A look at the Chrysler Group’s bestsellers in February

The Chrysler Group moved 139,015 new vehicles last month – marking the 35^th consecutive month where the company as a whole has shown year over year (compared to the same month in the previous year) growth.  No other automaker can make a claim like that but the bigger story is which vehicles did the best in February 2013.

As always, the Ram Pickup was the company’s bestselling vehicle with 23,289 new trucks sold and the lead that the Ram has over the next closest vehicle leads me to believe that the Ram family will basically always be the company’s top seller.  Even if we were to combine vehicles by platform, grouping together models like the Charger, the Challenger and the Chrysler 300 or the Chrysler and Dodge minivans – the Ram truck still moved more units last month.

Next, the Chrysler 200 jumped grabbed the second spot with 11,446 examples of the classy midsized sedan sold while the Caravan lineup narrow beat the Dodge Charger for 3^rd place by a margin of 10,415 (Caravan) to 10,301 (Charger).  The Jeep Wrangler rounded out the top five in company sales while also being the final vehicle to move more than 10,000 units last month.

In 6^th place sits the Dodge Avenger which put up a second straight strong month to be the company’s 3^rd bestselling car in moving 9,980 units sold.  The Avenger continues to benefit from the fact that dealerships can deeply discount this sporty midsized car while the Dodge Dart that is drawing buyers into dealerships has a much smaller profit margin – thus much less wiggle room for dealerships to move on prices.  This is resulting in some prospective Dart buyers driving out with the slightly larger Avenger but in the end – a sale is a sale.

The 7^th place vehicle in Chrysler Group vehicle sales was the Jeep Grand Cherokee.  Even though some buyers are sitting back and waiting for the beautifully refreshed 2014 Grand Cherokee, the most awarded SUV ever continues to move big units with 9,439 new models sold in February.  The Chrysler Town & Country minivan sat in the 8^th spot with 8,614 new units sold while the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 300 finished off the top ten with 7,720 (Dart) and 7,670 (300) units sold.

Check out the full list of February 2013 vehicle sales below including year over year growth.

1.Ram Pickup – 23,289, +3%
2. Chrysler 200 – 11,446, +18%
3. Dodge Caravan – 10,415, -18%
4. Dodge Charger – 10,301, +41%
5. Jeep Wrangler – 10,091, +8%

6. Dodge Avenger – 9,980, +52%
7. Jeep Grand Cherokee – 9,439, -26%
8. Chrysler Town & Country – 8,614, -10%
9.Dodge Dart – 7,720, N/A
10. Dodge Journey – 7,530, +21%

11. Jeep Patriot – 6,329, +24%
12. Chrysler 300 – 5,023, -35%
13. Dodge Challenger – 4,911, +34%
14. Dodge Durango – 4,749, +38%
15. Jeep Compass – 3,776, +36%

16. Fiat 500 – 3,302, +2%
17. Jeep Liberty – 1,529, -79% (vehicle discontinued)
18. Ram Cargo Van – 538, -2%
19. Dodge Caliber – 32, -98% (vehicle discontinued)
20. SRT Viper – 1, N/A

21 – Tie. Dodge Dakota – 0, vehicle discontinued
21 – Tie. Dodge Nitro – 0, vehicle discontinued

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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