by Matt Konkle
Torque Editor-in-Chief
It used to be, not so many moons ago, that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Dodge Ram pickup did all the heavy sales lifting for the company. These days though, as Ram and many other vehicles in the automaker’s lineup sputter, the Jeep Gladiator now seems poised to take on some responsibility to help FCA work out of an industry-wide Covid-19 slump.
As FCA Thursday released its third-quarter results, Gladiator saw its third-quarter sales jump 37% and was the only Jeep-branded vehicle that posted a positive number for the quarter. Overall, FCA slipped 10% in sales against the same time period a year earlier while Jeep dropped 9%.
However, those total numbers are actually some good news for FCA when compared to what the company has endured so far this year. For the third quarter, FCA sold just over 507,000 vehicles, up from 367,086 in the second quarter when the automaker experienced a 27% drop.
"This quarter demonstrated the resilience of the U.S. consumer," said FCA Head of U.S. Sales Jeff Kommor. "Retail sales have been rebounding since April as the reopening of the economy, steady gas prices and access to low interest loans spur people to buy.”
For Jeep, its Cherokee, Compass and Renegade models all posted double-digit losses during the quarter, while Grand Cherokee continued to struggle as well down 9%. Though Wrangler sales finished down 8%, FCA’s Head of Jeep Jim Morrison said the iconic mainstay of the brand’s lineup actually jumped double digits in September, and could even set a record for yearly sales if the trend continues.
“We’re tracking for some of the best market share we’ve had for Wrangler, as a percentage of the entire industry, that we’ve had yet,” Morrison said. “The vehicle is known for freedom, and customers are being drawn to it with what’s going on.”
Wrangler’s best year was 2018 when it moved just over 240,000 vehicles and sold about 191,000 through the first three quarters. This year, it stands at 150,202 entering the fourth-quarter.
Meanwhile, Gladiator continues to impress with sales growing every quarter for the automaker’s newest truck, which has also recently added a 3.0L ecoDiesel engine to its powerplant offerings. Ram trucks also appear ready to leap back into positive territory. Although that truck was down 3% in the third quarter, the number was remarkable better than its 35% second quarter drop.
“The results reflect the hard work our dealers have done throughout the third quarter as they worked through the COVID-19 restrictions while still improving our sales over the prior months," Kommor said. “Jeep and Ram are hot and we continue to prioritize deliveries to our dealers who are asking us to ship as many vehicles as we can build.”
Morrison said the entire Jeep brand is recovering well after facing supply issues caused by factory closures during state lockdowns in the spring. Overall, FCA’s sales are down 17% against 2019.
“We were dealing with availability challenges, but now that our plants are up and running again, we’re looking strong to finish out the year,” Morrison said.
