Stellantis sales rose 4% in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same time period a year ago, the brand said on Wednesday, April 1.
The growth in sales was driven by the Jeep, Ram and Dodge brands and pulled down by a slow quarter for Chrysler.
Jeep and Ram have been on a blitz to bring several new (or revived) vehicles and powertrains to market — tactics which may be paying off in sales growth. Chrysler, on the other hand, just introduced a refreshed Pacifica — the only vehicle the brand offers — in February, halfway through the quarter.
All told, Stellantis, which owns Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat and Alfa Romeo in the United States, sold 305,902 vehicles in the first quarter of 2026. This is an increase of 12,000 more than the automaker sold in the first quarter of last year.
Jeep, which increased by 3%, was led by growth in sales of the Wrangler, Grand Cherokee and Grand Wagoneer. Jeep has the new hybrid Cherokee and refreshed Grand Cherokee and Grand Wagoneers on dealership showroom floors now.
Ram, which brought the HEMI engine back to its 1500 pickups last year, saw a 20% jump in sales for the first quarter, led by 9,000-unit increases in both heavy- and light-duty pickup sales.
Chrysler sales were down 28% over the quarter, as the brand sold almost 10,000 fewer minivans.
Dodge saw modest growth of 4%, led by the popular three-row SUV, the Durango. The brand is struggling to move large numbers of the redesigned Chargers, as only 240 of the all-electric muscle cars were sold over the quarter. The brand also sold only 1,672 new gas-powered “Sixpack” Chargers, with a six-cylinder turbocharged engine. Orders for the new internal combustion Chargers opened in August 2025.
Fiat and Alfa Romeo sales were down over the quarter as well. Fiat dropped 70%, and Alfa Romeo slid 53%.
Stellantis’ positive sales quarter bucks the trend other automakers are seeing with lagging consumer demand amid high gas prices and rising vehicle costs. General Motors reported a 9.7% drop in sales for the quarter. Toyota’s sales fell slightly, 0.1% year-over-year, for the first quarter of 2026. Ford Motor Co. reports its first-quarter sales on April 2.
Jeff Kommor, Stellantis’ U.S. head of retail sales, said the positive quarter amid an industry downturn is good news for the automaker.
“We continued to build strong momentum with 4% year-over-year growth and improving market share in an industry that is forecasted to be down approximately 6% based on early reports,” Kommor said in a news release. “There have been plenty of challenges facing the industry this quarter, but these results are proof that we are effectively activating our business reset.”
Stellantis is coming off a massive $26 billion net loss in 2025, driven by the company’s costly decision to pivot away from electrification and back to internal combustion engines. Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa has called 2026 Stellantis’ “year of execution.”
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com.