FCA: Jeep, Ram drive another gain as cars collapse

DETROIT -- Continued strong pickup and SUV sales boosted Fiat Chrysler’s sales 6.5 percent in June, despite a collapse in the automaker’s car sales.The automaker said it sold 197,073 vehicles in June, its 75th consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains.Jeep continued to rack up sales records, with four of the six vehicles in its lineup posting their best-ever June sales and the brand up 17 percent. Sales of the Compass more than doubled, while Renegade sales nearly doubled. Only the Cherokee recorded a sales decline, falling 12 percent.Dodge clawed out a 3.1 percent gain on sales of its Grand Caravan minivan, the brand’s top seller, which was up 79 percent, and the Durango SUV, which climbed 38 percent, offsetting losses from its cars.Ram risesRam sales rose 14 percent, mainly on a matching 14 percent gain in sales of the Ram pickup line.Chrysler sales slid 20 percent, despite the new Pacifica minivan outselling the outgoing Town & Country minivan for the first time.Fiat sales fell 19 percent, despite sales of the 500X crossover, which more than tripled.Across its lineup, FCA’s car sales collapsed in June from a year ago, falling a collective 40 percent.Sales of the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart, which FCA is attempting to outsource to another manufacturer, as well as the Fiat 500, all fell by more than 50 percent from a year ago. The Dodge Charger and Challenger, which had been holding steady most of the year, both declined by about 20 percent.81-day supplyOnly the low-volume Alfa Romeo 4C sports car recorded a sales gain, adding 11 units nationwide to post sales of 36 in June.FCA said it finished the month with 613,273 unsold vehicles in inventory, an 81-day supply.

FCA: Jeep, Ram drive another gain as cars collapse

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