Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV on June 3 recorded a 2% year-over-year rise in U.S. vehicle sales in May, buoyed by a large increase in sales of Ram brand vehicles.

The automaker's U.S.-based unit sold 218,702 vehicles in May, up from 214,294 vehicles sold in May 2018. The result follows a 6% year-over-year decline in April sales.

Fleet sales accounted for 31% of May sales.

Fiat Chrysler's Ram Brand sold 67,117 vehicles, up 29% year over year from 51,884 units.

Sales of the popular Jeep brand were at 90,326 units, down 7% year over year from 97,287 sales.

The Alfa Romeo brand took the biggest hit in May with 1,572 sales, down 34% year over year from 2,377 sales. The second-biggest drop came from the Fiat brand with 1,025 sales in May, down 29% year over year from 1,441 sales. Chrysler brand sold 10,903 vehicles in the month, down 26% year over year from 14,724 vehicles.

So far this year, Fiat Chrysler has sold 890,027 vehicles, down 3% from 913,212 sales during the same period in 2018.

"On a year-over-year basis we have increased our average transaction prices by more than $3,000 a vehicle and still managed some notable sales increases," Reid Bigland, the automaker's U.S. head of sales, said in a news release.