Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300 Sales Grow in July 2017

Although the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 are due to be replaced in the next few years, sales of the large, rear wheel drive sedans from FCA remain strong, with year over year sales growth for both of the biggest FCA cars.

While all of the bestselling cars in America are front wheel drive compacts and mid-sized sedans, there are still plenty of drivers who prefer the feel of a big, rear wheel drive sedan. Both Chevrolet and Ford have turned to front wheel drive configurations for their large sedans (Impala, Taurus), FCA has continued to post solid sales numbers with the Dodge Charger and the Chrysler 300 – both of which are rear wheel drive models with optional (and relatively rare) all-wheel drive models.

From month to month and year to year, the Dodge Charger is routinely the bestselling rear wheel drive sedan sold in the USA and in July 2017, the Charger posted better numbers than it had in the same month the year before, as did the closely related Chrysler 300. The bestselling sedans in America might be smaller, front wheel drive models, but as the bestselling RWD sedan in America, the Dodge Charger proves that there are still tens of thousands of drivers who want the rear-drive feel.

July 2017 Big Sedan Sales
In the month of July 2017, FCA sold 5,426 examples of the Dodge Charger and 3,090 examples of the Chrysler 300. The Charger was up 9% from the same month in 2016 while the 300 improved by 31% from last year, although both cars are on pace to move fewer units in 2017 than they did in 2016.

More importantly, with 5,426 units sold last month, the Dodge Charger was the bestselling rear wheel drive sedan in America. For comparison, the BMW sold 4,084 examples of their popular 3 Series sedan and 3,713 examples of the larger 5 Series sedan – both of which are rear wheel drive models with optional all-wheel drive packages. Lexus sold 2,443 copies of there IS sedan and Mercedes Benz sold 4,899 C-Class models, although it should be noted that the Mercedes numbers do not break out coupes and sedans, so that C-Class number is not all sedans.

Next to the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300, the bestselling rear wheel drive sedan from an American automaker was the Cadillac CT6 with 890 units sold.

In short, the move by the Dodge brand to focus on larger, rear wheel drive vehicles like the Challenger and Charger is seemingly paying off, with the Charger being one of the bestselling large sedans and the bestselling rear wheel drive sedan in America by a comfortable margin. When you consider the fact that the Chrysler 300 is basically a rebodied Dodge Charger with a more premium interior feel, FCA’s total of 8,516 Chargers and 300s sold last month proves that buyers still want a big, powerful, rear wheel drive sedan – with most leaning towards a sportier look and the rest opting for a more luxurious feel.

Meanwhile, the Dodge Challenger is in a tight race with the Chevrolet Camaro for the 2nd place spot in the American sporty car and muscle car sales race for 2017, so both of the RWD Dodge cars and the Chrysler 300 are all selling well, even though they are all frequently criticized for being older models.

Rumors suggest that there will be a new Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 coming in the next few years, but until those new models arrive – people are still snatching up the big, powerful FCA cars.