Not a good year for the once iconic American brand vs. competitors. Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – Jan. 3, 2023 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe PHEV-25 The 2.0L I4 offers just 23/24 mpgUS city/highway when off the plug. Stellantis reported year-end 2023 U.S. sales of 1,527,090 vehicles, down 1.3% from the 1,547,076 sold in 2022. 2023 Stellantis US Sales Highlights Stellantis PHEV U.S. sales increased 124% year over year Chrysler brand 2023 U.S. sales increased 19% year over year Dodge’s 2023 U.S. sales increased 5% year over year The bestselling PHEVs in the U.S. include the Jeep Wrangler 4xe at #1, Grand Cherokee 4xe #2; and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid at #3 2023 Top 10 US Auto Sales Rankings GM - 2,594,698 vehicles sold in 2023, up 14.1% over the 2,274,088 sold in all of 2022 Ford - 1,995,912 vehicles sold in 2023, up 7.1% over the 1,864,464 sold in all of 2022 Toyota - 2,248,477 vehicles sold in 2023, up 6.6% over the 2,108,458 sold in all of 2022 Stellantis - 1,527,090 vehicles sold in 2023, down 1.3% below the 1,547,076 sold in all of 2022 Honda - 1,308,186 vehicles sold in 2023, up 33.0% over the 983,507 sold in all of 2022 Nissan - 898,796 vehicles sold in 2023, up 23.2% over the 729,350 sold in all of 2022 Hyundai - 801,195 vehicles sold in 2023, up 10.6% over the 724,265 sold in all of 2022 Kia - 782,451 vehicles sold in 2023, up 12.8% over the 693,549 sold in all of 2022 Tesla - 654,888 vehicles sold in 2023, up 25.4% over the 522,444 sold in all of 2022 Subaru - 632,086 vehicles sold in 2023, up 13.6% over the 556,581 sold in all of 2022 2023 Top 10 US Auto Sales Leaders Ford F-Series - 750,789 vehicles sold in 2023, up 14.8% over the 653,957 sold in all of 2022 Chevrolet Silverado - 555,148 vehicles sold in 2023, up 6.1% over the 523,249 sold in all of 2022 Ram P/U - 444,926 vehicles sold in 2023, down 5.0% below the 468,344 sold in all of 2022 Toyota RAV4 - 434,943 vehicles sold in 2023, up 8.8% above the 399,941 sold in all of 2022 Tesla Model Y - 394,497 vehicles sold in 2023, up 56.5% over the 251,974 sold in all of 2022 Honda CR-V - 361,457 vehicles sold in 2023, up 51.8% over the 238,155 sold in all of 2022 GMC Sierra - 295,737 vehicles sold in 2023, up 22.4% over the 241,522 sold in all of 2022 Toyota Camry - 290,649 vehicles sold in 2023, down 1.5% below the 295,201 sold in all of 2022 Nissan Rogue - 271,458 vehicles sold in 2023, up 45.6% over the 186,480 sold in all of 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee - 244,594 vehicles sold in 2023, up 9.5% over the 223,345 sold in all of 2022
Stellantis sales - and profits - have been dependent almost entirely on Jeep and Ram. And MSRP of each have increased over 50% in the last few years. With the average new car interest rate close to 10%, people can't afford $80k Jeeps and $90k Ram pickups. They priced themselves out of the market. I remember reading that 2023 ended with Hyundai Motor Group outselling Stellantis to become the third largest automaker globally. That tells us that Hyundai is building vehicles people want and at prices that the middle class can afford. Nobody seems to blink at $1000/mo car payments anymore, at least in the internet world where everyone has an opinion that doesn't reflect their own buying preferences, but there aren't many people with a household budget that can support one of those monster payments. And certainly not two. And most households have two car payments. People I know with leased Jeeps are buying out their leases and not leasing or buying anything new. Around here, dealer lots are full and they're turning away allocations. Since automakers count a "sale" as selling it to a dealer, seeing dealers refuse allocations means that published sales figures are only beginning their slide. It's probably going to get much worse before it gets better.
Hi Chris: As always, a good analysis. I am working on the Honda, Nissan and Hyundai 23 US sales results in that order and Hyundai is nipping on Nissan/Infinity heels here. Add Kia for a total of (1,583,646) and it is a done deal as even Honda/Acura fell behind. For good reason too. Honda/Acura 2023 US Sales - 1,308,186 Nissan/Infinity 2023 US Sales - 898,796 Hyundai 2023 US Sales - 801,195 Kia 2023 US Sales - 782,451 Wayne
Only a few hillbillies or Trump supporters buy Stellantis. It's been a long time since they sold anything I'd want to buy.
On the east coast, and especially in the allegedly snowy northeast, Jeeps - notably the GC - are popular for the soccer moms. The Ram pickup is popular with the emasculated husbands who like to feel macho driving a 5000 pound 4x4 powered by a V6 with no oil pressure. Where it all falls apart - these middle class families are all spent out. They can't handle a new lease payment that's 300 to 400 a month higher. The reason they drove out in a Jeep or Ram is the lease cash from what was then FCA that allowed them to drive a car that is far beyond their means. Otherwise they'd be driving an Explorer or Traverse or other three row lease-cash-special.
From 2004 to 2023, what is the definition of "Light Duty" & over the years could the definition change? Could there be latter years' preference for say heavier vehicles or people's swing from Sedans to more expensive SUVs. Might weight & style changes drive some buyers out of the 'Light Duty" category. Might those changes in preference affect those graph numbers?
Is this true? I just heard that Stellantis is firing employees, many being engineers. I don't know if its coupled with the recall of over 300,000 cars for airbag explosive(?) problems. If lots of airbags need work, firing engineers doesn't sound like the way to solve engineering problems.