Increase mainly due to strong demand for Ram pickups and full-size Ram ProMaster van, helping Ram stand out in FCA’s portfolio.
May was a rough month for FCA, but Ram dealers and customers helped make it a little smoother.
In terms of May 2016 vs. May 2017, and 2016 year-to-date vs. 2017 year-to-date U.S. sales, Jeep, Chrysler, and FIAT suffered losses. Most of those drops were in the double digits. In fact, Jeep, which for the longest time has been a top performer for FCA, moved 15 percent fewer vehicles this May than it did last May. As a result of those brands selling less metal, FCA’s May sales were down by one percent to 193,040 vehicles, compared to May 2016. Relative to this time last year, FCA’s year-to-date sales dipped by seven percent to 880,014 units.
There are some silver linings here, though. Dodge’s May sales shot up by eight percent to nearly 45,000 units. Thanks to the new Giulia sedan, Alfa Romeo’s May and year-to-date figures were up a whopping 1,989 percent and 935 percent, respectively (although the Italian carmaker has only sold a total of 2,702 sports cars and sedans this entire year).
The brightest of those silver linings is Ram’s sales figures. Its pickups were 16 percent more popular this May than they were in the same month last year. Year-to-date, Ram truck sales were up by 8 percent to 207,370 vehicles. The ProMaster van did even better (in terms of percentage). May sales of the cargo hauler increased by a solid 50 percent. Between the beginning of January and the end of May, Ram dealers sold almost 17,000 ProMaster vans; last year that same figure was below 14,000. The smaller ProMaster City was a mixed bag. Although its May sales were up by 10 percent (from 1,782 to 1,961 vans), its year-to-date sales were down by 19 percent to 6,599 vehicles. Overall, Ram’s U.S. May sales climbed by 18 percent. Year-to-date, they’re eight percent higher, up to 230,950 vehicles.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
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