Chrysler Group Sales Plunge 48 Percent in April

Whereas FoMoCo and General Motors managed to keep their loses under 35 percent, Chrysler LLC took another plunge in April reporting U.S. sales of just 76,682 units, representing a chilling 48 percent decrease versus 2008. Chrysler said that the April sales included a fleet reduction of 66 percent year-over-year for the same period, as the company "continues to emphasize retail over fleet." Brand-wise, Chrsyler suffered the biggest loss with a 55 percent decrease followed by Dodge with -48 percent and Jeep with a 42 percent decline over the same month in 2008.

As for the few positive highlights of the month, Jeep Wrangler sales increased 7 percent year-over-year compared to April 2008, sales of the Dodge Challenger were up 11 percent compared to March and Chrysler Town & Country retail sales increased 6 percent over the previous month.