Stellantis didn’t exist at this time last year, but the company formed in January from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot maker PSA Group can still claim a big U.S. sales boost for the second quarter from what it experienced during the depths of the coronavirus downturn, powered in large part by its Ram brand.
The brands the company sells in the United States — Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Maserati — remain unchanged since last year, making a true comparison possible.
The company reported a 32% increase in its U.S. sales for the quarter compared with the same period in 2020. Among the brands, only Fiat had fewer sales than for the comparable period a year ago, when FCA reported a 39% drop in its total U.S. sales from a year earlier as automakers grappled with production shutdowns and consumers faced COVID-19 lockdowns.
The numbers for this year’s second quarter, despite the sales constraints of the global microchip shortage, look much better.
“The recovering U.S. economy and continued strong demand for our products drove unprecedented results,” U.S. Head of Sales Jeff Kommor said in a news release. “We continue to work closely with our suppliers to mitigate the manufacturing impacts caused by the various supply chain issues facing our industry.”
The company said it sold 485,312 vehicles in the quarter, and saw its retail sales, an important marker of profitability, rise 27%.
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Ram reported the highest quarterly increase among the brands, up 47%. Jeep increased 19%; Chrysler, 36%; Dodge, 42%, and Alfa Romeo, 34%. The company did not report sales numbers for Maserati.
Fiat dropped 33% to 891 vehicles, but the decline was not particularly surprising because the brand’s presence has been steadily shrinking in the United States.
The company reported that since the full launch of the Jeep Wrangler 4xe earlier this year, the vehicle had become the best-selling plug-in hybrid in the marketplace. The company said the Wrangler had its best U.S. retail sales quarter and the Jeep Gladiator had its best quarter for total U.S. sales.
The three-row 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L began arriving at dealerships in June, so a fuller picture of its impact on sales will likely come in the next quarter.
The Dodge Durango had its best retail second quarter since 2005, and the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan had its best-ever second quarter sales results, the company said.
Despite a 40% increase in Ram pickup sales, the winner of second place in the truck wars for the quarter likely goes to the Chevrolet Silverado, which bested Ram by just shy of 500 trucks. Results for Ford and its F-Series trucks, the longtime No. 1, are due on Friday. GM reported a total sales increase for the quarter compared with the same period in 2020 of almost 40%.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence. Become a subscriber.