuto data shows Chrysler delivered 155,582 light vehicles, which the auto maker says is its best April performance in six years.
Sales of the Chrysler 300 and 200 were down 49% and 10%, respectively, from year-ago. The 300 was delivered to 4,120 customers, making April the sedan’s worst sales month so far this year.
By comparison, 300 sales totaled 5,686 units in March, 5,023 in February and 5,325 in January. Only January showed an increase from like-2012, up a modest 3.1%. While a successor to the 200 is coming next year, a replacement or refresh of the 300 has not been announced.
The Chrysler Town & Country minivan outperformed its Dodge Caravan counterpart in April amid the auto maker’s preparations to axe one of the models. The Town & Country delivered 11,224 units, up less than 1% from last year, while the Caravan was down to 9,783 from prior-year.
Overall, the Chrysler brand delivered 27,836 vehicles last month.
The Dodge brand, now under new leadership with former Fiat North America CEO Tim Kuniskis leading the charge, sold 53,353 vehicles in April, led by 10,698 Avenger sedans. The closely watched Dart compact car had its best-ever month with 8,099 deliveries, although that was only eight more units than the previous record set in March.
The Ram brand, now led by former Dodge-brand chief Reid Bigland, delivered 31,008 pickups and cargo vans in April, up 41.8% from like-2012.
Chrysler sold 39,426 Jeeps in April, led by 15,003 deliveries of the new-for-’14 Grand Cherokee. The Wrangler continued to perform strongly for the brand with 13,445 units, making it the auto maker’s second best-selling, non-pickup vehicle.
Fiat’s U.S. sales slipped 2.8% from April 2012 as 3,899 customers took ownership of the 500 compact. An electrified version of the 500 is in California dealerships now and a longer-wheelbase 500L arrives in the coming months.
The nascent SRT performance brand delivered 60 Viper supercars in April, up from three in March.
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