Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That's five whole years of nowhere but up. Furthermore, FCA and Toyota were the only high-volume automakers with year-over-year sales increases. A few highlights:
1. Despite a slight decline in year-over-year sales (-2.2%), the Ram was only 3,598 behind the Chevrolet Silverado.
2. The Dodge Challenger outsold the Chevrolet Camaro by 154.
3. The Chrysler 200 (19,190) was the fifth-best-selling midsize car, behind only the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima.
4. Year-over-year sales increased despite a phase-out of the Dodge Avenger (-97.9%), and steep declines by the Dodge Caravan (-57.9%) and Chrysler Town & Country (-58.5%).
5. Possibly as a result of the Avenger phase-out, the Dodge Dart is selling much better (+56.0%).
Not a bad month for FCA, and not a bad milestone to reach either.
Fiat has done a LOT to improve the product offerings. In particular, the have come a LONG way in their interior quality, fit and finish. Their UConnect software is rated as one of the industry's best too. They also finally seem to be hitting the right buttons with consumers, with a number of strong sellers.
The Avenger is no real loss from the lineup. It probably has helped Dart sales some, but I am sure it also has helped the 200 sell at higher volumes than the previous Sebring (200) and Avenger sold seperately too.
Many of Chrysler's newer vehicles have been good. The 200, for instance, is quite impressive. Honestly, it surpasses the Malibu in my opinion, which is a pretty good car itself. And, of course, the Charger is really nice and the trucks are good too. I think the Challenger is the best looking of the 2015 muscle cars. That said, the lineup is still hit and miss, but is a lot better than it used to be. That said, the Dart is a commercial failure and a failure as a vehicle.
Dart has only sold 49,055 units first half of 2015 (Jan-June), per Good Car Bad Car. If it sells the same number of units second half, it will have only sold 98,110 units. In 2013, it sold 83,388 and in 2014, it sold 83,858. Hopefully it never breaks 100,000. The 2016 small cars that are redesigned, including the Cruze, will hopefully make life hard for the Dart. Even BMW's 3 Series, which is in the much smaller luxury car segment, outsells the Dart. The Subaru Impreza sells roughly neck and neck with the Dart. Subaru is a much smaller, more niche car company. Dodge is a mainstream brand that competes with Chevy and Ford, as well as Toyota, Honda, Nissan etc.
Cruze is selling near 250,000 units every year, and Focus is pulling in similar, albeit very slightly lower numbers still in the 225,000 range. Civic and Corolla sell over 300,000 units every year. In fact, the Civic and Corolla each sell more than triple the Dart. Elantra, Cruze, Focus, and Sentra each sell more than double the Dart. The VW Jetta, Mazda 3, and even the Kia Soul outsell the Dart. The Forte sells worse but unlike Dodge, Kia has two small cars. The Forte and Soul put together sell more than double the Dart. The only small cars that sell worse than the Dart are niche models or from smaller companies. The VW Golf, for instance, is a wagon. Wagons don't sell nearly as well as sedans in the US. But even so, the Golf's star is rising rapidly and it will probably outsell the Dart in the next year or two. I hope so. It's a dang good car.
Even Dodge's own Charger, which is a MUCH better car than the Dart, outsells the Dart, and large cars are a smaller market than small cars. In most companies it's reversed. For instance, Toyota sells about 7 Corollas for every Avalon they sell. Not to mention that over 2 Chrysler 200s are sold for each Dart. Midsize and small are about equal markets, and yet the 200 can compete with Accord, Camry, and Altima on sales.
I think the biggest thing that would help Chrysler at this stage is to actually make a small car that is not junk. They got the midsize, large, muscle, and truck markets down.
This is a good thing for Chysler/Fiat. The awd turbo 200 on the other hand is over $40k, in $40-45 range I noticed at the auto show this year. This is not a $40k car, that range is 3 series and even starting e class Mercedes. Anyone buying the top 200 needs to have their head examined.
Probably significantly less than you think, given that FCA just beat Ford in retail sales last month. In fact, only 23% of FCA's sales were to fleets last month, compared to 35% of Ford's.
It's funny the way 63 consecutive months of sales increases by Chrysler are making people squirm and deny. Maybe people just have to accept the fact that Chrysler's product portfolio has become quite compelling, and that it's not 2007 anymore.
It's funny the way 63 consecutive months of sales increases by Chrysler are making people squirm and deny. Maybe people just have to accept the fact that Chrysler's product portfolio has become quite compelling, and that it's not 2007 anymore.
Naa, it's much more fun to badmouth them because it's the cool thing to do, even if you have no current experience and haven't driven one in 20 years. Or maybe the 4th cousin once removed of your second husband had one in the 80's that he had a problem with
I had a 200 as a rental for a month or so, and I have to say, it was a really well put together vehicle. I went in expecting the worst, and aside from a little bit more engine noise than I would like, it was a great ride. Put together well, handled well, good acceleration. None of the slapdash garbage I had come to expect in a CJD sedan.
I'll never go back to Chrysler (2010 Grand Jeep Cherokee w/HEMI loaded out was my one and only foray into the dismal pit of shoddy products that is Chrysler, IMO/IME). I hate them like my Grandpa hated Japanese cars. However, I do wish them the best, as their success would be helpful to the economy, and with a better economy, everyone wins.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
