For a second consecutive month, Canadian consumers appeared to shrug off concerns over comments on the economy, this time related to the downturn in oil prices, taking to light-vehicle showrooms in record numbers.
New LV sales reached an April high of 188,657 units, up 18.0% from the prior month and 5.7% more than the prior record of 178,320 units sold in April 2014. All three months had 25 selling days.
Beyond setting a record for the month, April LV deliveries were second-best for any month in history, trailing only the 195,300 units sold in May 2014.
A mid-April Bank of Canada report cautioned that consumers in some Western provinces were reigning in expenditures due to layoffs in the oil industry as the result of slumping prices, creating a lack of economic growth in those regions.
But buyers, especially those of light trucks, in major population centers seemed to ignore those cautions, focusing instead on this year’s lower fuel prices.
Pacing the industry to its April sales feat were light trucks, sales of which reached a record 109,910 units in April, besting the 101,951 vehicles sold in April 2014 by 7.7%.
April light-truck volume also was second-best for any month history, equating to 98.2% of the record 111,861 units sold in May 2014.
Although car sales rose 3.0% compared with a year earlier, at 78,747 units, they posed no threat to the April 1987 record of 120,924 units.
Record April light-truck demand was credited with lifting General Motors into first place in LV sales for the month. The automaker said strong pickup sales were bolstered by its all-new Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickups. Robust gains also were racked up by its large SUVs, sales of which were depressed a year ago by the changeover to all-new ’15 models.
GM LV deliveries totaled 29,127 units in April, 14.5% ahead of like-2014 and enough to surge ahead of FCA Canada’s 27,311 units, a 1.1% gain, to claim top honors. But FCA remained on top in the January-April count.
Rival Ford fell to third place for the month, although it maintained a slight lead on GM for second place for the year to date.
