That sales hike compares very favourably with October 2010 when the Chrysler Group sold 90,137 units, as well as being the best October sales since 2007. Chrysler Group also significantly beat its two Detroit rivals - Ford and GM - for the month, as well as the overall market which it has now beat for 9 or the 10 months so far this year. Chrysler Group also said that retail sales were up 40 percent in October, although it doesn't break down actual data.

“In what is turning out to be a strong new vehicle sales industry we continued to outperform,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO of the Dodge Brand and Head of U.S. Sales. “For October, our retail sales increased 40 percent year-over-year with sales of the Chrysler 300 more than doubling and Jeep Compass sales increasing fivefold. The month of October also marked our ninteenth consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains.”

Models that contributed to the Group’s 27 percent year-on-year increase in sales included the Chrysler 200/Sebring mid-size sedan (11,205 units), the facelifted Jeep Compass compact SUV which saw sales up five-and-a-half times year-on-year to 5,179 units, and another facelifted Jeep model, this time the Liberty mid-size SUV, which was up by a half to 5,997 units. Dodge's Journey crossover was a strong performer, up 36 percent to 5,028 units, while the brand's Avenger mid-size sedan was up by 145 percent to 7,136 units.

The Ram pickup truck was up 21 percent year-on-year to 21,037 units. Demonstrating though how Chrysler Group is currently focused on managing a very broad model portfolio, the Ram pickup was the only Chrysler Group model to make it amongst the top-twenty best selling models in the U.S. last month according to motorintelligence.com, but it however was the market's fourth best-seller, just a few hundred units adrift of the third placed Toyota Camry, although far away from peer pick ups from Ford and GM.

The Chrysler brand’s 28 percent year-on-year sales increase last month was in fact the largest percentage gain of all the Chrysler Group divisions and was the brand’s best October since 2007. It also means that Chrysler has turned round a slow start to the year and has now edged positive for the year-to-date (+2 percent). However the Chrysler brand has been entirely reliant on the facelifted Sebring/200 for the positive traction again as all its other models have lost ground so far this year. The Sebring/200's sales were in fact up five fold to 11,205 units last month. The refreshed Town & Country went back to its losing ways last month (-25 percent) which is due to its positioning as did the facelifted 300 (-29 percent) which has struggled as large size cars have not been foremost in consumers minds. Other Chrysler Group losers last month included the 300 sedan's platform sister, the Charger (-10 percent), which has also failed to connect with buyers since its early year facelift, and the Grand Cherokee large SUV which has seen its 'new' product momentum wearing off; it was down 13 percent year-on-year.

The Fiat brand was the only negative story for the Chrysler Group for month just gone and its sales are now nose diving as it reels in the face of a conservative relaunch marketing campaign that was topped by the awkward product endorsement of actress and singer Jennifer Lopez. After peaking at just over three thousand units in July (3,038) and August (3,106), sales slipped down to 2,733 in September. However that wasn't the worst case as they slumped to just 1,965 units last month - against a Fiat target of 6,000 units a month. Chrysler Group is now fighting the fires as it tries to get the relaunch back on track.