Monthly sales of the Dodge Dart continued to slip in June as demand for the new compact, now a little over a year old, cools amid an otherwise healthy month for the Chrysler-Fiat group.
The Dart posted 6,437 deliveries in June, down from 7,448 in May and the all-time high of 8,091 in March.
This month, the Dart GT, with a new, 2.4L Multi-Air engine and a sport-tuned suspension, heads into production.
Chrysler posted its best June since 2007, with sales up 12.6% from year-ago to 156,133 units, led by the Jeep and Dodge brands. The auto maker delivered 904,323 vehicles for the year’s first half, up 9.2% from like-2012.
There were 26 selling days in June compared with 27 year-ago.
Jeep sales rose 4% compared with year-ago, but were down 5% year-to-date. The brand delivered 44,609 units in the month, led by the Grand Cherokee (16,626) and Wrangler (16,165). Chrysler says both the Compass (5,034) and Patriot (6,690) marked June sales records.
Ram delivered 30,382 units in June, up 29.8% from prior-year. Sales jumped 24.9% in the first half compared with like-2012.
Dodge delivered 49,843 vehicles in the month, with car sales up 30.3% from year-ago and light trucks up 2.1%. The Grand Caravan minivan was the best-selling Dodge vehicle for the month with 10,225 units, although results were down 13.8% for the first six months.
The Chrysler Town & Country was the best-selling of the twin minivans in June, squeaking past the Grand Caravan with 10,609 units.
The Chrysler brand delivered a total 27,249 vehicles in the month, boosted by demand for the 200 sedan. With 75,015 deliveries so far this year, the 200 is the Chrysler group’s best-selling car, and ranks third among other models behind the Grand Cherokee and Wrangler.
For the first time since its North American reintroduction, Fiat claimed sales of a second model alongside its 500 subcompact, which saw deliveries fall 8.9% in June. The 500L, which made its debut in the month, delivered 541 units.
Overall, the Fiat brand sold 4,050 vehicles in June, up 5.0% from year-ago.
The nascent SRT performance brand delivered 97 Viper coupes in June, up from 65 in May.
