Chrysler March 2013 US Sales: Group Sees Biggest Monthly Rise Since December 2007; Chrysler 200 Sales Up 11%

Chrysler LLC, a subsidiary of Italian company Fiat SpA (Milan:F), said on Tuesday that it sold 171,606 vehicles in the U.S. in March, a 5 percent year-over-year increase, led by robust sales of its ever-popular Ram Truck and Fiat models. Overall March sales for the company were the highest monthly gain since December 2007.

“Chrysler Group has now achieved year-over-year sales gains in every month for the past three years,” said Reid Bigland, head of U.S. sales for the Auburn Hills, Mich.-based maker of the Dodge and Jeep brands.

Top-selling models for March include the Chrysler 200 entry-level luxury mid-sized sedan, which saw an 11 percent rise in year-over-year monthly sales, the Jeep Wrangler, which sold nearly 13,000 units last month, and the Dodge Avenger sedan, which saw sales rise by a third to 12,439 units. Sales of the company’s most popular vehicle, the Ram pickup truck, rose 25 percent to 33,831 units.

Here’s how Chrysler fared in the first quarter of the year:

Total unit sales for the first quarter of 2013: 428,352
Total unit sales for the first quarter of 2012: 398,051
Percentage change: up 7.6 percent.

March 2013 total sales: 171,606
March 2012 total sales: 163,381
Year-over-year increase: 8,225, or 5 percent.

BEST SELLERS: Ram Pickup (33,831), Chrysler 200 (16,593) and Jeep Wrangler (12,901)
WORST SELLERS*: Jeep Liberty (1,408), Fiat 500 (3,807) and Jeep Compass (5,111)

February 2013 - 139,015
February 2012 - 133,521
Year-over-year increase: 5,494, or 4.1 percent.

BEST SELLERS: Ram Pickup (23,289), Fiat 200 (11,446) and Jeep Caravan (10,415)
WORST SELLERS*: Liberty (1,529), Fiat 500 (3,302) and Compass (3,776)

January 2013 – 117,731
January 2012 - 101,149
Year-over-year increase: 16,582, or 16.4 percent

BEST SELLERS: Ram Pickup (20,474), Grand Cherokee (11,065) and Avenger (9,628)
WORST SELLERS*: Liberty (2,035), Fiat 500 (2,503) and Compass (3,116)

* “Worst Sellers” does not include model unit sales below 1,000 to exclude most models nearing the completion of their discontinued phases, exotic marques and vehicles more likely used for commercial purposes, such as cargo vans.