[AugurMan]

A press release from FCA (behind Wall Street Journals' paywall) shows strong sales for both the Stelvio and Giulia for April. But significant decreases for most Fiat models:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/PR-CO-20180501-909347

Here are the sales by make & model:

FCA US LLC Sales Summary April 2018

Month Sales Vol % CYTD Sales Vol %
Model Curr Yr Pr Yr Change Curr Yr Pr Yr Change
Compass 11,521 3,520 227% 55,041 12,072 356%
Patriot 75 4,939 -98% 439 21,119 -98%
Wrangler 29,776 18,841 58% 85,280 60,152 42%
Cherokee 16,887 14,083 20% 67,497 54,838 23%
Grand Cherokee 16,647 18,877 -12% 70,095 75,477 -7%
Renegade 7,735 8,619 -10% 32,394 33,964 -5%
JEEP BRAND 82,641 68,879 20% 310,746 257,622 21%
Ram P/U 39,252 43,321 -9% 143,216 162,520 -12%
Cargo Van 0 0 0% 0 0
ProMaster Van 2,817 2,701 4% 9,274 12,748 -27%
ProMaster City 1,005 1,305 -23% 4,238 4,638 -9%
RAM BRAND 43,074 47,327 -9% 156,728 179,906 -13%
200 95 2,857 -97% 754 9,477 -92%
300 3,913 3,948 -1% 16,905 19,011 -11%
Town & Country 1 77 -99% 4 418 -99%
Pacifica 10,180 10,427 -2% 42,759 35,479 21%
CHRYSLER BRAND 14,189 17,309 -18% 60,422 64,385 -6%
Dart 26 1,286 -98% 278 5,944 -95%
Avenger 1 0 100% 2 0
Charger 6,632 6,937 -4% 27,897 29,256 -5%
Challenger 5,892 6,591 -11% 23,540 22,316 5%
Viper 2 56 -96% 11 234 -95%
Journey 11,638 8,401 39% 30,057 42,801 -30%
Caravan 11,880 9,817 21% 55,024 49,871 10%
Durango 4,923 6,357 -23% 21,156 23,086 -8%
DODGE BRAND 40,994 39,445 4% 157,965 173,508 -9%
500 335 1,201 -72% 1,644 5,221 -69%
500L 168 115 46% 563 399 41%
500X 564 758 -26% 2,143 2,724 -21%
Spider 337 465 -28% 1,068 1,426 -25%
FIAT BRAND 1,404 2,539 -45% 5,418 9,770 -45%
Giulia 1,123 634 77% 4,208 1,599 163%
Alfa 4C 22 43 -49% 76 184 -59%
Stelvio 702 0 New 3,355 0 New
ALFA ROMEO 1,847 677 173% 7,639 1,783 328%
FCA US LLC 184,149 176,176 5% 698,918 686,974 2%

This doesn't show Maserati's sales. I assume they are handled by a different division of Fiat.

 

[Alfaholico]

Not bad considering Stelvio had a Stop Sale order.....D

 

[lost1750GTV]

not bad considering most everbody's sales were down - except FCA

 

[Scalewoodman]

I do think FCA is on a roll with product customers want - Wrangler (and RAM + Pacifica) will be a huge cash generator to fund new development which is very expensive however long term a synergistic partner is the only way forward with alternate fuel tech and the smart, efficient way to do it. Battery production is the bottleneck at the moment and Tesla is the canary in the mine losing US$6500 per minute at the moment (Bloomberg) and digging a huge pit of debt and liabilities that is very difficult to climb out of in volume production.

FCA, while too conservative for some, is building a bedrock foundation balancing a lot of antagonistic forces. Hats off!

 

[Scalewoodman]

https://www.tflcar.com/2018/05/jeep-wrangler-outsold-accord/


Further proof that the resources were spent in the right place. There is no direct competitor to Wrangler AND Pacifica. The 2019 RAM is a bit of a $300M challenge in the moment but obviously money well spent too.


Alfa and Maserati will swim on their own soon enough but the magnitude (and profitability) of these volume movers cannot be underestimated!


Remember the plan is Giorgio architecture is the foundation for a wide range of vehicles to come. Reinventing the Grand Cherokee will be a big deal when the time comes. Product life cycle is becoming shorter and shorter these days and with the red hot focus on SUV/CUV's competition will be tough.

 

[Fiver]

All the numbers jammed together made me a bit cross eyed before finally finding the Giulia. Surprising amount of them sold considering the cost and how poorly everything but SUV/crossovers seem to be doing these days.

 

[ViscontiVerde 164L*]

Gotta disagree with the Chysler grandstanding. They are poised for a terminal crash if gas prices surge because the only stuff that is selling well (worth looking at) are gas pigs across the board. . Then again people that want a Jeep drive little else first.
I consider Alfa Romeo an independent even though its under the FCA umbrella but their architecture is unique to the brand as far as I know.
Jeep: People love them but god knows why. Wrangler is unique for offroading but are horrendous on road. People love Grand Cherokees as they are a dime a dozen and they drive and handle among the worst in their class. Again overweight and in the Chrysler tradition they compensate with more weight and bigger engines. Hemi BS is just that
Dodge: 10+ yr old chassis and grossly overweight across their entire line.
Pickups: "homey don't do that" Works trucks only IMHO. As personal transportation they are the biggest of gas guzzling American traditions.
Chysler: Might as well jettison that moniker. 2 vehicles left. Pacifica doing well. Sorry but Odyssey and Sienna are DIRECT competition. They did good job modernizing here. 300 another sinking sedan on dated architecture. Cool in 2005 though
Fiat nothing has changed in past 50 years. Amazing how they are so consistently bottom of the barrel.

Can't be record sales every year folks.

 

[Scalewoodman]

Future will tell and there is some risk about gas prices but I bet on the Marchionne team. There is no clear guarantee of success/so many forces at play- but a strong foundation with efficient (as in debt free) cash flow is pretty darned impressive. Compared to Elon Musk for example.

Everybody else has similar exposure. A cross the board.

 

[lost1750GTV]

"Hemi BS is just that"

that statement casts credibility issues across your entire rant.

 

[lost1750GTV]

some hemi education, if Hellcats and Trackhawks and 65 years of seriousness aren't enough

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/automobiles/collectibles/13-cunningham-c-3.html

https://bringatrailer.com/2015/08/22/twin-carb-hemi-restored-1958-facel-vega-typhoon-fvs4/

 

[Blackhorse]

Just got our vin number yesterday. Delivery expected next month. Woo-hoo!!

 

[ViscontiVerde 164L*]

That was 50+ years ago. That hemispheric piston is no longer the holy grail. Just because Dodge and Jeep did the Hellcat and now the Trailcat, doesn't mean GM or Ford couldn't do it in a far lighter and more efficient engine design. I see no need for any of those gorilla motors when things like a 2.9l V6 putting out 505 HP stock and easily over 600+++HP mildly tuned. I think you'll find a Guilia Quad will take a Hellcat to the cleaners in anyhting except maybe the top end of a 1/4 miles run and I'd sure as **** rather be in a Guilia going thru the esses at the Glen.

 

[ViscontiVerde 164L*]

That was 50+ years ago. That hemispheric piston is no longer the holy grail. Just because Dodge and Jeep did the Hellcat and now the Trailcat, doesn't mean GM or Ford couldn't do it in a far lighter and more efficient engine design, let alone a VASTLY superior chassis! I see no need for any of those gorilla motors when things like a 2.9l V6 putting out 505 HP stock and easily over 600+++HP mildly tuned. I think you'll find a Guilia Quad will take a Hellcat to the cleaners in anything except maybe the top end of a 1/4 mile run and I'd sure as **** rather be in a Guilia going thru the esses at the Glen. You did indeed prove my point that the entire company is living in the past. At least GM and Ford have some small displacement motors in current usage. Where is the multi air motor in any Chrysler products? We all know its a winner. I have a suspicion that as Alfa takes off with these 2 fabulous vehicles, it will get easier to jettison Chrysler and give the Pacifica to Dodge or indeed change Dodge to Chrysler just as they changed Dodge trucks to Ram. I can promise you if it didn't cause major upheaval, Marchionne would have dumped Chrysler long ago and just kept Jeep due to that brand loyalty. Dodge will be the first brand to go if something serious happens to gas prices. As I did live in the past I am watching history repeat itself.

I could care less about Tesla. Electrics will have no place in my long distance travel life till they have a 400++mile range and better still, I can recharge the **** thing as fast as I can fillup during a 18 hour drive to Florida for example. I saw Tesla Model S failure after 4 laps at WGI last year and I mean DOA for the rest of the day

 

[Alfaholico]

Many American car manufacturers have realized the redundancy of brands within their own umbrella can be challenging from a marketing standpoint...what difference between Pontiac and Oldsmobile....Ford and Mercury....Dodge and Plymouth....A thining of the herd was inevitable....Gas prices and sales are a tricky thing...For sure Chrysler is trying to push Dodge as their "Performance Brand" and it has worked, but as Verdi points out, that can be a tenuous one trick pony...Charger, Challenger, 300 C, all could be effected if gas prices tick upward....as could Trail Hawk, and SRT variants....As for the Wrangler...I totally agree...may be the worst on road vehicle I've ever driven...and yet, their image keeps them moving and their resale is strong....go figure....Agree that the redesign of the Pacifica to replace the Gran Caravan is a home run....a really great family van....But perhaps Chrysler would benefit from some thining of its own....I don't see what FIAT will offer going forward....the charm of the 500 is pretty much peaked...the 500 L is doomed as the 500 X is a better vehicle and less polarizing esthetically...Maybe a 4 door FIAT 500 to compete with CIVIC and Corolla sedans ? Personally, I see FIAT as dragging Alfa down...the FIAT boutiques need to sell Alfa as well or they would be done....However, that sabotages the marque....Tough to sell a $90 K Quad next to a $15 K FIAT 500 POP....Whereas, Alfa would be far better suited if it was in Maserati showrooms....Greater product symmetry...Ghibli / Giulia , Gran Turismo / 4 C, Levante / Stelvio and it would serve to upscale Alfa to make it more viable to compete against BMW, Merc, Audi, Porsche, etc......

 

[Scalewoodman]

A number of smaller displacement blow aspirated engines are in development + a version of the one you're driving is in 2019 Jeep Cherokee and coming in Wrangler. The modern Hemi was Ward's top engines for years and is highly respected for reliability and torque. Pentastar V6 3.6 and 3.0 are getting direct injection. Lots of good things in development with sound innovation. The long term issue is finding a synergistic partner for alt fuel vehicles but it is the low risk and prudent route while wiping out the costly ineffective drag of debt on any business. The development $$ was spent in the right places. New Wrangler is red hot and much improved and is a sweet spot as is Pacifica.

The glass is half full to me + sales/profit numbers tell the story.

 

[lost1750GTV]

"I see no need for any"

guess what, that's your opinion, and plenty of people don't agree. the hemi has been a high performance engine for 50 years. It's legendary , and it's been around longer than the 911 engine - and it's capable of making hellcats and trackhawks run with anything, which is the engine's job.

there's a lot of people ( even on the giulia forum) who share your thinking - but towards SUV's including your stelvio, which they describe in much the same manner as you describe this engine.

believe it or not, there are a lot of people who could give a ratsass about the esses at watkins, and a whole heck of a lot of people who have never heard of it. their opinion is every bit as valid and valuable as yours - or mine.

 

[Alfaholico]

"I see no need for any"

guess what, that's your opinion, and plenty of people don't agree. the hemi has been a high performance engine for 50 years. It's legendary , and it's been around longer than the 911 engine - and it's capable of making hellcats and trackhawks run with anything, which is the engine's job.

there's a lot of people ( even on the giulia forum) who share your thinking - but towards SUV's including your stelvio, which they describe in much the same manner as you describe this engine.

believe it or not, there are a lot of people who could give a ratsass about the esses at watkins, and a whole heck of a lot of people who have never heard of it. their opinion is every bit as valid and valuable as yours - or mine.

Just trying to mediate here....I think Visonte's point is that Chrysler / Dodge seem to have all their apples in the "HEMI" basket (not a bad thing) and that maybe they should look to push "Multi Air" into more products should gas prices go up......

 

[lost1750GTV]

visconte doesn't like hemi's - fine

but a google search of watkins glen trackhawk yeilds this quote

'Re: 2018 Jeep Trackhawk..."One of the greatest mopar vehicles of all time!"
Wow......Got to say that the TH on the road course eats it up. Kinda shuts up anyone that says it needs adaptive air suspension or the latest updated chassis for the GC to handle better. I am impressed and I actually raced 911's for years on road courses like Pocono and Watkins Glen.
__________________

 

[Alfaholico]

I'm sure he would agree that the Track Hawk is a beast.....

 

[Scalewoodman]

My GC Overland 5.7 stands as my best car ever in terms of versatility + comfort. Superb for 190K problem free miles. Stella is likely my favorite and superb in a different way and I am totally enamored. Apples and bananas - all good fruit.