Chrysler Group's sales rise 22% in October

It marked the Auburn Hills company's best October since 2001.

DETROIT, MI – Chrysler Group LLC had another strong month in October, with vehicle sales in the U.S. rising 22 percent on an annual basis to 170,480 units.

It marked the Auburn Hills company's best October since 2001.

Similar to September, last month's sales got a boost from the Jeep brand, which saw its sales jump 52 percent year-over-year last month, and making it the best October ever for Jeep. Sales of Jeep easily offset an 8 percent decline for the Dodge brand.

Last month was also the best sales month on record for sales of the Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 200, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Dart vehicles.

Overall, Chrysler Group has now had year-over-year sales gains for 55 straight months.

"Chrysler Group sales increased 22 percent in October, our eighth month of double-digit growth this year and our 55th-consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains," Reid Bigland, head of U.S. sales, said in a statement. "Chrysler Group is the industry's fastest-growing automaker driven in part by sales of our all-new Jeep Cherokee and Chrysler 200 mid-size sedan, and by the strong consumer demand for our award-winning Ram pickup trucks." 

Here's a closer look at each brand's performance in October:

Jeep
As noted, the Jeep brand continued to be strong for the automaker, with sales jumping 52 percent year-over-year in October - the brand's best performance ever for that month. It also marked Jeep's 13th-straight month of year-over-year sales gains.

It's been a good year for the brand, with Jeep setting sales records in each moth of 2014, including an all-time best sales performance in May. 

The Jeep Cherokee, Wrangler and Patriot model SUVs all posted their best October ever. Sales of the Jeep Grand Cherokee were up just 5 percent, but it was the model's best October since 2003.

Ram Truck
The Ram pickup had a sales gain of 33 percent last month, its 54th-straight month of year-over-year sales growth. The Ram Light Duty had a 34 percent rise in sales, and sales of the Ram Heavy Duty trucks were up 33 percent.

Overall Ram Truck brand sales, which include the Ram ProMaster van and Ram Cargo Van, grew 35 percent on an annual basis in October.

Chrysler
Chrysler brand sales rose 17 percent, marking the brand's best October result since 2007. The rise was driven primarily by sales of the Chrysler 200 sedan, which had sales growth of 40 percent. Sales of the Chrysler Town & Country minivan increased 4 percent, while the Chrysler 300 sedan sales improved 9 percent.

Fiat
Sales of the Fiat brand edged up 1 percent year-over-year in October. It was the brand's best October for sales since being introduced in the U.S. in 2011. The improvement was driven by an 18 percent sales increase for the Fiat 500.

Dodge
Dodge brand sales slumped 8 percent in October. Sales were pulled down by the Avenger, Charger, Caravan and Durango, which fell 75 percent, 11 percent, 14 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

By contrast, the Dodge Challenger, Dart and Journey all posted their best October sales ever. Sales of the Dart model were up 28 percent, while Challenger sales grew 27 percent and the Journey mid-size crossover posted a 9 percent rise. Sales of the Viper were up 16 percent.