July 2017: FCA US LLC

[William Maley]

FCA US Reports July 2017 Sales

• Jeep® Compass, Chrysler Pacifica and Ram ProMaster City each post their best July sales ever
• Jeep Grand Cherokee records best July sales since 2005
• Chrysler 300 logs double-digit percentage increase in July

August 1, 2017 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC today reported sales of 161,477 units, a 10 percent decrease compared with sales in July 2016 (180,389 units).
 
In July, retail sales of 145,391 units were down 6 percent compared with the same month in 2016 and represented 90 percent of total sales. In line with FCA’s strategy to reduce sales to the daily rental segment, fleet sales of 16,086 units were down, as expected, 35 percent year over year. The largest planned volume reduction in July fleet sales came from the Jeep® brand, which reduced its fleet sales number by 82 percent year over year. Fleet sales represented 10 percent of total July sales.
 
Three FCA US vehicles – the Jeep Compass, Chrysler Pacifica minivan and Ram ProMaster City – each posted their best July sales ever. The Jeep Grand Cherokee turned in its best July sales since 2005. Chrysler 300 sedan sales were up 31 percent in July, the largest year-over-year percentage increase of any FCA US vehicle in the month. Dodge Charger sales were up 9 percent in July as well, compared with the same month a year ago.
 
Jeep® Brand
Three Jeep models posted year-over-year increases in July. The Jeep Compass turned in its best July sales ever, while the Jeep Wrangler – the most capable and recognizable vehicle in the world – recorded a slight year-over-year increase in the month. Sales of the Jeep Grand Cherokee – the most-awarded SUV ever – were up 14 percent for its best July sales since 2005. The Wrangler was named best-in-class Entry SUV in Strategic Vision’s annual Total Quality Impact™ (TQI) report in July.
 
Ram Truck Brand
Ram Truck brand sales were up slightly year over year for its best July sales since 2005. In addition, the brand’s retail sales were up 7 percent in July, compared with the same month a year ago. The Ram ProMaster City van posted its best July sales ever. Ram Truck was the industry’s most improved truck brand in the recent J.D. Power 2017 U.S. Initial Quality Study™ (IQS). Ram Truck improved by nearly 25 percent its initial quality score from last year’s study.
 
Dodge Brand
Four Dodge brand vehicles – the Dodge Charger, Dodge Journey, Dodge Durango and Dodge Viper – each posted year-over-year sales increases in July, compared with the same month a year ago. Charger sales were up 9 percent year over year, while the Durango turned in its best July sales since 2011. For the fifth time in seven years, the Dodge Challenger ranked highest among all vehicles in the Midsize Sporty Car segment in J.D. Power’s 2017 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study™.
 
Chrysler Brand
Sales of the all-new Chrysler Pacifica minivan and Chrysler 300 full-size sedan were up year-over-year in July. Sales of the Pacifica – the most-awarded minivan of 2016 and 2017 – increased 5 percent for its best July sales ever. Sales of the 300 increased 31 percent, the largest percentage increase of any FCA US model in July. The Pacifica continues to accumulate awards and accolades in 2017, ranking highest among minivans in its inaugural year in J.D. Power’s 2017 APEAL study. The study measures how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive, based on customer evaluations of 77 vehicle attributes of new 2017 model year vehicles. The Chrysler brand was the industry’s most-improved brand in the APEAL study.
 
FIAT Brand
Sales of the Fiat 500 and Fiat 500X were up in July, compared with the previous month of June. The all-new 2017 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth took the top award in the Small Convertible category at the seventh annual Topless in Miami Presented by Haartz competitive car event hosted by the Southern Automotive Media Association (SAMA).
 
Alfa Romeo Brand
Alfa Romeo brand sales of 1,225 units were up significantly compared with the same month a year ago.

Method of Determining FCA US LLC’s Monthly Sales. FCA US’s reported vehicle sales represent unit sales of vehicles to retail customers, deliveries of vehicles to fleet customers and to others such as FCA US’s employees and retirees as well as vehicles used for marketing. Most of these reported sales reflect retail sales made by dealers out of their own inventory of vehicles previously purchased by them from FCA US.  Reported vehicle units sales do not correspond to FCA US’s reported revenues, which are based on FCA US’s sale and delivery of vehicles, and typically recognized upon shipment to the dealer or end customer. As announced on July 26, 2016, FCA US has modified its methodology for monthly sales reporting as follows:

• Sales to retail customers by dealers in the U.S. are derived from the New Vehicle Delivery Report (“NVDR”) system and are determined as the sum of (A) all sales recorded by dealers during the month net of all unwound transactions recorded to the end of that month (whether the original sale was recorded in the current month or any prior month); plus (B) all sales of vehicles during that month attributable to past unwinds that had previously been reversed in determining monthly sales (in the current or prior months).
• Fleet sales are recorded upon the shipment of the vehicle by FCA US to the customer or end user.
• Other retail sales are recorded either (A) when the sale is recorded in the NVDR system (for sales by dealers in Puerto Rico and limited sales made through distributors that submit NVDRs in the same manner as for sales by U.S. dealers) or (B) upon receipt of a similar delivery notification (for vehicles for which NVDRs are not entered such as vehicles for FCA employees).