Fiat Chrysler Heads in Different Sales Directions North and South of the Border, But We Can All Agree on Jeep (or Can We?)

Without its juggernaut Jeep division, Fiat Chrysler would find itself in deep trouble. We’re talking Mitsubishi, circa 2013, sorts of trouble. On a year-to-date basis, all of FCA’s brands save for Jeep and the low-volume, niche Alfa Romeo took a sales tumble in the United States. It’s the same story north of the border.

In both countries, Jeep is FCA’s knight in shining armor (coming to its financial rescue), only in Canada it’s not enough to boost flagging year-over-year sales. FCA’s volume sank 10 percent in August, while in the U.S. it rose 10 percent. Year to date, FCA’s up 5 percent in the U.S. and down 14 percent in the Great White North.

Why such a disparity between sales directions? It seems to come down, at least partly, to Jeep posting far greater gains in the U.S. than in Canada. Even within the division, there’s quite a difference between what buyers in both countries want.

To sum up: Jeep sales rose 20 percent, year over year, in the U.S. last month, with year-to-date volume up 21 percent. In Canada, Jeep volume sank 2 percent for the month, though the brand still has a 7 percent lead on 2017’s year-to-date tally.

It’s always interesting diving into the buying preferences of both countries. With higher taxes and fuel prices, one would think Canadians would gravitate towards smaller vehicles, thus saving up coinage for the purchase of Heinz beans. Not so. Canucks love their trucks, but there’s a special place in urban and suburban hearts for the ubiquitous mid-range compact crossover with all-wheel drive.

So why is the newly enlarged Jeep Compass not a bigger hit? In the U.S., Compass sales rose 76 percent in August, year over year. Over the first eight months of 2018, the nameplate rose a whopping 173 percent, helped by last year’s changeover period. Throughput on Canadian Jeep lots is much more fickle when it comes to the Compass. While still up 73 percent on the year, August Compass sales fell 25 percent north of the border.

Breaking down the product mix, the Compass accounted for 17.5 percent of Jeep’s U.S. volume in 2018. In Canada, it’s only 13.4 percent of the pie.

Oh, maybe those thrifty Canucks are going smaller and picking up little Renegades to ply back and forth to work, you’re thinking. Far from it. Canadians don’t want a tiny, Fiat-based Jeep. Only 1.7 percent of Jeeps sold in Canada this year were Renegades. In the U.S.? 10.2 percent.

It seems that when it comes to Jeep, the middle of the range is where Canadians’ hearts lie. Wrangler sales accounted for 36.6 percent of all 2018 Jeep sales, whereas American buying preferences saw it make up only 26.4 percent of the mix. The Cherokee, now much closer in size to the Compass, lured 31.2 percent of Canadian Jeep buyers, many of whom no doubt felt the Compass was too small and underpowered (wait a minute…). In the U.S., however, Cherokee sales amounted to 23.5 percent of Jeep’s 2018 volume.

This means a full two-thirds (67.8 percent) of Jeep’s Canadian sales are the responsibility of two models. South of the border, the duo collects just under half of the total volume (49.9 percent).

If you’re wondering about the range-topping Grand Cherokee, Canadians generally find that porridge too hot. Some 17 percent of Jeep sales involve a Grand Cherokee, compared to 22 percent in the United States. Maybe it has something to do with those gas prices.

While it’s hard to resist the go-anywhere appeal of the Wrangler no matter where one lives, it’s clear that Canadian buyers, at least when it comes to Jeep, are a stubborn, stuck-in-their-ways crowd. These buyers want just enough vehicle … but not too much or too little.

[Images: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]