Jeep, Ram Drive FCA to 10.3% July Sales Gain

FCA US’s Jeep and Ram brands posted their best-ever July results and the automaker reported selling 169,641 light vehicles last month, up 10.3% on a daily basis from year-ago’s 160,233, according to Wards Intelligence.

There were 24 selling days in July compared with 25 a year earlier. FCA logged a daily selling rate of 7,068 units, up from 6,409 year-ago. Its 12.3% market share was up from 11.4% in like-2017.

Jeep deliveries soared 20% last month for a seventh consecutive monthly year-over-year gain, paced by record July sales of the Cherokee (+78.1%), Compass (+70.2%) and Wrangler (+18.7%). Those gains offset losses by the discontinued Patriot and single-digit declines by the Grand Cherokee and Renegade.

Through the first seven months of the year, fully redesigned Compass and Cherokee sales were up 200% and 43.7%, respectively, on a DSR basis.

Ram daily deliveries improved 6.3% in July. Ram pickup sales rose 5.5% to 38,947 units while ProMaster van deliveries rose 29.6% to 3,776, countering a 21.7% slide by the lower-volume ProMaster City.

Chrysler’s result fell 9.0% last month as the fullsize 300 sedan backslid 5.2% on 2,813 deliveries, with the Pacifica minivan’s 10.3% gain on 8,775 sales unable to push the brand into positive territory.

Dodge-brand daily sales inched up 3.7%, with the best performance turned in by the veteran Journey CUV (+27.8%). It was the Journey’s best July result since 2015 while the Charger, up 10.3% on 5,743 deliveries, had its best July on record.

Alfa Romeo sold 1,140 units of the Stelvio CUV, which was trickling into showrooms last summer.

Fiat brand sales dropped 42.4% last month and were down 43.7% through seven months.

FCA sales from January through July totaled 1,277,505 units, up 4.8% from prior-year, Wards Intelligence data shows.