Chrysler US sales rose in November

Chrysler sold 122,565 vehicles in November 2012, 14% more than in November 2011, beating every November since 2007. This is the 32nd consecutive month of year over year sales gains, with increases in each brand (other than Jeep). Sales chief Reid Bigland said he was expecting bigger performance in December, as Northeasterners replaced flood damaged cars.

Fiat, the brand with the lowest volume, also posted the largest sales gain, of 123%, on the strength of 3,603 cars sold for the month.

Fiat 500, Dodge Journey, and Jeep® Wrangler each set sales records; Journey’s 77% sales gain beat all other Dodge gains for November. Caravan was up 42%, and Town & Country rose by 3%; Caravan was the minivan volume leader by a good margin for the month. Overall, Dodge sales shot up by 32%, making Dodge the volume leader.

Avenger sales rose 26% but 200 sales fell 9%; overall, it was a net mid-size gain with Avenger and 200 ending up roughly even in sales. Dart’s 4,489 sales, while possibly below Chrysler’s desired numbers, overcame the loss in Caliber and Compass sales combined. Dart sales are expected to slowly rise as more automatics make their way to customers, and as the car gains more visibility.

The big cars fared well, with Charger rising 24% (to 6,316), 300 rising 17% (to 4,759), and Challenger falling slightly (4%) to 2,868. Durango also put in a small 4% gain, to 4,091. Ram’s 23% gain, to 24,337 trucks sold in the month, is likely the most significant rise for the beancounters.

Year to date, the average transaction price for a Dart was over $22,000, the highest average transaction price in the non-luxury compact car segment and more than $5,000 higher than the Dodge Caliber. Dart just received its 20th award when it was named “Best Sedan” by Ruedas ESPN, the leading Spanish-language automotive radio show in the U.S.

Ram Truck sales were up 23%, racking up 31 months of consecutive sales gains. The Heavy Duty was up 26%, Light Duty up 24%. The Ram Cargo Van posted a 226% sales increase.

Jeep sales were down 3% due to the end of Jeep Liberty production (in August) and the effects of Hurricane Sandy on dealerships in the Northeast, one of Jeep’s strongest markets. Still, the Jeep Grand Cherokee had its best November sales since 2005 with sales of 13,619 units, the model’s second best sales month this year.