Chyrsler Canada sales doubled in June from year ago

Chrysler Canada said on Thursday vehicle sales doubled in June, marking its seventh straight month of at least 20 percent growth at the retail level after nearly collapsing about a year ago.

The Canadian arm of Chrysler, controlled by Italy's Fiat SpA, said total sales rose 101 percent in June to 18,502 vehicles from 9,211 in the same month of 2009.

The company said the June performance demonstrated consumer demand for its vehicles remained strong. In May, Chrysler Canada sales rose 52.9 percent during a month in which total vehicle sales in Canada edged up 0.2 percent.

The company's June gains included a tripling of minivan sales, a Chrysler mainstay, as well as record June sales for the Dodge Ram pickup truck and Jeep Wrangler.

Passenger car sales also gained momentum, growing 114 per cent over the same month in 2009.

Chrysler filed for bankruptcy in April 2009 during the sharpest downturn in the auto industry's history and it later emerged under Fiat's control.

The company is the only automaker that has reported its Canadian sales so far on Thursday, a national holiday in Canada.