Chrysler posts best January sales since 2008

CHICAGO -- Chrysler Group LLC sold 117,731 vehicles last month, marking the Auburn Hills-based company's best January sales since 2008 or a year-on-year growth of 16 percent, local news reported.

File photograph of a Chrysler logo atop a New York City car dealership. [Photo / Reuters]

All Chrysler brands except Jeep reported sales increases year-on-year, with the Dodge brand rising 37 percent from a year ago. Jeep sales dropped 4 percent, as Chrysler, now controlled by Fiat, phases out the Liberty model and prepares to launch its successor later this year, said Detroit News.

Sales of Fiat 500 jumped 31 percent to 2,503 units, while the Dodge Dart hit 7,154, the highest level since the vehicle's introduction last June.

US auto sales are expected to maintain a strong growth trend this year, with sales rising as much as 15 percent.