Canadian dealers skewered more sales records in May as they found buyers for 197,709 cars and light trucks during the month, besting by 5.1% the month’s prior benchmark of 195,136 units set just last year.
The feat was all the more impressive since there were only 26 selling days last month, one less than in May 2014, boosting the average daily rate to 7,604 units from 7,233.
But that wasn’t the only record to fall.
Dealers sold more LVs in May than in any other month in history, the prior high-water mark having been reached in May a year ago.
With the market expected to remain strong in June, second-quarter LV sales are well on the road to an any-quarter high, exceeding the record 548,981 sold in April-June 2014 and second-best 527,389 deliveries posted in 2013.
Once again it was booming light-truck demand that powered May sales, as buyers drove off with 114,554 units, more than any month ever, surpassing the prior mark of 111,778 units sold in My 2014 by 6.3%.
It was only the fourth time in history Canadian dealers delivered more than 100,000 light-trucks in a single month, all since April 2014.
May car sales of 83,155 units were only so-so, slightly less than in May 2014, although last month’s shorter selling period netted a 3.5% daily rate gain.
Sales in the first five months of this year reached 754,138 units, up 3.1% on year-ago’s 731,624 deliveries.
FCA remains solidly in first place with a 13.3% lead over rival Ford, up from 7.1% in like-2014.
With 102,999 January-May sales, third-place General Motors has narrowed the gap with Ford to 2.8% this year from 13.5% a year ago.
