Pickups Strong, But Drops Elsewhere Weaken FCA June U.S. Sales

FCA US sales rose 6.0% in June on a daily rate basis, though all but the Ram truck brand suffered declines, according to Wards Intelligence data.

Light-vehicle volume reached 204,381 units for the month, up 2.1% from like-2018’s 200,277, but this year had one less sales day (26) than last, pushing the automaker’s daily gain even higher.

Jeep demand fell again in June, dipping 8.3% daily on a volume of 76,826. Gladiator sales of 4,231 represented plus business for the brand, but that wasn’t enough to offset double-digit declines for most other models. The lone exception was the Grand Cherokee, which posted a 15.2% rise.

Dodge, which helped propel FCA in May, couldn’t follow up that performance with another gain, as sales fell 13.7%, Wards Intelligence data shows. As with Jeep, most models posted double-digit drops, with Charger (up 41.3%) and Durango (up 7.6%), the only two to buck the trend. Charger volume of 9,034 units was its highest since 2007, FCA says.

The Pacifica’s performance minimized the Chrysler brand’s slide to just 0.3% in June, as daily sales of the minivan rose 14.4%. Demand for the model is off 23.0% year-to-date, however.

Fiat-brand sales plunged 32.1%, with its best performer the 500, suffering a 10.2% drop. The Spider’s 12.7% decline the next best showing. Alfa sales also were sluggish, falling 26.4% for the month and off 26.3% for first-half 2019.

The Ram brand’s 53.5% rise in daily sales was the one really bright spot, as volume reached 73,525, up from year-ago’s 49,742. It’s all about pickups for Ram and FCA overall, with that model jumping 65.9% daily in June and up 29.4% year-to-date.

“For the first-half of 2019, Ram has been on a tear since we made the strategic decision to enter the year with a three-truck strategy. The new Ram 1500, Ram Classic and Heavy Duty are all generating a huge response from customers and critics alike,” says Reid Bigland, head of U.S. sales. “This is now the third month Ram pickup sales have surpassed 60,000 since December. Our dealers had a steady stream of customers all month long.”

Through June, FCA sales were down 1.7% to 1,089,039, compared with 1,107,864 in like-2018.