Month-over-month, Chrysler’s sales fell about 8.6% from 171,606 units sold in March. The company’s Chrysler brand had a sales decline of 13% in April, far worse than the 2% decline in March. Sales of the company’s Jeep brand rose 2% year-over-year, after a decline of 13% in March.
Chrysler’s April sales mark the 37th consecutive month of year-over-year sales growth. Sales of Dodge-branded vehicles rose 18%, somewhat higher than the 15% year-over-year growth posted in March. The Ram pickup truck brand got a sales boost of 49% to its highest level in six years. That is considerably higher than the Ram increase of 24% in March.
At Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), April sales rose 18% for the month year-over-year, to 212,584 units sold. In April 2012, the company sold 180,350 units. Sales in March of this year reached 236,160.
The company’s push to improve its Lincoln brand appears to be gaining some traction. Sales rose 20.7% year-over-year in April, but year-to-date, Lincoln sales are down 13.4% for the first four months of 2013. That is an improvement from the first two months of 2013, when Lincoln sales were down 46.6%, compared with the first two months of 2012.
Shares of Ford are up about 1% in the first few minutes of trading this morning, at $13.74 in a 52-week range of $8.82 to $14.30.
General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM), Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) will report sales later today.
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