The good times have continued for the Chrysler Group as the company posted yet another month of year over year growth in July 2013 – marking the 40th consecutive month in which the company had better sales than they did in the same month one year earlier. Of the five brands under the Chrysler Group halo, only the Chrysler brand showed a year over year decline but the growth by the other four allowed the company as a whole to continue the amazing streak of monthly growth.
The Chrysler Group was led in growth by the Ram brand, which improved by 31% in July 2013. Both the Ram pickup family and the Ram C/V posted big growth numbers with the trucks being up 31% while the Ram minivan improved by 38%. Ram moved 32,078 vehicles last month with 31,314 of those being Ram pickups with the other 764 being Ram C/Vs. We can expect to see continued growth by the Ram brand thanks to the fact that the Ram 1500 is one of the most powerful and the most efficient truck in the segment while the Ram HD is the most powerful truck in the class with the Cummins Turbo Diesel.
The Dodge brand was the second best moniker in terms of year over year growth with an improvement of 18% with 41,986 vehicles sold in July. While there is technically no growth rate for the new Dodge Dart (since the model wasn’t up to full speed last July), with 6,064 units sold, the Dart played a big part in the growth of the Dodge brand. The Durango was technically the top model from the Dodge brand with a jump of 88% compared to the same month last year. The Challenger and Avenger tied for second in growth with an increase of 18% each. The top model from Dodge in terms of sales volume was once again the Caravan with 8,583 minivans sold followed by the Journey with 6,508 units sold. The Avenger was third in sales with 6,131 units sold and the new Dart came in fourth with just over 6,000 units sold.
The Jeep brand and Fiat brand each posted a 2% year over year increase while the Chrysler brand posted a decline of 4%. Every current model in the Jeep brand posted positive growth last month to hit that +2% figure while the Fiat brand relied on the new 500L to report positive growth in July.
Overall, the bestselling vehicle from the Chrysler Group was the Ram pickup family with 31,314 trucks sold followed by the Grand Cherokee with 15,019 units sold and the Wrangler with 14,404 units sold.
"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.
