Chrysler's April sales rise 20 %

Robust demand for Jeeps, pickups and the Chrysler brand lineup helped Chrysler Group post a 20 percent increase in April sales. Chrysler said Tuesday it sold 141,165 light vehicles last month, up from 117,225 units a year ago. Jeep and Ram truck brand sales rose 19 percent, while deliveries at the Chrysler brand jumped 56 percent. It was the 25th consecutive month that Chrysler sales have increased, and the 11th straight month the gain was 20 percent or more. In addition to new and refreshed models, Chrysler is offering some of the industry's highest incentives. TrueCar.com estimates Chrysler's discounts averaged $3,071 per vehicle last month, down 6 percent from March but up 10 percent from April 2011. Across the industry, incentives averaged $2,446 per vehicle last month, down 5 percent from March but up 6 percent from a year ago, TrueCar said. Other automakers are scheduled to report April results later Tuesday amid indications the industry's rebound remains on track. U.S. light vehicle sales are forecast to climb 1 percent to 1.16 million units in April, based on a survey of analysts by Bloomberg. The seasonally adjusted sales rate is expected to reach 14.4 million in April, based on a poll of 41 analysts from Reuters, up from 13.1 million a year ago and on par with a 14.4 million sales rate in March. Chrysler on Tuesday projected the annual sales rate will hit 14.6 million units in April. Sales of the Fiat 500 minicar hit 3,849 last month, and 2012 deliveries have reached 12,699 units, Chrysler said.