by Matt Konkle
Quadratec Channel Editor
When Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ newest offering, the Jeep Gladiator truck, sauntered up on stage last November at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the backdrop screen displayed a simple message for potential buyers.
’Are you not entertained’?
Well, according to a recent Cox Automotive report, they certainly were—at least during the vehicle’s first official sales month.
Cox Automotive Monday reported the Gladiator’s average transaction price in May reached an impressive $56,403 off a total of 2,548 units sold. In comparison, no other vehicle in Gladiator’s midsize class can even be optioned up to that amount. A small sample size to be sure, but welcome numbers for FCA.
The Gladiator, Jeep’s first truck in over 27 years, is currently available in four different trim levels; the base Sport ($35,040), Sport S ($38,240), Overland ($41,890) and Rubicon ($45,040), however FCA front-loaded deliveries to include mainly Rubicon and Overland-edition vehicles which certainly pumped up the May figure.
And for FCA, that average-dollars-per-Gladiator number could climb even higher in the coming few months, as the company officially records sales of all 4,190 Launch Edition trucks it moved earlier this year. That vehicle, a limited product run containing nearly every package and feature available, sold out in just 24 hours back in early April at a ticket price of $62,310 each—including delivery.
Now, this early average sales figure should round down as the year goes on and more Sport series Gladiators reach dealerships, but even at a lower average transaction number, the Gladiator will probably still outperform others in the midsize truck category.
For example, Ford moved 7,750 Rangers during May at $37,000 per vehicle, according to the Cox report. Other competitors didn’t have average transaction data, but perennial segment leader Toyota Tacoma moved 22,832 during the month, while Nissan Frontier saw 7,497 units sold and Honda Ridgeline 2,888.
Gladiator entered May with a total of 437 units sold. FCA’s next monthly sales report will be out July 1.
Cox Automotive offers, among other things, digital marketing and software services for dealerships and consumers, and its major brands include AutoTrader and Kelly Blue Book. The company says it currently has a hand in three out of every four automobile transactions.
For more information on the Jeep JT Gladiator, and to check out products, head over to our JT Gladiator page.
