DETROIT — Sales for FCA US fell 10 percent in the third quarter to 507,351, but the automaker reported some promising signs in the retail segment as the industry continues to recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The company said retail sales for the Ram brand, responsible for much of its profits, rose 15 percent in the quarter even as overall sales fell 2.2 percent. FCA US said it was prioritizing dealer deliveries to retail customers for trucks and SUVs.
FCA said it sold 140,265 more vehicles in the third quarter of 2020 than it did in the second quarter, and officials said they expect sales to remain strong through the end of the year.
Brands: Ram down 2.2%; Jeep down 9.5%; Dodge down 31%; Chrysler up 7.9%; Alfa Romeo up 17%; Fiat down 53%.
Notable nameplates: Ram pickups down 3.4%; ProMaster Van up 9.7%; Pacifica up 32%; Jeep Wrangler down 8.4%; Gladiator up 37%; Cherokee down 21%; Grand Cherokee down 8.6%; Dodge Challenger down 9.4%; Charger down 9.6%.
Incentives: $5,172 per vehicle, up 5.6% from a year earlier, ALG says.
Average transaction price: $43,011, up 6.8% from a year earlier, according to ALG.
Quote: “The results reflect the hard work our dealers have done throughout the third quarter as they worked through the COVID-19 restrictions while still improving our sales over the prior months,” Jeff Kommor, U.S. head of sales, said in a statement. “Jeep and Ram are hot and we continue to prioritize deliveries to our dealers who are asking us to ship as many vehicles as we can build.”
Did you know? The company expects to launch the Ram TRX off-road variant and the Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid by the end of the year.
