Auto sales: Fiat Chrysler posts 67th straight increase

Fiat Chrysler's streak of U.S. sales gains extended to 67 consecutive months in October, as the auto industry delivered a robust performance overall.

Fiat Chrysler, the first major automaker to detail its sales figures, posted a 15% gain, compared to the same period a year earlier, fueled almost exclusively by sport-utility vehicles, crossovers and pickup trucks.

Like many other auto companies, Fiat Chrysler is benefiting from low fuel prices, as consumers flock to bigger, more profitable vehicles.

The company's stalwart Jeep brand recorded a massive 33% gain for the month, with increases for all of its vehicles.

The Dodge brand was up 12%, Ram was up 3%, Fiat up 1% and Chrysler up 1%. The company also sold 65 units of its new Alfa 4C car.

Across the industry, average transaction prices rose 1.4% to $34,023 in October, compared to the same month a year earlier, according to Kelley Blue Book. That bolsters the bottom line for an industry that's expected to top 17 million units in sales for the full year — the first time it's hit that level since before the Great Recession.

Follow Paste BN reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.