By Tony Markovich, Autoblog
If this past May is any indication of future sales, the Gladiator truck is going to make Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) some decent coin. In its first full month on sale, the new Jeep pickup went home with more than 2,500 customers at an average transaction price of more than $56,000.
Cox Automotive, which works with automotive sales dealers
and brands such as Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, released a small
report on May sales, and it included some interesting nuggets about
Jeep's newest player. Brought to our attention by The Drive, the Gladiator entered May with 437 units sold, as the vehicles had just started to trickle into dealerships. In May, Jeep added 2,548 sales.
It's too early to call the Wrangler
with a bed a success or failure, but a second piece of information
hints at a positive outlook: According to Cox, the average transaction
price was $56,403. That's massive for a midsize pickup. The Gladiator
offers four grades to choose from. With destination costs included, the
Sport starts at $35,040, the Sport S starts at $38,240, the Overland
starts at $41,890, and the Rubicon starts at $45,040.
At face
value, that would indicate customers are buying up Overlands and
Rubicons with tons of options, but that's not the full story. What
likely bolstered the average price is the inclusion of the Launch
Edition, which was limited to 4,190 units and has already sold out.
It includes "nearly every package and feature available," and lists at
$62,310 with destination included. That people are willing to pay so
much for a midsize truck is a good sign for FCA and Jeep, but it could
also be, in part, due to the hype bubble. Only time will tell.
Other midsize pickup trucks put up much better volume sales numbers in May, including the new Ford Ranger. Cox says Ford sold 7,750 Rangers at an average transaction price of just more than $37,000. Let the midsize truck wars begin!
