The malaise that has dogged inventory-strappped Japanese auto makers in Canada appears to have spread to the competition.
September light-vehicle sales in Canada totaled 133,945 for a 0.7% dip compared with like-2010, according to WardsAuto data.
It was that market’s third consecutive month of decline. Through the first nine months of the year, Canada’s LV deliveries were tracking 1.4% ahead of like-2010.
September’s 1.7% uptick in light-truck demand, compared with like-2010, helped mitigate a 3.9% downturn in car deliveries.
Of the six auto makers with the highest shares in the month, four recorded sales declines. They were:
- Honda, -18.7%.
- General Motors, -6.1%.
- Toyota, -5.2%.
- Ford, -4.7%.
Chrysler and the combined performance of Hyundai-Kia were exceptions. Their September sales jumped 19.3% and 15.5%, respectively.
The impact on share was significant. While perennial leader Ford retained the top spot with 18.7%, a gain of 0.4 points compared with August, GM’s slice of the market plummeted 5.4 points to 12.5%, relegating the auto maker to fourth place.
Chrysler and Hyundai-Kia finished second and third, respectively, with share totals of 14.3% and 13.1%.
Rounding out the top six were Toyota at 10.3% and Honda, courtesy of a 1.5-point bounce – the highest among the market’s volume players – at 8.3%.
Toyota increased its share 0.3% from prior-month despite disappointing year-over-year results such as the Corolla C-car’s 11.5% September plunge. The Corolla was Canada’s best-selling car last year.
Other notable negative sales performers included Nissan and longtime market stalwart, Mazda. Their September deliveries fell 17% and 15.1%, respectively.
Volkswagen recorded the best performance on a percentage basis. Boosted by a 10.4% jump in sales of the new-for-’11 Jetta compact car, VW soared 41.3% compared with September 2010.
