Sales Only Down a Slight 1% For FCA in May Thanks to a Growing Demand for Larger Vehicles
Trucks and minivans make May a somewhat more successful month for FCA, while Jeep maintains its steady decline
The Pacifica helped lead the charge toward improving sales figures for Chrysler
So far this year, sales haven’t really been the best for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. However, the month of May seemed to signal a change of fortune beginning to form for the company.
While overall sales were still down for FCA last month, they were only down 1%.
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A consumer base that is growing more fond of larger trucks may be a major factor in improved sales. After all, Ram sales were up a whole 18% when compared to last May.
51,044 Ram vehicles were sold last month, compared to the 43,183 Ram models sold in May of 2016. With 2017,370 Ram pickup trucks sold so far this year, Ram is right on the heels of overtaking the Chevy Silverado as the second-highest selling vehicle in the American auto industry.
Another vehicle with a steadily-rising popularity behind it is the newly-introduced Alfa Romeo Giulia. 883 Giulia models were sold last month, adding increased sales figures to the luxury brand as the other model in the brand’s American lineup, the Alfa 4C, continues to decline in popularity.
883 may not seem like a lot, but it’s a major improvement for U.S. Alfa Romeo sales
Dodge also made significant sales gains in May. Sales were up 8% for the brand, with a sales total of 44,922 units.
For the month of May, consumers flocked to the Dodge Grand Caravan, which experienced a sales increase of 58% when compared to May of last year. Meanwhile, the Dodge Journey continued its steady sales climb this year with a 23% increase in sales last month, adding to its 44% sales increase for this year so far.
May minivan sales helped improve the health of FCA’s profits
Even the Chrysler Brand managed to deliver better sales figures in May. While sales may have still been down 2% for Chrysler in May, this is far better than sales decreases it has experienced so far this year.
These sales improvements can be primarily attributed to the complete suite of Chrysler Pacifica models finally entering the market, with the release of an advanced hybrid model for the brand. Nevertheless, the minivan’s release could not erase the Chrysler brand’s year-to-date sales decrease of 23%.
The monthly narrative in May wasn’t quite so optimistic for the Jeep brand
Unfortunately for FCA, its best-selling brand, Jeep, is still underperforming in 2017. Jeep sales were down 15% last month, with sold units totaling 75,516 compared to the 88,571 Jeep vehicles sold last May.
A primary source of these disappointing sales is the Jeep Compass. While the Compass managed to avoid being the lowest-selling Jeep model in the lineup during the month of May, a title reserved for the Jeep Patriot, its sales were still down 43% last month, and those sales remain down 58% so far this year.
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Overall, year-to-date Jeep sales are still down 13%. As for the entire FCA brand, 2017 year-to-date sales have maintained a steady 7% decrease, with 880,014 vehicle sales in the U.S. so far this year.
The chart below illustrates FCA’s sales performance last month:
FCA May 2017 Sales
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