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Ram's pickup sales surge boosts Stellantis in second quarter

Luke Ramseth, The Detroit News on

Published in Automotive News

Stellantis NV's U.S. sales surged 6% in the second quarter thanks to the growing popularity of its Ram pickups as well as its refreshed Chrysler Pacifica minivan.

But even as Ram sales grew 11% and Chrysler boomed by 80% year-over-year, the automaker's other two core domestic brands struggled over the last three months. Jeep sales slumped 5% and Dodge was down 15%, while sales of niche makes Fiat and Alfa Romeo also plummeted. In the same period a year ago, Stellantis had sought to juice sales after tariffs took effect by offering employee pricing for all.

Overall, Stellantis sales in the second quarter grew to 328,284. For the first half of the year, the carmaker's sales are up 5%, to 634,345.

Michael Orange, head of U.S. retail sales and network performance, said the company had found "incremental market share gains" in the first half of the year, fueled by upticks in sales for models including the Jeep Grand Wagoneer (up 43%), Ram 1500 (up 9%), Dodge Durango (up 9%), and the Pacifica (up 7%).

Stellantis is seeing signs of a gradual U.S. sales turnaround over the past year as it posts a fourth straight quarter of year-over-year sales growth.

But it has a long way to go: Overall annual domestic sales have been sliding for seven straight years through the end of 2025, with market share only recently gradually trending in the right direction, and dealers are still expressing skepticism about the company's trajectory. In April, the automaker poached Orange from Hyundai Motor Co. as it tries to build more momentum.

In the first quarter, Stellantis similarly rode a strong performance by Ram to a sales increase. But a robust sales turnaround for Jeep — traditionally the automaker's top-selling U.S. brand — has been slower. Executives hope the return of Jeep Cherokee to the core of the brand's lineup can help fuel sales, but the hybrid SUV hasn't yet begun moving off dealer lots in large numbers. Jeep sold about 8,000 Cherokees in the quarter, and more than 10,000 so far this year, after the all-new model launched at the start of 2026.

 

Other popular Jeep models also struggled in the second quarter. Wrangler sales were down 12%, and the top-selling Grand Cherokee slid 6%.

Early this year, Stellantis set a goal of a 25% increase in retail sales for the United States this year. But company executives more recently have backed off on that goal. CEO Antonio Filosa said recently the aim is gradual improvement each quarter, adding he believes the automaker's increased "density" of new products on the market will help spur sales.

In May, Stellantis laid out its new five-year $70 billion turnaround plan, with a heavy focus on its most profitable U.S. market and its two core brands here: Ram and Jeep. The FastLane2030 plan includes renewed investment in new gas and hybrid-powered offerings, as well as plans for several cheaper vehicles, in the $20,000s and $30,000s — a response to growing concerns about affordability in the industry, and a course-correction for an automaker that consistently pushed prices higher in recent years. The plan sets a goal of 35% sales volume growth, 25% revenue growth, and 50% increase in market coverage by 2030.

Filosa, who took over the automaker a year ago, says many of the automaker's recent troubles can be fixed with the onslaught of new products set to hit dealer lots over the next four-plus years. Among the coming offerings: new small and midsize Ram pickups, new crossovers for Chrysler's diminished lineup, and two new sporty Dodge vehicles.

In the near-term, Stellantis executives hope that new and refreshed models such as the Cherokee, gas-powered Dodge Charger and a Ram pickup geared for the street called the Rumble Bee, which is set to launch later this year, can give sales a jolt.


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