Outside North America, Chrysler sales soar in January

Chrysler Group unit sales outside North America rose 11 percent in January to 15,001 vehicles, its best January numbers in nine years, the U.S. arm of DaimlerChrysler said today.

Sales of the Dodge Caliber compact, launched internationally in June, hit 2,566 cars last month, making it Chrysler's best-selling vehicle outside its core North American market for the first time, Chrysler said in a statement.

Chrysler division sales rose 13 percent in western Europe to 8,489 units. Sales grew 3 percent in the Asia-Pacific region and by 52 percent in the Middle East, it said without giving absolute numbers.

Chrysler Group sales outside North America generate around 8 percent of overall turnover, it said. The division includes the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands.

Adjusted for selling days, Chrysler sales in the crucial U.S. market fell 3.5 percent last month to 156,308 units.