Chrysler Group U.S. auto sales jumped 20 percent last month thanks to strong showings by its Jeep brand and Ram pickup trucks.

The automaker said it sold 170,839 vehicles last month, more than the 142,275 it sold during the same month a year ago.

It was the company's best November since 2001, according to The Wall-Street Journal.

Company SUV sales rose 27 percent, Ram pickup truck sales were up 21 percent, and Chrysler 200 sedan sales soared 155 percent to 14,317, the unit of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said on Tuesday.

"In the truck and SUV segments, we still have some pent up demand," said IHS Automotive Senior Analyst Stephanie Brinley to ABC News. "We still have a lot of vehicles on the roads that are 11 or 12 years old and people need to get new vehicles."

A strong performance on Black Friday helped push U.S. auto industry sales in November up 2.3 percent to nearly 1.27 million vehicles, according to a Reuters' survey of 11 analysts.

Chrysler, which was the first automaker to report November sales this week, easily beat the expectations of analysts polled by Reuters.

The automaker confirmed that 11 different Chrysler Group models set sales records for November.

"Cars have more technology and better features and offer more value than they have in the past and consumers are willing to spend," Brinley added.

Forty one industry analysts and economists were surveyed by Reuters. Results showed expectations of 16.7 million vehicles sold on an "annualized basis" with a big forecast of 17 million vehicles on an annualized basis.

A number of analysts believe the strong showing can be attributed to lower gas prices seen across the U.S. The current average is $2.76 at press time compared to an average of $3.27 in 2013.

U.S. sales in October were 16.46 million vehicles on an annualized basis.

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