RAM, Jeep, and the Chrysler Pacifica provide May sales power. Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – June 1, 2017 2017 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV-33 provides 33 miles of all-electric range (AER) and a 32/33 mpgUS city/highway rating when driving as a std. Hybrid on its heavily atkinsonized 3.6L Pentastar V6 – $43,090 to start including the $1,095 D&H Charge. Its LG Chem sourced 16 kWh pack allows owners the full $7,500 Federal tax credit if they qualify. Many states offer PHEV owners incentives bringing down the upfront costs down even further. The 2017 Pacifica PHEV provides functionality beyond anything on the road, versatility, the latest technology and dare I say, it looks good too. Foremost, the Pacifica PHEV provides the most efficient gasoline and hybrid drivetrains in the segment. The Pacifica Hybrid takes this revolutionary vehicle a step further with its innovative, advanced hybrid powertrain. It’s the first electrified vehicle in the minivan segment and achieves 84 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) in electric-only mode and 33 miles of all-electric range. Pacifica Hybrid owners could drive for weeks or months using just the battery. Like many PHEVs, the Pacifica PHEV will go to Charge Sustaining Hybrid mode and consume much of the fuel that is over 90-days old. The 16-kWh Li-Ion traction battery stored under the second-row floor can be fully recharged from flat via the 6.6-kWh on-board Level2 charger in as little as two hours. From a std. Level1 120V outlet, from flat to full will take approximately 14 hours. Charging times can be scheduled to meet the owners needs to save on electricity rates if in a tiered rate plan area or add convenience. The traction battery just like the Hybrid drivetrain is covered by a 10-year/150,000-mile transferable warranty. The Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association (GAAMA) annual Family Car Challenge saw the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid honored with the media group “Best Family Car” and “Best Technology Family Car”. GAAMA members evaluated various manufacturers’ vehicles, spanning several family-oriented categories. Journalists scored vehicles after driving scenic routes at the Lake Lanier Islands Resort and Conference Center in Buford, Georgia. 2017 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV-33 A great family vehicle in so many ways. Christopher Lawrence, GAAMA President and CEO of AutoAcademics. FCA May 2017 Sales Overview FCA reported it sold 193,040 vehicles, a 0.8 percent decline vs. the 194,720 sold in May of 2016. ON a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis, sales were off a 4.8 percent. YTD sales of 880,014 are off 6.6 percent below the 941,862 sold through the same period so 2016. FCA stated that retail sales of 152,227 vehicles were up 1 percent compared to May of 2016, and represented 79 percent of total sales. Fleet sales of 40,813 vehicles were down 7 percent as FCA reduces daily rental sales. Fleet sales represented 21 percent of total May sales. Ram and Dodge brands each posted year-over-year sales increases in May, compared with May of 2016. May Ram truck sales of 44,850 was up 16.3 percent over the 38,569 sold in May of 2016. On a DSR basis, sales were up 11.6 percent. YTD sales of 207,370 are up 7.9 percent over the 192,131 through the same period of 2106. The Jeep Grand Cherokee achieved May sales of 20,726., up 13.8 percent over the 18,205 sold through the same period of 2016. On a DSR basis, sales were up 9.3 percent. YTD sales of 96,203 vehicles are up 15.0 percent over the 83,631 sold through the same period of 2016. The May featured vehicle, all-new Chrysler Pacifica achieved sales of 11,720 vehicles, up 325 percent over the 2,760 sold in May of 2016. YTD sales of 47,199 are healthy and not really comparable to the 2016 release year since there was only approximately 6-weeks of sales through the end of May. The U.S. Automobile May 2017 vs. May 2016 Market Share results. To begin, Ford outselling GM in May and gaining 0.5 percent market share was the big news. Both Hyundai and FCA lost .6 percent market share. The Accord broke back into the Top 10 last month and this month moved to number 5. I have not looked up incentive addons but there appears to be a hard push to move Accords at Honda dealerships nationwide. Not a bad car to be pushing either. Segment Items of note Despite the large incentives, both the aging Focus and new Cruze outsold the new Elantra. Sonata sales are slumping. The Tucson at 10,600 units in May is closing in on making Sonata the number 3 seller in the flying H lineup. Something that has never occurred before. CUVs are still hot. In the pickup truck segment, for the second month in a row Ford’s F-Series has outsold the entire GM pickup truck lineup, RAM outsold the Silverado for the third month in a row and Nissan's Titan appears to be leveling off near the 5k mark with Ridgeline hovering around 3k/month. When it comes to Hybrids, the Prius lineup is beginning to feel competitor’s offerings with the Kia Niro and Hyundai Ioniq together taking 4,487 sales that may have went to the Prius or possibly the hot selling RAV4 Hybrid previously. Kia’s Niro achieved sales of 2,660 and its monthly sales volume for the first time since its intro has fallen below the prior months result. Prius c is way off the mark and if there was ever a time to see a second gen, now is that time. In the Electric segment, Toyota's Prius Prime for the second month outsold the Volt while the Bolt picked up quite a bit from last month’s sub 1k/mo sales result. U.S. May 2017 Sales vs. May 2016 Sales Ranks and Results for the top 18 Automobile Manufacturers Ford May 2017 Sales Up 2.2% with 241,126 Vehicles sold GM May 2017 Sales Down 1.3% with 237,364 Vehicles sold Toyota May 2017 Sales Down 0.5% with 218,248 Vehicles sold FCA May 2017 Sales Down 0.8% with 193,040 Vehicles sold Honda May 2017 Sales Up 0.9% with 148,414 Vehicles sold Nissan May 2017 Sales Up 3.0% with 137,471 Vehicles sold Hyundai May 2017 Sales Down 15.5% with 60,011 Vehicles sold Kia May 2017 Sales Down 7.0% with 58,507 Vehicles sold Subaru May 2017 Sales Up 12.1% with 56,135 Vehicles sold Mercedes-Benz May 2017 Sales Down 7.0% with 30,290 Vehicles sold VW May 2017 Sales Up 4.3% with 30,014 Vehicles sold BMW May 2017 Sales Down 11.1% with 29,878 Vehicles sold Mazda May 2017 Sales Down 7.9% with 26,047 Vehicles sold Audi May 2017 Sales Up 2.5% with 19,197 Vehicles sold Jaguar/Land Rover May 2017 Sales Up 13.9% with 8,106 Vehicles sold Mitsubishi May 2017 Sales Up 13.9% with 9,429 Vehicles sold Volvo May 2017 Sales Up 12.0% with 6,202 Vehicles sold Porsche May 2017 Sales Up 2.2% with 5,529 Vehicles sold In May, Ford moved ahead of GM as the number one U.S. Auto Manufacturer. This is a May anomaly but one we will be watching going forward. Mitsubishi moved ahead of Jaguar/Land Rover for the 15th spot. On a volume basis, May 2017 U.S. auto sales were up 4.1 percent. On a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis, May sales were up 0.05 percent. 2017 YTD sales of 6.97 million vehicles is down 1.6 percent from the 7.08 million sold through the same period and same number of sales days in 2016. There were 25 selling days in May of 2017 vs. 24 in May of 2016 and 125 days in both 2017 and 2016 as described numerous times above.
FCA Canada Achieve its Highest Monthly Sales in History FCA Canada reported it achieved the highest monthly sales in the Company’s 92-year history, with 33,186 vehicles sold. Like the U.S., the Ram pickup and Jeep Grand Cherokee led the sales charge in May, both achieving record all-time monthly sales results. FCA Canada May sales of 33,186 was up 4.7 percent over the 31,705 sold in May of 2016. YTD sales of 124,648 were down 0.4 percent below the 125,133 sold through the same period of 2016. FCA retail sales of 20,192 vehicles were up 1 percent while fleet sales of 12,994 were up 11 percent compared to May 2016. FCA Canada May Sales Highlights During May of 2017, Ram including pickups and vans set an all-time monthly sales record with 15,524 trucks sold, up 61 percent over the 9,636 sold in May of 2016. YTD sales of 49,056 were up 14.0 percent over the 43,017 sold in May of 2016. The Ram pickups achieved an all-time monthly sales records of 14,990 vehicles, up 61.9 percent over the 9,258 sold in May of 2016.
I've never been a Chrysler fan but the silence of the competition to the PHEV Pacifica is absolutely deafening. Come on Honda or Toyota we need some efficient people movers to compete! It's embarrassing that Chrysler has such better product on the market right now. The Hybrid Highlander is nice but expensive and barely considered a 3rd row. If I was buying a 7/8 seater today the Pacifica would probably be it (but I'd be tempted by the CX-9 ).