DaimlerChrysler's Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth and Jeep® Brands Set All-Time Quarter, Half-Year Records

Auburn Hills, Mich. -- DaimlerChrysler Corporation's Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth and Jeep brands sold an all-time record 1,390,273 vehicles in the first half of 1999, including 729,006 in the second quarter, also an all time quarterly high, the Corporation announced. In June, the Corporation sold 255,496 vehicles in the U.S., with Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth and Jeep contributing 239,079 to that total; Mercedes-Benz making up 16,417.

Second quarter sales for the Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth and Jeep brands were up 1 percent over last year, making this the third consecutive quarterly record set by those brands. Half-year sales were up 7 percent over the same period in 1998, surpassing the previous half-year record of 1,301,618, set in 1998. June sales for the American brands were down 5 percent against June 1998's all-time record number. Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, posted an 8 percent sales gain in June, the brand's third best month ever in the U.S.

"We had our best first half ever," said James P. Holden, Executive Vice President of Sales, "and with the new products we have coming out later this year, including the
Dakota Quad Cab, we're positioned for a dynamite second half, as well. We think the market continues to show strength, and we have a robust production schedule planned to match that demand."

Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth and Jeep set seven sales records in June, 14 new sales highs in the second quarter and 18 high marks in the first six months of the year. June sport utility vehicles sales were 64,578, a 15 percent increase and the tenth consecutive monthly record for SUV sales. Truck sales as a whole, including minivans and sport utility vehicles, tallied 172,116, a 1 percent decrease versus June 1998's record truck numbers. Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth passenger cars sales were 66,963, a 14 percent decrease over the previous June's 77,778.

Individual monthly records were set by the Jeep brand - 49,122, a 12 percent increase over Jeep's June 1998 sales - and the sixth consecutive monthly record set by Jeep. Dodge Ram Pickup sold a record 37,650 units, a 2 percent increase and the twelfth month out of the last 14 that the Ram Pickup had record numbers. In addition, Dodge Durango, with sales of 15, 456, was up 27 percent compared to June 1998, also a monthly high. Sales of the award-winning Chrysler 300M surged as well in June, with 4,381 vehicles sold, up 90 percent over June 1998's 2,302.

Half-year highlights, in addition to the all-time high for the Corporation, include the Dodge Division, with an all-time first-half sales record of 792,417. Separately, Dodge truck also had an all-time sales high from January to June, selling 597,610 vehicles, a 9 percent increase over 1998's first half. Jeep brand vehicle sales for the first half of 1999 were 269,627, up 15 percent from the same period last year. Included in that total were Jeep Grand Cherokee sales of 136,960, a 12 percent increase for that model line.

Among the 14 quarterly records was a new SUV high mark, with 194,110, an all-time quarterly record for that segment. Truck sales, at 519,782, were up 2 percent over second quarter 1998, and the seventh consecutive quarter in which truck sales have set records.