Cars and Drivers

Jeep, Ram Lift FCA's October Sales 16%

Paul Ausick

Published: November 1, 2018 11:00 am

Last Updated: January 11, 2020 3:31 pm

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (NYSE: FCAU) reported Thursday that October sales increased by 16% year over year to 177,391 vehicles, compared with October 2017 sales of 153,373. The Jeep brand posted a sales increase of 9% year over year, as sales of the new Cherokee rose 15% to 18,598 units and Compass sales jumped 26% to 14,083 units.

The Ram brand of pickups and other light trucks saw sales jump of 14% to 54,542 units. For the first 10 months of the year, Ram has sold 471,203 units, up 1% compared to 2017 sales for the same period.

Analysts at Cox Automotive had projected October sales at 176,000 units, a 14.8% year-over-year increase. Kelley Blue Book estimated an average selling price of $38,668 for October, up 1.6% year over year and up 0.9% month over month.

Retail sales totaled 141,200 vehicles and fleet sales accounted for 20.4% of overall sales, down from 25% in September.

Ram’s light-duty 1500 model drove truck sales, with a 20% increase in retail sales, and Ram trucks combined for a total sales increase of 12% to 42,138 units.

Chrysler brand sales rose 21% year over year to 13,289 units and Fiat brand sales tumbled 35% to just 1,151. For the first 10 months of the year, Chrysler sales are down 9% and Fiat sales have plummeted 43%.

Alfa Romeo brand sales rose 44% in October to 1,737 vehicles. Stelvio accounted for the majority of those sales with 902 vehicles sold. Alfa sales are up 133% for the first 10 months of the year to 19,917.

Dodge brand sales soared 38% to 33,872 units in October. Sales of the Journey rose 24%, and Challenger sales rose 34%. Caravan sales totaled 11,110 units in the month and are up 20% for the year to date.

FCA’s shares traded up about 2.7% Thursday morning, at $15.52 in a 52-week range of $14.97 to $24.95. The 12-month consensus price target on the stock is $24.60.