Chrysler said on Tuesday that its U.S. vehicle sales in November rose 7 percent to 192,012, its fifth monthly sales record in the last seven months.
The automaker, which merged with Daimler-Benz AG last month to form DaimlerChrysler AG (NYSE:DCX - news), said car sales rose 6 percent to 50,178 units from 47,539 last year, while light truck sales jumped 7 percent to 141,834 units from 132,463 last year.
Chrysler said Dodge truck sales surged 18 percent, with the Dodge Ram, Dodge Durango and Dodge Dakota all reporting record monthly sales.
Total sport utility vehicle sales rose 13 percent in November, to 55,025, Chrysler said.
``Our Dodge and Chrysler brands are red hot,'' said James Holden, DaimlerChrysler executive vice president of sales and marketing. ``And as more of our 1999 Jeep brand vehicles -- particularly the new Grand Cherokee -- are made available to our customers, we can expect to enter the new year in a very solid position.''
Sales of Chrysler brand vehicles jumped 48 percent from November 1997, and Dodge sales rose 15 percent. But the company's Jeep brand sales fell 7 percent and Plymouth brand sales plunged 25 percent.
