Strong April for DaimlerChrysler Led by
Passenger Cars and SUVS

Auburn Hills, Mich. -- DaimlerChrysler sold 241,375 cars and trucks in the U.S. in April, with Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth and Jeep® brands accounting for 225,195 of those sales, a two percent increase over last April for those nameplates. Mercedes-Benz had U.S. sales of 16,180 compared to 16,318 units during April 1998.

Sales of the Chrysler 300M, Chrysler Concorde, Chrysler LHS and Dodge Intrepid - surged ahead of last year's results by 47 percent and led a six percent overall gain in passenger cars sales in April for Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth. Twelve sales records were set in April, including new monthly high marks for Jeep brand vehicles -- the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Jeep Cherokee and the Jeep Wrangler. The Dodge Division also posted record sales, with individual records set by Dodge Durango and Dodge Dakota.

"We're riding the wave of an incredibly successful product line-up," said James P. Holden, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "Our dealers are out there in the marketplace riding the same wave, too, supporting us in every way possible, from keeping the order pipeline full and vehicles in front of our customers, to improving customer service with efforts like Five Star."

Chrysler, Plymouth and Dodge passenger car sales totalled 67,713, up six percent over last April's 63,952. Truck sales - including minivans and sport utility vehicles - were a record 157,482, up slightly over last April's truck sales of 156,850. Separately, SUVs sold 59,851 units, an 18 percent climb from April 1998's 50,593 and the 17th monthly record for SUVs in the last 18 months.

The Dodge Division was among the record setters for April, with sales of 128,505, a one percent increase over last April's record volume of 126,611. Jeep vehicles also set a record for the month with sales of 44,419, a 14 percent increase for the brand over the previous year and the fourth month running in which Jeep brand vehicles have had record sales. Among the Jeep record-setters were the Jeep Cherokee, with sales of 14,544, a 30 percent leap versus April 1998's 11,225, and the Grand Cherokee, which posted sales of 21,583, an eight percent rise over last April and the fourth month running in which Grand Cherokee sales set a monthly record. Dodge Durango set an April high mark with sales of 15,432, a 34 percent increase for that model.