Chrysler marks 3 years of sales growth; March sales up 5%

The Auburn Hills-based automaker Tuesday sales increased 5 percent last month compared to 2012, marking its 36th-consecutive month of year-over-year gains. The sales milestone tops a previous sales streak of 35-consecutive months that occurred from February 1992 through December 1994.

AUBURN HILLS- Chrysler Group LLC marked its third full-year of sales growth in March.

The Auburn Hills-based automaker Tuesday said sales increased 5 percent last month compared to 2012, marking its 36th-consecutive month of year-over-year gains. The sales milestone tops a previous sales streak of 35-consecutive months that occurred from February 1992 through December 1994.

“With our 5 percent sales increase in March, Chrysler Group has now achieved year-over-year sales gains in every month for the past three years,” said Reid Bigland, Chrysler head of U.S. Sales, in a statement.

Bigland said in spite of inventory restraints last month on some of Chrysler’s most popular models, including Jeep, the company managed to record its strongest monthly sales since December 2007.

Chrysler sold 171,606 cars and trucks in March, helping sales rise 8 percent during the first three months of the year compared with the first quarter of 2012.

The Ram Truck brand’s 24 percent increase was the largest sales gain of any Chrysler brand in March. Sales of the Ram pickup truck were up 25 percent in March, its best sales ever. Both the Light-Duty Ram and Heavy-Duty Ram pickups were substantially refreshed for the 2013 model year. 

March was the pickup truck’s 35th-consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains for Ram. Sales of the Light Duty Ram pickup were up 30 percent in March led by the Quad Cab pickups. Heavy Duty Ram sales were up 28 percent, driven by the Crew Cab model. 

Other vehicles to have all-time sales last month included the Dodge Dart compact car, which had sales top 8,000 units; Dodge Avenger mid-size sedan; Dodge Challenger muscle car and Chrysler 200 mid-size sedan.

Following Ram's increase, the Dodge brand recorded a 15 percent uptick last month compared to March 2012, followed by the Fiat brand up 3 percent, Chrysler down 2 percent and Jeep down 13 percent.

Jeep's sub par performance, according to Chrysler, due to inventory constants due to Jeep Liberty production ending in August and the ongoing product launches and launch preparations for the new 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Jeep Cherokee (the Liberty replacement), and the Jeep Compass and Patriot.

Despite March being Jeep's best sales month so far in 2013, Jeep sales are down 12 percent compared to the same time last year.

Chrysler’s two best-selling vehicles in March remained the same from February, but the Jeep Wrangler jumped from fifth to third and the Grand Cherokee and dodge Avenger jumped back on the list:

Top five Chrysler models by units sold in March (2013 sales):

1. Ram pickup- 33,831 (77,594)

2. Chrysler 200- 16,593 (36,885)

3. Jeep Wrangler- 12,901 (31,846)

4. Jeep Grand Cherokee- 12,629 (33,133)

5. Dodge Avenger- 12,439 (32,047)

Top five Chrysler models by year-over-year sales in March (units sold):

1. Dodge Challenger- 42% (6,132)

2. Dodge Avenger- 33% (12,439)

3. Jeep Compass- 28% (5,111)

4. Ram 1500- 25% (33,831)

5. Dodge Durango- 19% (5,441)

Automotive analyst research firms Edmunds.com and Kelley Blue Book predict sales last month will total about 1.5 million new cars and trucks, marking the best month of sales since 2007.

Edmunds.com expects sales to total 1,478,208 million vehicles, which would mark the biggest single month since 1,555,945 new cars and trucks were sold in May 2007. KBB expects sales to come in at about 1.45 million vehicles sold, which would be the highest monthly sales total since August 2007.

Chrysler is the first of the Detroit Three to report its March sales. General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and non-domestic automakers are scheduled to release their results later today.