Record Breaking First Full Year for Fiat Chrysler NZ

Record Breaking First Full Year for Fiat Chrysler New Zealand

• Fiat Chrysler Automobile sales up 51 per cent in New Zealand during 2014

• Up 56 per cent, the top Selling brand is Jeep, led by the Grand Cherokee despite short supply, and a full first year for new Cherokee sets Jeep up for a hot 2015

• Dodge Journey is Fiat Chrysler New Zealand’s top selling single model

• Fiat more than doubles its sales to smash through the 1000 unit per annum barrier for the first time

• Alfa Romeo consolidates position with increasing demand for Giulietta

Fiat Chrysler New Zealand, the new company set up in 2013 by New Zealand businessman Neville Crichton and Clyde Campbell to consolidate all the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles brands under one importer, has marked its first full year of operation with a record breaking total sales for the Fiat Chrysler brands of 3257 vehicles, up 51 per cent on 2013, in official figures released by the MIA.

With Jeep smashing sales records around the world it is not surprising that it is the top selling brand in the Fiat Chrysler New Zealand portfolio, with strong demand for the Jeep Grand Cherokee enabling it to maintain its position as the top selling Jeep model despite the challenged provided by the launch of the all-new Cherokee in 2014, giving Jeep a total of 1322 in 2014, up 56.6 per cent on 2013.

The crown for the best-selling single model in the Fiat Chrysler family goes to Dodge Journey, with the SUV/MPV crossover proving popular with Kiwi families to record total sales of 566, up 4.8 per cent on 2013.

Combined car and commercial sales enabled Fiat more than double its sales in 2014 and in doing so it broke the 1000 unit per annum benchmark for the time. The Punto toping Fiat’s passenger sales, aided by Fiat’s biggest ever fleet deal at the end of the year, and the Ducato continues to be highly popular with commercial and motorhome users alike. Fiat delivered 1040 vehicles in 2014, up 129.6 per cent.

As Alfa Romeo prepares for this year being one of the most important in its 115 year history with a highly important new model set to be launched on the anniversary of its founding, 24 June 2015, Fiat Chrysler New Zealand has consolidated position of Alfa Romeo in New Zealand with the sales posting a total of 231 sales, up 18.5 per cent on 2013.

“Last year was a satisfying year for Fiat Chrysler New Zealand as we saw the groundwork we put in place in 2013 come to fruition,” says David Smitherman, Chief Executive Officer of Fiat Chrysler New Zealand. “Our new dealer group has shown what they are capable of in terms of both sales and customer service, the facilities we have put in place to support them are now fully functional and with a host of new vehicles on the horizon, I am in little doubt that 2015 will be break the records we have set this year.”

In 2015 Jeep with see the Cherokee range bolstered by the arrival of the turbo diesel variant, which was launched at the tail end of 2014, and the arrival of the Jeep Renegade in the second half of 2015 will take Jeep into an entirely new market sector. Also moving into a new market sector in 2015 will be Fiat with the arrival of its SUV, the 500X also in the second half of 2015, just after the launch of the new Fiat Ducato family. Chrysler will also welcome the new 300 range mid-year.

“The new models already set to be launched in 2015 to build on our success in 2014 may already seem pretty lengthy,” says Mr Smitherman, “but there are still a few more secrets yet to be revealed. The coming year will be, without doubt, another record breaker for Fiat Chrysler New Zealand and its dealers!”

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