Associated Press
DaimlerChrysler Oct. U.S. Sales Increase
Wednesday November 3, 3:24 pm ET DaimlerChrysler Posts 1.6 Percent Growth in U.S. Car Sales for October

NEW YORK (AP) -- German carmaker DaimlerChrysler AG on Wednesday said its total U.S. vehicle sales grew 1.6 percent in October, with a slight rise in sales of Chrysler Group vehicles offset by waning demand at the Mercedes-Benz Group.

The company sold 188,492 vehicles last month, up from 185,535 in the year-ago period. DaimlerChrysler said sales of Mercedes-Benz cars slipped 4.9 percent to 18,323 vehicles from 19,273 last year.

Chrysler Group -- which includes the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands -- saw its sales gain 2.3 percent to 170,169 vehicles last month, helped by a sharp rise in car sales, which soared 24.2 percent to 36,397. Truck sales fell 2.3 percent to 133,772 during the period, the company said.

Sales of Chrysler-brand vehicles surged 38 percent to 48,178, fueled by strong demand for its 300 and Crossfire models. Dodge sales, despite an upswing in sales of Sprinter vans and Durango trucks, were down less than 1 percent at 90,859, while sales of Jeeps dropped 23 percent to 31,132.

There were the same number of selling days -- 27 -- last month and in the year-earlier period.

Year-to-date, DaimlerChrysler sold 2 million vehicles, an increase of 2.3 percent after adjusting for one extra selling day this year. Chrysler Group sales rose 2.7 percent to 1.8 million, while Mercedes-Benz sales declined 2 percent to 175,881. In afternoon activity, shares of DaimlerChrysler fell 4 cents to $41.75 on the New York Stock Exchange.

 

it depends on how you spin it. the increased demand is a comparison between october 03 (587 u.s. crossfire sales) and october 04 (1,353 u.s. crossfire sales). sales in oct 03 were way below targets. while october 04 sales show quite an increase, they aren't exactly promising. considering that chrysler is making 25K or so crossfires a year, with roughly 80% intended for sale in the u.s., they need to sell an average of 1,600 each month to keep inventory from increasing. in the best month of sales ever (may 2004) 1,669 were sold in the u.s. keep in mind that since inception less than 18K crossfires (both 04s and 05s of all varieties) have been sold in the u.s. thus the $10-13K price reduction required to move them. hopefully, they'll cut back production to 10K a year or discontinue the model when the old parts bin is empty. i'd rather see it discontinued and maintain some degree of rarity or exclusivity than have the distinction of being perhaps the most heavily discounted car (as a percentage of retail price) currently available for sale in the u.s.

 

04 PT Cruzers $7500-8000 off all.Even list price of 18,000 !!