Stellantis sales in the United States were down in the third quarter of this year compared with last, but the 6% decline was better than in previous quarters this year.
The drop in vehicle sales from 410,918 in the third quarter of 2021 to 385,665 in the same period in 2022 was the fifth straight quarterly decline as the industry continues dealing with supply-side issues, including the chip shortage that has limited production in some cases.
“Our dealers are making every effort to deliver upon each and every customer’s needs while we continue to deal with challenging industry supply constraints,” U.S. Head of Sales Jeff Kommor said in a news release. “We also saw orders open up for the all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe this August, adding another 4xe nameplate to Jeep brand with the Wrangler 4xe here in the U.S., and the Dodge and Chrysler brands each saw strong third quarters as we head into the final sales season of the year.”
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The numbers for Dodge and Chrysler were up, 22% and 39%, respectively, while other Stellantis brands were down.
Jeep dropped 18%, Ram fell 4%, Alfa Romeo was down 24% and Fiat was down almost half compared with the same quarter a year ago, selling only 208 vehicles.
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The company did not provide numbers for Maserati, the only other Stellantis brand sold in the United States.
Jeep’s performance, although down overall, provides some positive news for the company’s electrification push. The plug-in Wrangler 4xe is the best-selling hybrid vehicle in the United States, according to the company, noting that it represented 28% of total Wrangler sales. The brand has announced plans for fully electric offerings in coming years. with vehicles such as the Jeep Recon and Wagoneer S slated for production in 2024.
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Dodge’s solid performance came during a quarter of big announcements, including the unveiling of the Dodge Hornet, the brand’s first electrified vehicle; the offering of final special editions of the gas-powered Charger and Challenger; and the reveal of the electric Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept.
Chrysler also unveiled a special edition 2023 Chrysler 300C in connection with this year’s Detroit auto show as the company prepares to end production of current versions of the 300 as well as the Charger and Challenger, which are all produced at the Brampton Assembly Plant near Toronto. Reservations for the limited edition 300C, which will be available in the spring, sold out in 12 hours.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence. Become a subscriber.