Fiat Chrysler’s Annual Sales Drop Amid Pandemic

Count Fiat Chrysler Automobiles among the major auto manufacturers who were not immune to the coronavirus pandemic. As Covid-19 swept across the country and around the world last year, it also took a bite out of FCA’s bottom line.

Fiat Chrysler saw sales plummet by 17% over the year in the U.S. alone, the Detroit Free Press reports. The company sold 1.8 million vehicles nationwide in 2020, down 400,000 from a year earlier.

Ever the optimists, FCA officials said the sales slowdown could have been a lot worse. They also said a better than expected fourth-quarter puts the company in a potential bounce-back position in 2021.

“The work undertaken by our dealers was nothing less than heroic given the challenges they faced this year,” Jeff Kommor, FCA’s head of U.S. sales, said in a news release announcing the company’s year-end results. “The fourth quarter provided a strong springboard heading into 2021.”

Bright spots included the Chrysler brand, which saw sales tick up 5% in the last three months of the year. That was thanks largely to demand for the Pacifica, according to the Free Press. Alfa Romeo, the small-volume Italian brand, was also up 23% in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, the behemoth Jeep and Ram brands were down as much as 5% over the quarter. Dodge sales plummeted by some 31%, while Fiat dropped by a whopping 58%.

FCA was not alone in feeling the squeeze during Covid-19. Ford recently announced that its U.S. sales declined by nearly 16% last year. General Motors sales fell by 12% over the year, but the company said it saw its best fourth-quarter sales since 2007, with sales ticking up by nearly 5% compared to a year earlier.

What a California Lemon Law Attorney Can Do For You

Although new car sales are expected to make a full U-turn when the pandemic subsides, one thing is not likely to change: Huge automakers like FCA, Ford, and GM still struggle to put cars on the road that are safe to drive. Those companies recall millions of vehicles each year because of serious safety defects that put lives at risk.

The good news for car owners in California is that the state’s lemon law offers some important protections. It generally requires car manufacturers to repair vehicles while they are under warranty and to buy back - or, in some cases, replace - vehicles that the company cannot or will not fix.

California lemon law attorney Brian Bickel and his team at Bickel Sannipoli APC have represented hundreds of clients in defective vehicle cases in Southern California and across the state. We work tirelessly to get the people we represent the compensation they deserve by ensuring that auto manufacturers are made accountable. 

Our offices are conveniently located in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco.  Call us at (888) 800-1983 or contact us online to speak with a California lemon law attorney today.