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May 2016: FCA wins, Ford and GM stumble on weak car volumes

The May 2016 sales numbers are in, and it looks as though FCA is getting some vindication for boldly cancelling two slow-selling car models. Meanwhile, Ford saw overall sales dip and GM's May volume took a big dive versus the same month in 2015. While Marchionne's decision to axe the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart has drawn criticism as being short-sighted, it's working for FCA so far. Although the Dart and 200 aren't out of production yet and no capacity has been shifted to crossover or trucks, May's numbers show that the emphasis on Jeep and Ram models makes sense right now. FCA's US sales rose 1 percent last month compared to May 2015, putting the year-to-date total at 955,186 vehicles, an increase of 6 percent compared to the same period last year. Standouts included the Jeep Renegade, Compass, and Patriot, and the Fiat 500X. Ram pickup sales were down 3 percent. And your fun fact is that Alfa Romeo sales were up precisely 10 percent, for a total of 44 4Cs sold versus 40 in the same month last year. At FoMoCo, the Ford brand took a hit to the tune of 6.4 percent from May 2015 to 2016, registering 226,190 sales last month. Lincoln showed improvement on its modest numbers, going from 9,174 to 9,807, a 6.9 percent increase. Overall, Ford was down 5.9 percent for the month to 235,997; despite the slump, year-to-date total Ford sales are up 4.2 percent to 1,112,939. Strong sellers included Escape, Expedition, F-Series, and Transit - big stuff. Most small and/or efficient models (Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, C-Max) saw sales slides. Fusion sales were also down, likely due to effects of model changeover to the freshened 2017 model. Ford has promised four new crossovers and SUVs by 2020 and if things keep trending this way the company will be able to sell them, but things could change in the next four years. GM saw the worst of it for domestic brands. Retail and fleet sales were down for each of the four divisions, with the May 2016 total dropping 18 percent to 240,450 vehicles. GM's year-to-date sales are down 5.0 percent in 2016 to 1,183,705. Both the Sierra and Silverado were down significantly, and the majority of Chevy, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac nameplates saw sales decreases, with both small cars and larger utilities included. Not even big stuff could help GM this month, it seems. We'll have more on the rest of the industry's May sales as those figures trickle in.

Recharge Wrap-up: Ram 1500 EcoDiesel earns RMAP Truck of the Year, GM earns Energy Star awards

Jas Hennessy & Co, maker of Hennessy Cognac, has taken delivery of 45 electric vehicles from Renault at its headquarters in Cognac, France. The 23 Zoes and 22 Kangoo ZEs are to be used by employees traveling between the company's sites, and replace 80 percent of the company's internal combustion fleet. "For many years now, Jas Hennessy & Co has been actively working to reduce its environmental impact," says Hennessy Operations Manager Marc Sorin. Hennessy also recently bought an electric boat to take visitors across the Charente River to the company's aging cellars. Read more from Renault. General Motors has earned two Energy Star awards from the EPA. The automaker earned the Energy Star Partner of the Year award for Sustained Excellence for efforts in energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. For example, GM has achieved a global reduction of energy intensity by six percent, and has invested $34 million in energy, water and carbon reduction projects at its facilities. GM also earned the EPA Energy Star Climate Communications award for its outreach to employees, customers and stakeholders about energy efficiency and climate change. Read more from General Motors. The 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel has been named Truck of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press Association. The Ram truck beat out the Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty and GMC Canyon to earn the honors at the Denver Auto Show. The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel boasts a fuel economy of 21 mpg in the city, 29 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined. Ram attributes the truck's efficiency to features like its eight-speed transmission, stop-start system and active aerodynamics. Rocky Mountain Automotive Press Association Names 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel 'Truck of the Year' and 2015 Chrysler 200 'Car of the Year' AUBURN HILLS, Mich., April 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- - Denver-based journalist organization announces the awards at the Charity Preview for the Denver Auto Show - Winners are chosen from a field that includes every significant new car and truck introduced in the last year - Each eligible vehicle is evaluated and voted on by the members of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press - The 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, America's most fuel-efficient pickup, earned a 29 mpg rating from the U.S.

Chrysler uses Super Bowl spots to honor troops, farmers

How do you follow up such revered and successful ads as Chrysler's last two Super Bowl commercials? Imported from Detroit and Halftime in America should be given credit for giving the automaker's public perception a complete overhaul after its rescue from the brink with taxpayer money. What next, then?
We just found out during Super Bowl XLVII. This year Chrysler went with two commercials, one for Jeep and the other Ram. The two-minute-long Jeep commercial, called Whole Again, is narrated by Oprah Winfrey and presented as an open letter to the service men and women of America, simply expressing admiration for what they do - poignant message coming from a company whose history is so entwined with that of the military's.
The Ram commercial, called Farmer, honors the agricultural backbone of this country. Its soundtrack is a speech entitled "So God Made a Farmer" given by the famous radio broadcaster Paul Harvey, which plays over a slideshow of original photography commissioned by Ram. The images, of course, focus on farming and the people who do it for a living, and there's a few Ram trucks in there, as well.