DCx Times: New products help push sales up

[hemidakota]

DaimlerChrysler Times -- July 12, 2004
New products help push sales up

The Chrysler Group’s product offensive, launched late last year with the introduction of the new Dodge Durango and carried into this year with the new Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum, is starting to deliver sales dividends.

The company posted sales gains in June, marking the third consecutive quarter of increased sales. The Chrysler Group also has had sales increases in eight of the last nine months.

For the month of June, sales of the Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge brands in the United States were up 1 percent compared with the same month a year ago, and up
2 percent for the first six months of this year when compared with the same period in 2003.

“The first half of this year has been characterized by steady growth,” Gary Dilts, Senior Vice President—Sales, said. “We got on our feet in the first quarter, and then we started making traction in the second with the rollout of our new products.”

The Chrysler brand posted a new quarterly sales record with 163,138 units, a 21 percent increase compared with the second quarter of 2003. For the month, Chrysler brand sales were up 9 percent to 54,314 units.

The Chrysler 300 continued its strong sales momentum, posting sales of 12,065 units for June and achieving a second consecutive month of sales in excess of 12,000 units.

Jeep brand sales were up 5 percent for the month of June and up 12 percent for the first six months of 2004. Dodge brand sales dropped 1 percent for the month and are down 6 percent for the first half of 2004.

There were 4,906 Dodge Magnum vehicles sold in June, its second month on the market, and dealer orders for the vehicle exceed 38,000 units.



Southfield Chrysler Jeep® salesman Eric Propst (left) shows a customer the new Chrysler 300.


PHTO CREDIT:
Jerome Magid

Dilts said he is very optimistic about sales for the rest of the year. He said the launch of the all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee later this month, followed by an all-new Dodge Dakota, will only add to the company’s product portfolio later this year.

“We have a bunch of new products coming into a reasonably good market that will bring more good news to the Chrysler Group,” Dilts said. “The Chrysler 300 has created phenomenal interest and news that is bringing a lot more people into our dealerships, and the Dodge Magnum has just started to arrive in our Dodge dealerships.”