Chrysler Maintains Sales Momentum in July

Chrysler sold 125,255 light vehicles in July, marking its best volume for the month since 2007.

The performance was expected to increase the auto maker’s market share for July and pushed overall sales for the first seven months of the year to 27.6% ahead of year-ago, WardsAuto data shows.

Interest in the Dodge Dart continued, as 772 customers took deliveries of the compact sedan in July, up from 202 in its first sales month of June. The Jeep Patriot (5,870 units), Jeep Compass (4,099) and Dodge Journey (7,051) all saw gains.

Strong sales of the Fiat 500 Cabrio were not enough to overcome a decline in overall deliveries of the Italian brand, from 4,004 units in June to 3,710.

Chrysler’s only model to see a decrease in June, the Dodge Durango SUV, suffered another decline, dropping 44.7% to 2,736 units on a daily rate basis.

Several vehicles key to the auto maker’s comeback saw notable year-to-date increases from like-2011. The Chrysler 200 and 300 and Dodge Caravan each posted triple-digit gains, while deliveries of the Jeep Grand Cherokee climbed 35.7%.

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