Aside from the low-volume SRT Viper, there would be only one all-new major vehicle introduction: the Dodge Dart.
Even so, Chrysler's U.S. sales through April have increased by a third -- nearly triple the industry average.
Left for dead just three years ago, Chrysler has gained market share -- 11.6% for the first four months, compared with 9.6% a year ago. Ford and General Motors, on the other hand, have lost ground as Asian automakers recover from last year's tsunami.
"Now we've got the (new) products, we've got the highest quarterly earnings in 13 years," said Reid Bigland, Chrysler's head of U.S. sales.
Some brush aside the results, suggesting any improvement after a bankruptcy looks impressive. Others point to a heavy reliance on fleet sales, such as to rental companies.
But there's no denying several factors are contributing to the performance above and beyond the main competition.
• Higher quality, including vastly improved interiors, on 20 models introduced since 2009 means vehicles are retaining more value. Dealers no longer resort to big incentives and rebates to persuade buyers. And the higher trade-in values mean owners can better afford a new vehicle three or four years after the first purchase.
According to ALG, a company that tracks vehicle values at the end of leases, future predicted values of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep or Ram vehicles are higher now than in 2007.
"The market seems to be responding positively to their products," Larry Dominique, executive vice president of ALG, said in an e-mail.
• There's also evidence that Chrysler is pursuing buyers with lower credit scores than most of its rivals, said Jessica Caldwell, analyst for Edmunds.com. She credits Chrysler for seeing the opportunity.
"If you are one of the few people in that business ... all of the sudden you have opened up yourself to a lot of new customers," she said.
She said 1 of 5 Dodge buyers in April financed their loan with an interest rate of at least 10%. In contrast, just 1 of 10 Chevrolet buyers and an even-lower rate of Ford buyers paid 10% or more, an interest rate indicating a credit score of less than 700.
Chrysler dealers say the increase reflects the financial market's willingness to provide loans at more flexible terms.
"Ally (Financial) and some of the banks are buying deeper. The FICO scores are somewhat less," said Michael Fohrman, a Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-Ram dealer in Gurnee, Ill.
• Chrysler's mix of fleet sales is lower than Ford's and only slightly higher than GM's. TrueCar.com says fleet sales accounted for 29.7% of Chrysler's U.S. sales in the first quarter, compared with about 27.7% for GM and about 32.3% for Ford.
'Market has responded'
Some models, such as the Chrysler 200, are still benefitting from the rapid makeover Fiat put Chrysler through in 2010 and 2011, said Cass Burch, a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram dealer in Valdosta and Quitman, Ga.
"The average manufacturer attacks three or four cars each year. ... Chrysler did 16 vehicles at one time, so it is such a shocking improvement that the market has responded," Burch said. Armed with higher-quality vehicles and improved fuel economy, the company has cut incentives. "Now, we just put enough incentives on a car to be competitive," Burch said.
Autodata says Chrysler's incentives increased 8.3% in the first four months of this year to $3,274. Chrysler disputes the figure and says its incentives actually decreased 3% to $3,200 in the first quarter. Either way, it's less than in 2008 when incentives topped $4,000, according to Autodata.
Becoming believers
Less than three years ago, dealers questioned an ambitious five-year plan laid out by Marchionne to save Chrysler.
Now, dealers from northern Illinois to suburban Philadelphia to rural Georgia gush about the chief executive.
At Fohrman's dealership in Gurnee, Ill., sales are up about 20% this year. The Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wranglers are among the best-selling products.
David Kelleher, a dealer in Glen Mills, Pa., said sales are up 42% into May.
It's an irony that sales in metro Detroit are not as strong, said Dan Frost, owner of Southfield Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and Ram. He sold 310 cars and trucks in April, compared with 312 during the same month last year.
Local metro Detroit dealers rely on Chrysler employees for the majority of sales. Frost speculates those workers who lived through Chrysler's near-collapse in 2009 still fear for their futures.
Boding well for Chrysler sales is that the most important launches this year haven't even happened yet -- the compact Dart and updated Ram 1500.
The Dart goes on sale in June and a Ram with a new engine and transmission this fall. "I would sum it up by saying it's good being a Chrysler, Dodge, Ram Jeep dealer," said Fohrman. "You could not have said that two or three years ago."
By Brent Snavely Detroit Free Press Business Writer
Read this story at the Detroit Free Press web site here.
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