How Did Jeep Fare During the Recession of 2009

How did Jeep do in 2009?

Looking ahead to a steady yet moderate 2010, Chrysler remains on track to break even this year.

The Chrysler Group, managed by Fiat SPA, said it had $5 billion in cash at the end of 2009 and the company plans to sell 1.1 million vehicles this year.

Chrysler finished 2009 with 931,402 units sold, a decline of 36 percent compared with 2008. Sales fell 35.9 percent, to 931,402, marking the first year sales were under a million for Chrysler since 1962, according to Edmunds.com.

The Jeep lineup includes Commander, Compass, Grand Cherokee Liberty, Patriot, Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited. Jeep Wrangler's strong showing in 2009 along with increased sales of Jeep Grand Cherokee continued to top market share in the compact sport-utility vehicle (SUV) segment.

The Jeep Compass was named the #3 worst car sold for this decade while the SUV that held the top spot in sales was the Jeep Wrangler, according to Cars.com.

As part of Chrysler's plan, sales volumes will increase to 2.8 million cars in 2014, more than double 2009 volumes. Chrysler is expected to report quarterly results by April 30.

During the first quarter of 2010, the Jeep brand sold 18,939 vehicles outside North America, an increase of 27 percent compared to the same period in 2009. In March 2010, the Jeep brand sold 7,852 vehicles outside North America, an increase of 36 percent compared to March 2009.

Total sales of the Jeep brand worldwide, including the US, Canada and Mexico, reached 93,458 units during the first quarter of 2010, an increase of 5 percent compared to the first three months of 2009.

Chrysler will not be launching nearly as many new models in 2010 as Ford or General Motors but the Jeep brand is broadening its vehicle lineup with three new rugged vehicles, the 2010 Jeep Liberty Renegade and the Jeep Wrangler will offer two new limited-editions models, the Jeep Wrangler Islander and Jeep Wrangler Mountain.
End

Ronnie Tanner is a contributing writer at Jeep Engines. He writes about Jeep engines, Jeep transmissions and other industry specific topics.