FCA Reports Q3 2023 US Sales, Including Jeep Gladiator Sales

[legacy_etu]

Heard the phrase many years ago about Toyota that went along the lines of "Toyota does not necessarily always build the better vehicle, they build the better customer". They tend to make the dealership experience and after sale dealership service experience a way lot better than the Big Three USA brands. The Toyota Kool-Aid drinking and return customer retention is a hallmark of their customer base that makes many outside looking in and scratching one's head about how they sell so many Tacoma's.

Having owned a couple of Tundra's and Tacoma's over the years, neither was class leading in anything and the worse I could say about them is they were boring reliable if that makes sense.

Yeah, I get it. My wife has a Highlander which is super boring to drive but is a comfortable people mover and the dealership experience is better than most others brands. I suppose it all comes down to what you prioritize.

Sponsored

 

[bleda2002]

Interesting that Tacoma is up YTD, even though they have a brand new generation releasing for 2024.

https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2023-us-vehicle-sales-figures-by-model/

Buddy just bought one, he got like 10k off an already reasonable MSRP and a higher than average trade in value. Toyota is moving them out with the understanding the new one is coming.

 

[Mad Mac]

Except for the short-lived Brat and Baja
Subaru has no pickup but deserves mention
because they do a good job of building community,
of selling the sizzle instead of the steak.
The TV commercials with the family of dogs, for example.

Land Rover has used dogs as well.
Stopping in the rain to pick up a stray dog
and my personal favorite,
the Range Rover Evoque lost scarf

 

[Hootbro]

Except for the short-lived Brat and Baja
Subaru has no pickup but deserves mention
because they do a good job of building community,
of selling the sizzle instead of the steak.

Subaru was pretty genius in getting around the 25% "Chicken Tax" on imported trucks by putting seats in the bed and changing the vehicle classification. I do not think they could get away with it today with evolved safety standards.

 

[Lunentucker]

Heard the phrase many years ago about Toyota that went along the lines of "Toyota does not necessarily always build the better vehicle, they build the better customer". They tend to make the dealership experience and after sale dealership service experience a way lot better than the Big Three USA brands. The Toyota Kool-Aid drinking and return customer retention is a hallmark of their customer base that makes many outside looking in and scratching one's head about how they sell so many Tacoma's.

Having owned a couple of Tundra's and Tacoma's over the years, neither was class leading in anything and the worse I could say about them is they were boring reliable if that makes sense.

I can't knock Toyota at all.
I had a 2000 Tacoma and a 2005.
They bought back the 2000 years out of warranty and paid me 1.5X KBB Retail.
I took that money and bought the '05.
Some years later they replaced the frame in that one.
I sold it to a friend when I got the Jeep.
Sadly, a tree fell on it during a storm last year. No one was hurt, but I hated to see that truck die.
189,000 and it was still tight and plenty strong.
A buddy came over last week on his 05 Tundra with 480,000 miles on it. Said he had to replace a sensor once.

I keep trying to talk myself into the new Colorado, but I think I need to wait out that new Tacoma and see what it's like too.

 

[Raven65]

I just bought my '22 Gladiator Sport S last year (almost to the day) - brand new for just under invoice due to the company I work for having a relationship with Stellantis for fleet vehicles. I still thought it was stupid expensive for what it is but wanted to try one anyway - and justified it by telling myself that "Jeep Wranglers/Gladiators hold their value really well" and I could easily get most of my money back out of it if I decided to sell/trade it in a year or two if I didn't like it or it turned out to be unreliable. I guess the jokes on me - as I watch these huge rebates being given on new ones now - causing the used values to plummet. It's my first Jeep and I'm enjoying it, but, while I haven't had any issues yet (13k miles) - other than my electric power steering quitting for a few minutes and then coming back (!) - I am less than impressed with the quality from all the issues I hear about on here and in other groups. My last couple of cars were sports cars, but my last truck was an '09 Tacoma that never once saw the inside of a repair shop in 9 years and over 230k miles... so I guess I'm spoiled. I'm planning to keep the Gladiator and see how it holds up during the warranty period. At my current rate of driving, it'll take me several years to get close to the 60k powertrain warranty limit, so there's no rush. If it gives me any serious issues during that time, I'll probably be trading it for another Taco (depending on how the reviews of that new engine go).

 

[Hootbro]

I just bought my '22 Gladiator Sport S last year (almost to the day) - brand new for just under invoice due to the company I work for having a relationship with Stellantis for fleet vehicles. I still thought it was stupid expensive for what it is but wanted to try one anyway - and justified it by telling myself that "Jeep Wranglers/Gladiators hold their value really well" and I could easily get most of my money back out of it if I decided to sell/trade it in a year or two if I didn't like it or it turned out to be unreliable. I guess the jokes on me - as I watch these huge rebates being given on new ones now - causing the used values to plummet. It's my first Jeep and I'm enjoying it, but, while I haven't had any issues yet (13k miles) - other than my electric power steering quitting for a few minutes and then coming back (!) - I am less than impressed with the quality from all the issues I hear about on here and in other groups. My last couple of cars were sports cars, but my last truck was an '09 Tacoma that never once saw the inside of a repair shop in 9 years and over 230k miles... so I guess I'm spoiled. I'm planning to keep the Gladiator and see how it holds up during the warranty period. At my current rate of driving, it'll take me several years to get close to the 60k powertrain warranty limit, so there's no rush. If it gives me any serious issues during that time, I'll probably be trading it for another Taco (depending on how the reviews of that new engine go).

Yeah, it is bad timing if a year ago you bought on the speculation of the high market staying there. I kited the high equity market that allowed me to trade twice in three years in subsequent Gladiators. That started to change real quick about when you bought a year ago. The market really is really just snapping back to what it should be but has to over react on the bottom end before leveling out to a normal market medium.

 

[reverse01134]

My guess is people who need a mid size truck for truck purposes wouldn't buy gladiator unless they are Jeep lovers. For trail purposes, gladiator might be more popular than tacoma. I'm curious to see the sales of Rubicon/Mojave vs. TRD pro.

 

[UM_Ftown]

They tried to have their cake and eat it too. They push this image of this fun loving, get it dirty, rough and tumble, off road tool for families with a Black Lab or an Aussie in the back, fording water and crawling over rocks. The ultimate lifestyle vehicle for camping and beach day with the top down. They constantly push the G.I. war horse image and that Jeep is a middle American institution.

But that’s in complete opposition to the pricing. They’re priced like some kind of bougie status symbol for yuppies. Like a BMW. Hell, you can buy an X3 M40 for less. You can buy a Porsche Boxster. For a certain demographic of wealthy individual the luxury 3/4 truck is the ultimate status symbol to go with a McMansion. But my 21’ JTRD midsize truck sticker price was what my buddy paid for a new loaded Chevy 2500HD with dualies! After ordering mine, a little voice in my head said “dude you could have bought a C8 Corvette.”

Whenever people hear what this cost they always say the same thing, “For a Jeep?” They now has a reputation amongst gen Z’ers as unobtainium. As a rich person car. Potential buyers increasingly can’t reconcile the Jeep image with the Jeep price. They broke the model. Only hardcore Jeep people will pay money for a noisy brick on wheels and not be pissed off about it. That’s why they do so badly in CRs quality reports. It’s not quality issues. It’s all the people who bought the image and then had to live with the reality. Those people were willing to drop a lot of dough for the Jeep lifestyle idea, once. Even hard core Jeepers are a shrinking demo at these prices. They broke the model for the people who see the noise and handling as features, not bugs. They broke it for nostalgia. They broke it for lifestyle buys. They broke it for cross-shoppers who say “why not get something fun.”

Like so many other companies after 2020, they used legitimate inflationary pressure to slide in extreme new levels of profit on what was already getting to be obscene levels. I still can’t get over how the V8 option when accounting for the larger tires and all the rest, is priced at nearly what an installed crate engine costs. Since when has a V8 option cost 20k? I could have bought a loaded Ram 1500 with a Hemi for 15k less than what I paid for my Gladiator, again almost 30k less than a 392. It’s almost double the price of a Ram. They’ve lost their minds. The audacity.

What’s now happening is that chickens are coming home to roost. People are tired of this bs. Personally, I have zero sympathy for what happens next to the greedy French and Italian $&@;ards at Stellantis both with this strike and with the sales.

Im in this boat. I don’t really want to spend more than $40k for a Jeep, because of its quirks and limitations. Problem is that doesn’t get me much of anything, but it surely gets me something in most of its competitors.

 

[Stlrfan152]

Its still selling fairly good, its obviously going to look bad compared to the wrangler. One website said the frontier sold 45k so far this year.

 

[Koffee]

I guess the dealerships are not yet getting the memo. I went in today to see about upgrading to a Rubi or Mojave. I assumed they would be marked down but would try and hammer me on the trade in. They wouldn’t budge on the price and still told the story of how in demand they are. I didn’t bother to argue or see how much they wanted to beat met up on my trade I. Oh well, I have no issues sticking with my Willy’s.

 

[Phishs]

I guess the dealerships are not yet getting the memo. I went in today to see about upgrading to a Rubi or Mojave. I assumed they would be marked down but would try and hammer me on the trade in. They wouldn’t budge on the price and still told the story of how in demand they are. I didn’t bother to argue or see how much they wanted to beat met up on my trade I. Oh well, I have no issues sticking with my Willy’s.

I believe they have to give you the 10% off that Jeep is offering. I would try another dealer.

 

[Hootbro]

I guess the dealerships are not yet getting the memo. I went in today to see about upgrading to a Rubi or Mojave. I assumed they would be marked down but would try and hammer me on the trade in. They wouldn’t budge on the price and still told the story of how in demand they are. I didn’t bother to argue or see how much they wanted to beat met up on my trade I. Oh well, I have no issues sticking with my Willy’s.

Does not make sense. Are you saying they would not apply the 10% rebate?

I know some dealers when they present first numbers, they do not show the rebates or incentives and leave that to the finance guy to show.

 

[Koffee]

Does not make sense. Are you saying they would not apply the 10% rebate?

I know some dealers when they present first numbers, they do not show the rebates or incentives and leave that to the finance guy to show.

I asked to be provided what incentives were available and they said they are firm on MSRP as they can’t keep them in stock. Even though I was looking at a leftover 2022. Maybe the 10$ is only on 24 models?

 

[Koffee]

I asked to be provided what incentives were available and they said they are firm on MSRP as they can’t keep them in stock. Even though I was looking at a leftover 2022. Maybe the 10$ is only on 24 models?

***10%

Sponsored