Chrysler Group Reports U.S. May Sales Increase of Four Percent
Chrysler Brand Posts May Sales RecordAUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 3 -- Chrysler Group reported U.S. sales of 216,563 units, an increase of four percent compared to last year.
For the second consecutive month, Chrysler Group posted a year-over-year gain, which the automaker attributed to strong retail sales of its Chrysler and Dodge minivans, the new Dodge Ram pickup truck, Chrysler PT Cruiser and Jeep® Liberty.
"May sales were driven by the strength of our products and our dealer body, which aggressively supported our National Minivan Sales Event," said Gary Dilts, Senior Vice President - Sales, DaimlerChrysler Corporation. "The National Minivan Sales Event is helping drive customers into our dealerships, while the seven-year Powertrain Pledge on all Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles demonstrates that Chrysler Group stands behind the quality of its products."
Chrysler Group dealers sold 51,112 minivans in May, up 21 percent compared to last May. It was the strongest minivan sales month so far this year.
"Our minivans surpassed traditional domestic minivans and Honda in the most recent J.D. Power IQS ranking," added Dilts. Dodge and Chrysler minivans jumped 25 percent in initial quality in the J.D. Power study, according to results released late last week.
Chrysler Group sales increased across most key vehicle lines last month. Dodge Ram sales totalled 33,657 units for May, up 19 percent, compared to last May.
"This is the best May sales month for Ram in three years," said Dilts. "The numbers are heavily influenced by strong retail sales, which for light- duty pickups, often serve as a barometer of the national economy overall."
Chrysler PT Cruiser sales in May were 13,727 units, a 33 percent gain over the same month in 2001.
"We're beginning to meet the high demand for this vehicle," said Dilts. "There's always something new in the PT Cruiser world, and with news of the convertible and turbo models on the way, it's clear that this won't be the last time we're talking about strong PT Cruiser sales."
The company's success was spread across all brand lines, with the Chrysler brand posting a 10 percent increase from a year ago, with an all-time May sales record of 51,204 (versus 46,752 in 2001). Jeep brand sales were up seven percent to 36,505 units. Dodge division sales of 128,652 were up five percent, compared to last year.
Other sales highlights include:
- Chrysler Concorde sales of 3,280 units were up 15 percent over a year ago
- Chrysler Sebring sedan sales of 5,650 were up 16 percent over a year ago
- Jeep Grand Cherokee sales of 16,700 units were up eight percent from a year ago
- Jeep Liberty sales of 13,082 units were up one percent over last month
- Dodge Intrepid sales of 13,450 units were up 6 percent compared to last year
Chrysler Group finished the month with 480,830 units of inventory, representing a normal 58-day supply.
Fourteen of 17 Chrysler Group assembly plants are scheduled to work overtime during this second quarter.
DaimlerChrysler Corporation U.S. Sales Summary Thru May 2002
Month Sales DR % Sales CYTD DR %
Model Curr Pr Change Curr Pr Change
Yr Yr Yr Yr
Neon 202 4146 -95% 439 20157 -98%
Breeze 0 0 0% 0 127 -100%
Prowler 0 93 -100% 166 643 -74%
PLYMOUTH CAR 202 4239 -95% 605 20927 -97%
Voyager 0 0 0% 0 340 -100%
PLYMOUTH TRUCK 0 0 0% 0 340 -100%
PLYMOUTH BRAND 202 4239 -95% 605 21267 -97%
Cirrus 0 0 0% 0 371 -100%
Sebring Sedan 5650 4886 16% 27579 23405 18%
Sebring Coupe 944 1503 -37% 4940 7572 -35%
Sebring Convertible 5169 5699 -9% 22733 22415 1%
Concorde 3280 2863 15% 14782 13473 10%
300M 2930 3160 -7% 13513 14890 -9%
LHS 192 1147 -83% 552 5500 -90%
Prowler 144 117 23% 815 298 0%
CHRYSLER CAR 18309 19375 -6% 84914 87924 -3%
PT Cruiser 13727 10323 33% 62526 61812 1%
Voyager 4918 4232 16% 19144 19495 -2%
Town & Country 14250 12822 11% 57321 61854 -7%
CHRYSLER TRUCK 32895 27377 20% 138991 143161 -3%
CHRYSLER BRAND 51204 46752 10% 223905 231085 -3%
Wrangler 6723 8372 -20% 25218 28942 -13%
Cherokee 0 8752 -100% 0 51979 -100%
Liberty 13082 1602 717% 60399 1602 0%
Grand Cherokee 16700 15503 8% 87149 90718 -4%
JEEP BRAND 36505 34229 7% 172766 173241 0%
CP CAR 18511 23614 -22% 85519 108851 -21%
CPJ TRUCK 69400 61606 13% 311757 316742 -2%
CPJ DIVISION 87911 85220 3% 397276 425593 -7%
Neon 12903 13002 -1% 55981 51003 10%
Stratus Sedan 7818 8077 -3% 42069 45399 -7%
Stratus Coupe 1886 2596 -27% 7138 10144 -30%
Avenger 0 0 0% 0 143 -100%
Intrepid 13450 12712 6% 56751 54391 4%
Viper 155 167 -7% 685 652 5%
DODGE CAR 36212 36554 -1% 162624 161732 1%
Dakota 13806 14854 -7% 55917 67118 -17%
Ram P/U 33657 28256 19% 161286 141412 14%
Caravan 31944 25275 26% 118048 110191 7%
Durango 8799 10250 -14% 44846 54915 -18%
Ram Wagon 1844 3605 -49% 7355 12203 -40%
Ram Van 2390 3473 -31% 11831 18253 -35%
DODGE TRUCK 92440 85713 8% 399283 404092 -1%
DODGE DIVISION 128652 122267 5% 561907 565824 -1%
TOTAL CAR 54723 60168 -9% 248143 270583 -8%
TOTAL TRUCK 161840 147319 10% 711040 720834 -1%
TOTAL CAR & TRUCK 216563 207487 4% 959183 991417 -3%
Total Minivan 51112 42329 21% 194513 191880 1%
Total Sport Utility 45304 44479 2% 217612 228156 -5%
Selling Days 26 26 127 127
