Black Friday has always been about the
big-time savings on everything from TVs to clothing. Over the past
several years, vehicle manufacturers have thrown their hat into the
sales ring and 2013 was a successful one for Chrysler.
The Auburn Hills, Mich., based company's gains led November U.S. auto sales that accelerated to the fastest pace in more than five years as dealers stepped up promotion of year-end offers to try to control rising inventory.
Deliveries of cars and light trucks rose 16 percent for Chrysler, 14 percent for GM and more than 10 percent for Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. The carmakers led a rise in the industry's monthly annualized industry sales rate, adjusted for seasonal trends, to 16.4 million, the highest since February 2007, according to researcher Autodata Corp.
Automakers entered a year-end sales push last month with their biggest supply of cars and trucks in eight years, a buildup that was poised to test the industry's newfound pricing discipline. Dealers introduced more aggressive year-end marketing campaigns than in past years to try to draw shoppers to showrooms with Black Friday promotions and cheap financing.
"Dealers were seeing the opportunity to piggyback on this shopping phenomenon," said Dave Winslow, chief digital strategist at Dealer.com, which provides digital advertising and marketing services. "When you compound that with the high inventory levels, it's a good opportunity for them to really reduce those in the final few weeks of the year."
Chrysler sales met or beat analysts' average estimates for increases of 14 percent and 11 percent, respectively, in a survey by Bloomberg News.
Black Friday ranked as one of Chrysler's top-five sales days of the year, Ralph Kisiel, a spokesman, said in a press release. Deliveries of the new Jeep Cherokee climbed to 10,169 in just its second month in the market, helping the manufacturer extend its streak of year-over-year sales gains to 44 consecutive months. Sales of the Ram pickup gained 22 percent to 29,635.
"The auto industry is really very much influenced by being able to offer zero-percent financing, and car dealers also are beneficiaries of low rates," said Maryann Keller, principal at auto-industry consulting firm Maryann Keller & Associates in Stamford, Conn. "They're carrying excess inventory because floorplan for them -- the inventory carrying costs -- are so low."
Missed out on Black Friday? Not to worry. Most manufacturers, Chrysler included, continue with these excellent deals through the end of the year. So, head over to Barnett Chrysler in White Bear Lake and see the deals for yourself.
By Scott Stone
The Auburn Hills, Mich., based company's gains led November U.S. auto sales that accelerated to the fastest pace in more than five years as dealers stepped up promotion of year-end offers to try to control rising inventory.
Deliveries of cars and light trucks rose 16 percent for Chrysler, 14 percent for GM and more than 10 percent for Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. The carmakers led a rise in the industry's monthly annualized industry sales rate, adjusted for seasonal trends, to 16.4 million, the highest since February 2007, according to researcher Autodata Corp.
Automakers entered a year-end sales push last month with their biggest supply of cars and trucks in eight years, a buildup that was poised to test the industry's newfound pricing discipline. Dealers introduced more aggressive year-end marketing campaigns than in past years to try to draw shoppers to showrooms with Black Friday promotions and cheap financing.
"Dealers were seeing the opportunity to piggyback on this shopping phenomenon," said Dave Winslow, chief digital strategist at Dealer.com, which provides digital advertising and marketing services. "When you compound that with the high inventory levels, it's a good opportunity for them to really reduce those in the final few weeks of the year."
Chrysler sales met or beat analysts' average estimates for increases of 14 percent and 11 percent, respectively, in a survey by Bloomberg News.
Black Friday ranked as one of Chrysler's top-five sales days of the year, Ralph Kisiel, a spokesman, said in a press release. Deliveries of the new Jeep Cherokee climbed to 10,169 in just its second month in the market, helping the manufacturer extend its streak of year-over-year sales gains to 44 consecutive months. Sales of the Ram pickup gained 22 percent to 29,635.
"The auto industry is really very much influenced by being able to offer zero-percent financing, and car dealers also are beneficiaries of low rates," said Maryann Keller, principal at auto-industry consulting firm Maryann Keller & Associates in Stamford, Conn. "They're carrying excess inventory because floorplan for them -- the inventory carrying costs -- are so low."
Missed out on Black Friday? Not to worry. Most manufacturers, Chrysler included, continue with these excellent deals through the end of the year. So, head over to Barnett Chrysler in White Bear Lake and see the deals for yourself.
By Scott Stone
Categories:
News