TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) – Chrysler reported on Wednesday that the company's sales numbers were the best in four years. That report is a good sign for the Toledo auto industry.
The January success is good news for local dealers, and also for workers at Toledo's Chrysler Assembly Complex, who have been through a lot over the past few years.
The recession has caused entire families employed in the industry to lose their jobs. Those same families have had to watch their savings dwindle while they worried about how they would make ends meet.
After the auto industry bailout, however, things have turned around. Those families are back to working 6 days per week, 10 hours per day, rebuilding their savings and their lives.
That success is part of what brought the deputy Secretary of Transportation to Toledo North on Wednesday. He came at a great time: the day that Chrysler reported a 44% jump in sales from last year.
Jeep sales were also up, driven by a nearly 70% rise in sales of the Liberty. Adding to that was a 25% growth in Wrangler sales. Dealers say last month was only the beginning.
"I'm expecting this year is going to be really really big especially for Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram." said Denny Amrhein of Grogan's Towne Chrysler Jeep Dodge.
At Grogan's Towne, January sales were up 80%, thanks in part to the weather, but also the vehicles.
Just Wednesday morning, someone came in wanting to switch from a foreign brand to a Chrysler.
In Toledo, it is increasingly about loyalty.
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