Chrysler Sales Bounce 22 Percent In January
TTAC’s monthly sales coverage rolls on with a look at Chrysler, which saw sales rise 22 percent last month. The volume increase, driven by the Jeep, Dodge and Ram brands, was the second bit of good news Chrysler announced this week, following up its water-into-wine 2010 financial results. Like Ford, Chrysler Group’s problems remain with its “luxury” brand, Chrysler. The eponymous brand fell 7%, although a 45% increase in T%C volume helped mask deeper drops in other models like 300 (1,329 units), PT Cruiser (342 units) and 200/Sebring (1,482 units). Though 200 and 300 sales should increase due to their current production changeovers, Chrysler still has a lot of work to do to make the Chrysler brand relevant again. Jeep, on the other hand, is rolling, with sales up 47%. Grand Cherokee led the way again, up 130% to 7,612 units, Wrangler and Liberty added over 30% each, and Patriot was up 75%. Dodge saw Caliber, Avenger, Journey and Charger lose volume last month, but big increases in Caravan, Durango and Challenger helped bring the brand up 22%. On the truck side, Ram was up 22%, while Dakota dropped to 823 units.
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As with all pronouncements from Auburn Hills, you need hip boots to wade through the BS. Percentages, percentages, percentages. Always used when the actual numbers are frightening. Chrysler's self proclaimed annual break even of 1.1 million (which was low since they just about reached that number in 2010 and still lost more than half a BILLION) is a monthly break even of 91,666. January 2010 - 70,118 Sebring-Avenger-200: Total sales of 3,800 units. Someone explain how they are cost justifying an entire plant and an extra shift at SHAP Minivans - Windsor Assembly, a 3 shift, 1500 vehicle output per day plant, sold less than half their output again. Even with international sales included, the plant continues to sell at about 60% capacity. Brampton - sales of 5,800 units. Even with international sales, another plant with major over capacity. And on and on it goes. But not to worry, the master illusionist says sales this year will increase 25%. That's right 25%. And where did he get that number? Just pulled it out of thin air. So let's look at the numbers. A 25% increase in sales would be 1.375 million and a monthly sales number of just about 115,000. So just remember that number as the year goes along. Sales of 115,000 each an every month. And they have to make up the 45,000 they were short in January. Marchionne has pulled off a remarkable feat. He sits here in February 2010 in charge of an American car company using taxpayer money to refit plants to potentially build Fiats. He has an adoring media that fawns over his prognostications like children looking up at their hero. He even gets a Fiat dealership network built and paid for by Chrysler dealers. . And all with no skin in the game. He even complains about the interest costs on the money the taxpayers put up to save them in the first place, but finds $25,000,000 in bonus money for employees who are owed nothing. That must make all those secured bond holders and creditors who got nothing in bankruptcy court feel all warm and fuzzy inside. That's the problem with knights. Sometimes the horse isn't so white. Chrysler isn't out of the woods by a long shot. And if they fall again, Sergio has the table set for himself and Fiat.