Chrysler May 2013 US Sales: Sales Rise 11%; Dodge Ram Pickup Sales Up 22%; Chrysler 300 Lux Sedan Loses Ground; Dodge Dart Outsells The Charger

Chrysler Group LLC, a subsidiary of Italian company Fiat SpA (Milan:F), said Monday it sold 166,596 vehicles in the U.S. in May, an 11 percent year-over-year increase and a 6.3 percent rise from April, led by a significant rises in sales of the Dodge Ram pickup, the Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The sales numbers beat the forecast by leading auto intelligence providers TrueCar.com, Edmunds.com and Kelley Blue Book.

The Chrysler brand saw a 2 percent year-over-year drop in May, with a significant decline in sales of the 300 luxury sedan, a likely effect of General Motors’ new Cadillac XTS gaining in the market for U.S. luxury sedans. Jeep gained 1 percent, while Dodge brand sales increased 23 percent largely due to rises in the Charger sedan and the Durango SUV.

“Our best May sales in six years enabled us to extend our sales streak to 38 consecutive months of year-over-year sales gains,” said Reid Bigland, head of U.S. sales for the Auburn Hills, Mich., auto maker.

Sales of the Jeep Compass compact crossover SUV leaped 42 percent to 5,276 units last month, while eight models broke records for May sales, including the Fiat 500 and the Ram pickup.

The highly anticipated reintroduced Dodge Dart out-sold the Challenger muscle car with 7,448 units last month. Chrysler has sold 751,646 units in the first five months of the year.