Sales of the Ram pickup have increased less than 2 percent this year, while pickup sales at Ford have risen 30 percent and at G.M. by 15 percent. In the long term, industry analysts said, Chrysler's prospects depend heavily on the new Fiat-based cars coming in the next couple of years. Fiat was able to acquire its 20 percent stake in Chrysler without expending any cash, partly because the federal government considered Fiat's expertise in high-mileage cars a big plus for Chrysler. Fiat also has options to increase its stake to 35 percent by fulfilling conditions laid out by the Obama administration.