FCA US (formerly Chrysler Group) posts its best sales since 2006, wrapping up 2014 with a December gain of 15.1% daily on a light-vehicle volume of 191,272 units.
The December performance was highlighted by a surprising 46.7% jump in Chrysler-brand daily sales (one more day this year than last), driven by a near tripling of 200 deliveries from year-ago to 16,229.
Trucks also continued to deliver for FCA, which saw Ram sales rise 28.9% in December to 46,639 and Jeep deliveries increase 14.2% to 63,274.
Dodge-brand sales continued to be the weak link in the month, declining 6.1%, while Fiat-brand deliveries slipped 2.8% despite a marginal gain in 500L demand.
Unclear is FCA’s retail performance. The automaker does not break out its fleet sales in monthly reporting.
For the year, FCA topped the 2 million mark, as sales reached 2,076,238, up 16.0% from 2013’s 1,789,467, according to WardsAuto data. All brands except Dodge (down 3.7%) gained for the year.
“Last year marked our fifth consecutive year of annual sales growth in the U.S., and once again, we were the fastest-growing automaker in the country,” says Reid Bigland, head of U.S. sales for the automaker.
There were few weak spots among individual models in December, with the outgoing Chrysler 300, down 21.4%, among the exceptions. A refreshed design for ’15 is just hitting the market. The Dodge Charger also slumped in the month, with sales off 20.2%. It awaits a shot in the arm from the high-output Hellcat model due in dealer showrooms this quarter.
