Auburn Hills’ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles finished 2019 with new sales levels for the Ram and Jeep brands. The company’s sales for the year were down 1 percent to 2.2 million vehicles sold and down 2 percent for the fourth quarter to 542,519 vehicles sold. Fleet accounted for 22.7 percent of total sales.
The year included successful launches of the redesigned Ram Heavy Duty pickup trucks and the Jeep Gladiator, which finished the year with 40,047 vehicles sales following its May debut. The Ram brand led the portfolio with record-setting sales of 190,655 for the quarter and 703,023 vehicles for the year, an increase of 18 percent over 2018. It was the highest level of sales since Ram became a standalone brand in 2009.
Jeep Wrangler reported its highest fourth quarter sales of 52,012 vehicles. Grand Cherokee reported a full-year record with sales of 242,969 vehicles.
Dodge Charger saw sales of 25,829 vehicles for the fourth quarter, its best fourth quarter since 2007, and 96,935 vehicles for the year, the best since 2013. Combined, Dodge Charger and Challenger sales in the second half of the year saw a record 84,216 vehicles.
“Our dealers did an outstanding job in 2019, not only with meeting consumer demand, but also handling the introduction of the redesigned Ram Heavy Duty and new Jeep Gladiator,” says Reid Bigland, head of U.S. sales. “We have read the expectations that sales may slow a bit in 2020. However, we believe there is still plenty of demand in the market, and we are ready for a new year.”
