FCA US LLC’s US sales were a mixed bag in May. Dodge, FIAT, and Chrysler’s numbers were down and surely left a bad taste in the mouths of corporate brass, but the performance of Jeep (and Ram) was sweet enough to help the company as a whole grow its figures by one percent to 204,452 vehicles.
Ram had its best May sales in 11 years thanks to the success of its ProMaster and ProMaster City vans, but that doesn’t mean sales for the month grew significantly relative to the same month in 2015. Ram only sold 15 more vehicles this May than it did last May.
On the other hand, Jeep sold significantly more SUVs than it did last May or ever before. Its dealers moved 90,545 vehicles – a 14-percent increase for the month. In fact, they gave Jeep its best monthly sales in its 75-year history. The Renegade, whose sales were up 146 percent for May to nearly 11,000 units, and the Compass, which was up by 116 percent, were big contributors to those record numbers. The Jeep Grand Cherokee had its best May in the past 16 years. However, Wrangler sales were down by more than 10 percent. They clearly didn’t bring Jeep down, though. FCA says, “The Jeep brand has set a sales record in every month dating back to November 2013.”
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
