GM, Ford Sales Drop in March, Chrysler Reports Gains

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – For the second consecutive month, sales of the Lordstown-built Chevrolet Cruze fell 11% from a year ago. Sales of the car totaled 23,598 in March. In February, sales were down nearly 16% from the same month a year earlier.

Overall, General Motor Co.’s sales were down 2.4% in March with 249,875 cars, trucks and SUVs sold.

Sales for Chevrolet fell to 173,886 vehicles last month, a 3.2% drop from March 2014. The top seller for Chevrolet was the Silverado pickup truck line, as 45,193 were sold in March, a 7% gain from a year ago.

Buick sales rose 0.5% during the month, reaching 20,526 cars and SUVs sold. The Enclave led sales for the brand with 5,684 sold in March. For luxury brand Cadillac, sales were down 6.8% to 13,756 vehicles last month. The SRX crossover led sales with 5,000 sold in March. General Motor’s van and truck line GMC saw sales gain 1.3%, totaling 41,707.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles had a 2% increase in sales in March from a year earlier, as 197,261 vehicles were sold. March marked the company’s 60th consecutive month – five years – of year-over-year sales growth.

Jeep was the auto group’s best selling brand with 71,584 vehicles sold last month, a 23% increase from March 2014. The off-road brand’s top model was the Cherokee as 19,033 left showrooms last month.

While still holding down Fiat Chrysler’s second spot, Dodge sales in March fell 24% from last year – 46,049 were sold. The Dart, Dodge’s compact car, led sales with 9,572.

Chrysler sales rose 15% last month from a year before, totaling 30,038. The Chrysler 200 was tops among its three vehicle lines with 19,190 cars hitting the streets. The Ram truck brand had a slight pickup in sales as 45,023 trucks and vans were sold in March, a 1% climb from a year earlier. The Ram pickup line accounts for most of the sales as 41,595 trucks were sold.

Ford Motor Co. reports its sales dropped 3% in March from the same month in 2014, totaling 235,929. While retail sales rose 1% last month, fleet sales were down 13% due to “fleet order timing,” the company says. No specific sales numbers for either category were released.

Topping sales for the company was the Ford F-series of trucks with 67,706 sold last month, a 4.6% decrease year-over-year. The Fusion, Ford’s mid-size car, was second in sales; 29,044 cars sold last month, a nearly 12% drop from March 2014.

Sales of Ford’s Lincoln brand were down 3.1% as 8,695 cars and SUVs were sold. The MKZ was the brand’s best-seller with 2,842 cars sold, a 29.9% drop from last year.

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