Chrysler Group had nothing but good news to share this morning as it has reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2012. The headline-hogging number is that the automaker's first quarter profit quadrupled from $116 million a year ago to $473 million this year. All that was on the back of U.S. sales that increased 39 percent year-over-year. The rise in sales also resulted in Chrysler Group increasing its market share in the U.S. from 9.2 to 11.2 percent.

With such an impressive first quarter, Chrysler is targeting an equally impressive year. Its forecast for profit in 2012 has been set at $1.5 billion, while last year it earned just $183 million.

Here are the rest of Chrysler's first quarter financial highlights:
- Net revenue for the quarter was $16.4 billion, up 25 percent from $13.1 billion last year
- Has $1.3 billion in free cash flow, ended the quarter with $11.3 billion in cash, up from $9.9 billion last year
- Net industrial debt was reduced to $1.3 billion from $3.4 billion last year
- Worldwide vehicle shipments for the quarter were 607,000, up 25 percent from 485,000 last year
- Fleet sales were 31% of total sales, flat versus Q1 2011
- Highest Canadian market share of 15 percent, first time ever
- International sales of Chrysler Group vehicles rose 80 percent to 67k

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/26/c...s-sales-incre/
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Chrysler sales explode in California, up 222%

Auto sales in California are red hot right now. The Detroit News reports that sales of new vehicles are up 17.7 percent in 2012, outpacing overall U.S. growth, which sits at a still healthy 13.3 percent. And since gas prices are still extremely high, cars accounted for a reported 62.7 percent of sales, while SUVs dropped to only 24.4 percent.

The car versus-SUV-paradigm isn't all that surprising given the price of petrol, but what is surprising is the brand that has received the biggest sales increase on a percentage basis. The Chrysler brand (aka the 200, 300 and Town & Country) is up a whopping 222 percent through March.

That's a shockingly big bump, but perspective comes with a glance at 2011 numbers. Last year, Chrysler sold just 2,470 vehicles in the largest car market in the U.S., compared to 7,955 sales in the first three months of this year. Chrysler has been so bad in California that in 2011 it reportedly accounted for only one percent of overall sales.

We don't know how much of this increase is accounted for with fleet sales of the Town & Country and 200, but at the very least it's probably safe to assume that rental car companies probably don't make up anything close to the 222 percent increase. It seems Chrysler may have a (somewhat muted) pulse in Cali after all.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/26/c...fornia-up-222/

 

I still wouldn't buy one, but good for them. Glad their doing well

 

They are saving Fiat right now... thats so funny.

 

Well, despite their admitted junk-vehicle past, they have convinced me, at least to an extent. Based on what I've seen (and test-driven) in the last couple of years, it is evident that this is no longer the same company it was for decades. The improvements, for example, in the latest-generation Charger, 300, Ram, Durango, and Jeep Grand Cherokee have been stunning...and the new upcoming Dart also seems promising. Chrysler, today, is essentially repeating what Hyundai and Kia did 10-12 years ago.

 

maybe in 5 years we will have proof of that... right now it is all fluff that looks and feels good but who knows how will it hold up.

FIAT is usually ranked as dead last in European reliability rankings.

 

True, but preliminary reliability info from Consumer Reports does indicate short-term improvements as well. For CR them to officially recommend a vehicle, it must not only pass their tests, but those of DOT/NHTSA as well, and have at least an average reliability rating for the last year.

 

I know they've improved and I'm happy for them. Same with Hyundai and most other makes across the board. However,

I only buy Ford and Lexus which is just a personal preference