There have been numerous suggestions as to what caused Chrysler Group to drop to No. 5 in the manufacturer rankings last month but according to an article in this week's print edition of Automotive News, Chrysler's slump was most likely due to unusually low fleet sales. As mentioned in Allpar's "July from a Chrysler Perspective," Chrysler Group sales have always dipped in July. However, compared to July 2012, Chrysler's estimated fleet sales fell 36.0%, a drop of about 8,100 units.
Fleet sales accounted for just 10.3% of total Chrysler Group sales in July, the lowest percentage since the company emerged from bankruptcy and a far cry from February 2010, when fleet sales made up 56% of the company's total deliveries for the month. Actual fleet sales volume was the lowest since July 2009.
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