Jeep Renegade and Grand Cherokee Post Huge Sales Increases; Wrangler is Up, Too
January is typically a cold month, whether you’re talking about the weather outside or what you feel inside after the magic and romance of the holidays is over. January 2017 was also cold as far as overall Jeep sales. However, there were some hot spots in the automaker’s figures.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as a whole sold 11 percent fewer vehicles, a total of 152,218, than it did in January of 2016. The Dodge, Chrysler, and Fiat brands contributed to that decline; Chrysler was the biggest loser in January, posting a 39 percent dip.
Jeep didn’t help matters. Its sales were down, too. On the plus side, out of all of the FCA brands that experienced lower January sales, it suffered the smallest decrease. Jeep dealers moved seven percent less metal this January than they did last January, going from 62,767 units to 58,415. The slowest mover on lots last month? The ancient Compass. January sales of that went south by 50 percent. The Patriot was on the same downward path, although at a slightly slower speed. Patriot sales slid 45 percent in January, from 8,584 vehicles in January of last year to 4,700 vehicles this January. Customers bought more than 12,000 Cherokees, but their enthusiasm wasn’t enough to keep Cherokee sales from sliding by 25 percent.
OK, enough with the cold. What about those hot spots? The Grand Cherokee got a shot in the arm for the 2017 model year with fresh takes on the luxurious Summit and off-road-focused Trailhawk trim lines, so it’s not a major shock that it was in the black for January. Plus, it’s been doing well for Jeep recently. Sales climbed by 24 percent.
The Renegade continued to be a popular purchase as well. More than 9,300 of those were snapped up – a 52 percent jump relative to the same month in 2016.
Even sales of the Wrangler, which has had some in-the-red months, increased – by three percent. That may not be a red hot number, but it sure beats the cold.
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.
