Ram Surge Offsets FCA Sales Slump

​Ram pickup sales gained double-digit ground for the second month in a row and the Dodge brand posted modest growth, offsetting an overall 5% daily-sales decline at FCA US in May.

Ram pickup sales nearly matched an 11.9% jump in April with an 11.5% gain in May, propelling Ram brand deliveries to a 13.4% increase on a daily sales basis, WardsAuto data shows. May had 25 selling days, one more than year-ago.

FCA US sales are down 6.7% through May, with 872,626 deliveries including 191,497 for the month. Cars accounted for just 24,880 sales while light trucks totaled 166,617. Car sales are off 25.6% for the year, while light trucks have dipped 2.8%

The Dodge brand was a bright spot, chipping in a 4% increase fueled by skyrocketing sales of the budget-priced Caravan (+51.5%) and gains by Journey (+18.4%) and Durango (+14.2%). Dodge noted Challenger also posted a 2% volume increase.

The Jeep brand dipped for the second month in a row, down 18.2% in May following a 13.3% decline in April. Only the Grand Cherokee saw an increase (+9.3%), while the Wrangler (-2.2%), Renegade (-18.3%), Cherokee (-26.8%), Compass (-45.8%) and Patriot (-54.5%) all lost ground.

The Chrysler brand declined 5.7%, with all but the recently redesigned Pacifica minivan seeing deliveries dropping. FCA has sold 47,199 Pacificas through May, nearly identical to the volume of the minivan it replaced, the Town & Country, at the same point last year.

Sales of the all-new Alfa Romeo Giulia showed strength in May with 883 deliveries, bringing the model’s year-to-date total to 2,483. The Fiat brand declined 19.1% with sales off across the lineup; the all-new Mazda MX-5-based 124 Spider sports car accounted for 564 deliveries in May, bringing its year-to-date total to 1,990.

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