Record Sales Year for DaimlerChrysler's Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler And Plymouth Brands
5 January 1999
Record Sales Year for DaimlerChrysler's Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler And Plymouth Brands
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 5 -- DaimlerChrysler Corporation
sold a record 2,510,011 Dodge, Jeep(R), Chrysler and Plymouth-
brand vehicles in the U.S. in 1998, capping its historic merger by posting its
strongest sales year ever.
U.S. sales for those brands in the month of December were 203,325, up 7
percent over December 1997 sales of 190,191. Total sales volume for the year
surpassed a record set in 1996 of 2,450,826 vehicles.
Chrysler, Jeep, Plymouth and Dodge brands worldwide in 1998, meanwhile,
sold more than 3 million units for the first time, including 269,196 in Canada
and 200,200 in Europe, Asia and the rest of the world.
"Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth and Jeep sales went right through the roof this
past year," said James P. Holden, Executive Vice President, Sales and
Marketing, North America. "It was the payoff from a lot of sweat and hard
work that's gone on for the past several years in every area of this
corporation, from design and engineering, to quality, production and sales.
At the same time, the entire newly combined stable of DaimlerChrysler brands
were breaking records all over the globe, including Mercedes-Benz, which sold
an all-time high of 170,245 passenger cars in the U.S., a clear indication of
the kind of brand powerhouse we've become, one that will prosper in the next
millennium."
U.S. sales of Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler and Plymouth brands for the calendar
year were 9 percent ahead of 1997's calendar-year total of 2,303,788. Truck
sales -- including minivans and Jeep vehicles -- were 1,770,794, a 13 percent
increase over last year, capping the best-ever sales year for trucks. Of
those, sport utility vehicles accounted for 616,217 units, a 25 percent rise
over 1997 and a record for that segment. Car sales at 739,217 were slightly
higher than last year.
Fourteen sales records were set in calendar year 1998, in addition to the
high marks set by trucks and SUVs. They included:
* Dodge Division. Sales were 1,442,777, up 17 percent over last year,
breaking the calendar year record set for Dodge in 1996 of 1,292,265 vehicles
sold.
* Dodge Dakota. Sales were 152,629 for the year, up 16 percent over 1997,
breaking the yearly record for Dakota of 132,057, set in 1992.
* Chrysler Concorde. Sales were 64,912, up 67 percent over last year. The
previous high mark for the Concorde of 63,714 was set in 1994.
In the month of December, sixteen individual sales records were set as
well, including new monthly high marks for trucks, with 151,593 in sales, a 10
percent jump over last year, and minivans, which sold 44,513, up 11 percent
over last year. SUVs posted sales of 57,480 for the month, up 11 percent over
the same period last year.
Other vehicles lines that set December sales records included:
* Dodge Ram Pickup. The Ram sold 32,796, a 5 percent increase from last
December.
* Dodge Durango. The Durango had sales of 17,112, a 60 percent jump from
December 1997's 10,716.
DaimlerChrysler Corporation U.S. Sales Summary, Thru December 1998
Month Sales DR % Sales CYTD DR % Sales MYTD DR %
Model Curr Yr Pr Yr Change Curr Yr Pr Yr Change Curr Yr Pr Yr Change
Neon 3460 7144 -52% 78533 86798 -10% 15992 21962 -27%
Breeze 3392 9506 -64% 59543 72499 -18% 11134 20513 -46%
Prowler 147 43 242% 1594 120 NM 436 92 374%
PLYMOUTH CAR
6999 16693 -58% 139670 159417 -12% 27562 42567 -35%
Voyager
12630 11173 13% 156971 156056 1% 33523 33294 1%
PLYMOUTH TRUCK
12630 11173 13% 156971 156056 1% 33523 33294 1%
PLYMOUTH BRAND
19629 27866 -30% 296641 315473 -6% 61085 75861 -19%
Cirrus 2429 2983 -19% 38504 31549 22% 8136 9561 -15%
Sebring Coupe
1875 2175 -14% 33584 35365 -5% 6321 7593 -17%
Sebring Convertible
3775 2778 36% 51342 53054 -3% 9849 9793 1%
Concorde
5227 865 504% 64912 38772 67% 16225 3574 354%
300M 4623 0 0% 30765 0 0% 13793 0 0%
LHS 1765 413 327% 16753 30189 -45% 5884 1768 233%
CHRYSLER CAR
19694 9214 114% 235860 188929 25% 60208 32289 86%
Town & Country
6302 6552 -4% 71981 76653 -6% 17080 19863 -14%
CHRYSLER TRUCK
6302 6552 -4% 71981 76653 -6% 17080 19863 -14%
CHRYSLER BRAND
25996 15766 65% 307841 265582 16% 77288 52152 48%
Wrangler
5680 5363 6% 83861 81956 2% 19149 17386 10%
Cherokee
12267 11742 4% 146298 130041 13% 38960 36448 7%
Grand Cherokee
22421 24022 -7% 229135 260875 -12% 62880 72223 -13%
JEEP BRAND
40368 41127 -2% 459294 472872 -3% 120989 126057 -4%
Talon 0 379 -100% 2957 10206 -71% 149 1997 -93%
Vision 0 89 -100% 501 5146 -90% 0 511 -100%
EAGLE BRAND
0 468 -100% 3458 15352 -77% 149 2508 -94%
CPJE CAR
26693 26375 1% 378988 363698 4% 87919 77364 14%
CPJE TRUCK
59300 58852 1% 688246 705581 -2% 171592 179214 -4%
CPJE DIVISION
85993 85227 1% 1067234 1069279 0% 259511 256578 1%
Neon 5554 10831 -49% 117964 121854 -3% 23468 31793 -26%
Stratus 5697 8555 -33% 106434 99040 7% 19193 25611 -25%
Avenger 1200 1458 -18% 24084 31943 -25% 4448 5936 -25%
Intrepid
12487 5298 136% 110499 118537 -7% 33967 12147 180%
Viper 101 107 -6% 1248 1458 -14% 274 354 -23%
DODGE CAR
25039 26249 -5% 360229 372832 -3% 81350 75841 7%
Caravan
25581 22255 15% 293819 285736 3% 66110 63495 4%
Durango
17112 10716 60% 156923 20263 NM 50789 20263 151%
Dakota 11658 12053 -3% 152629 131961 16% 36839 34955 5%
Ram P/U
32796 31345 5% 410130 350257 17% 111178 96006 16%
Ram Wagon
970 160 506% 16937 17372 -3% 2909 1009 188%
Ram Van 4176 2186 91% 52110 56088 -7% 12830 10309 24%
DODGE TRUCK
92293 78715 17% 1082548 861677 26% 280655 226037 24%
DODGE DIVISION
117332 104964 12% 1442777 1234509 17% 362005 301878 20%
TOTAL CAR
51732 52624 -2% 739217 736530 0% 169269 153205 10%
TOTAL TRUCK
151593 137567 10% 1770794 1567258 13% 452247 405251 12%
TOTAL CAR & TRUCK
203325 190191 7% 2510011 2303788 9% 621516 558456 11%
Total Minivan
44513 39980 11% 522771 518445 1% 116713 116652 0%
Total Sport Utility
57480 51843 11% 616217 493135 25% 171778 146320 17%
Selling Days
26 26 307 307 77 77