AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -

On the heels of achieving a 26-percent year-over-year sales hike, Chrysler announced Friday that chairman and chief executive officer Sergio Marchionne will now serve as campaign chair for the United Way for Southeastern Michigan 2012 campaign.

His responsibilities as campaign chair of the community betterment non-profit includes heading up the recruitment of leaders within the southeast Michigan area to serve as members of his cabinet, as well as work to promote the growth and impact of the campaign.

Marchionne will also serve as “the face and voice” of the UWSEM fundraising and education efforts, officials noted.

His tenure as campaign chair began on the first of the year and will conclude on Dec. 31, 2012.

UWSEM  “mobilizes the caring power of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties to improve lives in measurable and lasting ways throughout the region,” officials further explained about the non-profit’s purpose in the area.

Commenting on his recent appointment, Marchionne said, "Chrysler Group and the United Way have nurtured a longstanding relationship built upon the shared goal of contributing meaningfully and sustainably to people and communities in need.

"At the center of this strategy is the belief that we are all connected and must work to advance the common good — we all succeed when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable and when people and communities are healthy,” he continued.

United Way officials also offered their enthusiasm for the recent news.

"As this year’s campaign chair, Sergio Marchionne brings high-caliber thought leadership to our organization at a critical time," said Michael Brennan, president and CEO of UWSEM.

"Both United Way and Chrysler Group have undergone dramatic transformations in recent years. We recognize the parallel need to transform the region through our mutual commitment to furthering the work of United Way’s Agenda for Change impact areas — education, financial stability and basic needs. We are very fortunate that Mr. Marchionne is leading the 2012 campaign,” he concluded.

And this is not the first time the non-profit and Chrysler Group has partnered. |

This past year, through Chrysler employee pledges, more than $4.6 million was donated to United Way campaigns in the U.S. and in Canada.

2011 Marks a Sales Comeback

In other news from the automaker, the Chrysler Group recently revealed its annual sales results, as well as its sales rate for this past December, marking both monthly and yearly increases.

Under Marchionne’s leadership, the OEM reported its U.S. sales in December rose 37 percent year-over-year.

This marks the best month for the automaker since May 2008. And for the year, Chrysler Group sales totaled 1.37 million units, marking a 26-percent rise compared with 2010. 

Also of note, Chrysler’s sales increase for the month of December also marked the strongest year-over-year percentage gain among the Big Three (Ford’s sales rose 16 percent last month, while General Motors’ December sales rose 5 percent).

December also marked the company’s 21st consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains and seventh-consecutive month of sales increases of at least 20 percent.

“Chrysler Group finished a year of growth on a strong note with our December retail sales soaring 45 percent to our highest dealer retail sales in four years,” said Reid Bigland, president and chief executive officer – Dodge Brand and head of U.S. sales.

Company officials even noted that its Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram truck brands each “posted solid sales gains”  this past year, when compared to 2010.

So where exactly did the OEM’s success stem from this year?

The company contributed part of its success in 2011 to the strong sales of the Chrysler 300, Chrysler 200, Dodge Charger and Avenger sport sedans, Ram pickup truck, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Wrangler and Compass.

To see more 2011 sales results from import and domestic OEMs, as well as predications for the coming year from industry experts, see the Auto Remarketing story here.