Fiat Records Worst Month of U.S. Sales Since April 2011
Could the Italian brand’s reentry into the U.S. market end in de-Fiat?
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles posted its sales reports for the month of January, and the results were far from pretty: Down 13 percent in the United States and down 4 percent in Canada.
Examination of Fiat brand sales reveals the Italian marque, which reentered the North American car market in early 2011, reports having sold a mere 1,229 cars to U.S. consumers in the first month of 2018. Even the fledgling Alfa Romeo beat Fiat, moving 1,648 Giulia sedans and Stelvio crossovers in the same period. This makes for a 43 percent plunge from December's sales, totaling 1,738. According to the sales charts kept by Good Car Bad Car, this makes it the brand's single worst month of sales since April 2011, the second month of Fiat's foray back into the States.
Worse still are its Canada sales over January, with a total Douglas Adams would be proud of: 42 cars sold, down 88 percent from last year's 343. This lack of market presence is part of a trend sure to worry FCA, as Fiat has managed three-digit sales in Canada only once in the last sixth months, with September of 2017 contributing 152, over a third of the period's 418 total vehicles sold.
The Drive contacted FCA regarding information on this sales slowdown, but a spokesperson declined to comment, and directed attention to the company's presence at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show this week, at which they said information on Fiat's 2018 offerings will be divulged.
FCA as a whole is off to a rocky start to 2018, never mind sales figures. The company recalled 162,000 Chrysler Pacifica minivans for stalling risks in January, and it was asked last week to recall another 104,000 trucks and SUVs over emissions violations. It also was the target of a labor lawsuit in late January, along with United Auto Workers seeking compensation for $4.5 million in funds siphoned from UAW training centers.
