Chrysler sales jump 35% too

Chrysler said today that U.S. sales jumped 35% compared with the same month a year ago, a gain led by its Jeep and Dodge brands.

Jeep sales rose 25%, on an 86% jump Jeep Wrangler sales. Dodge, newly-minted as a car brand, saw its sales increase 67% on a spike in sales of the Charger, Avenger and Challenger.
Overall, sales of Chrysler’s passenger cars, an area where industry observers say Chrysler must improve, nearly doubled.

Chrysler’s minivans also performed well. Sales of the Chrysler Town & Country rose 34% and sales of the Dodge Caravan jumped nearly 50%.

“This 35% increase in year-over-year sales shows that we continue to build on our sales momentum," said Fred Diaz, lead executive for Chrysler’s U.S. sales, in a statement.

Chrysler noted that its sales jump in June is double the industry's expected average increase.

Jesse Toprak, an industry analyst for vehicle pricing Web site TrueCar.com, estimates that about 40% of Chrysler’s sales in June came from sales to fleet customers compared with a total industry volume of about 20%.

In June, Chrysler sold 92,482 vehicles, compared with 68,297 vehicles in June, 2009. Chrysler wrapped up June with a 60-day supply of vehicles, down from 71 days in June last year.

The sales increase marks the third month Chrysler topped its sales from last year. Detroit Free Press