June LV Sales Record in Canada

With housing prices at record levels, the economy tracking at a robust annual growth of 2.4%, inflation slowing, employment strong and a generally optimistic outlook as the country celebrates its sesquicentennial, Canadian consumers had little reason to retreat from dealer showrooms last month.

Although June light-vehicle sales did ease a bit after hitting an all-time high in May, buyers still took home 202,887 cars and light trucks, a record for the month that surpassed the prior benchmark of 191,510 set a year ago by 5.9%. There were 26 selling days in June and year-ago.

While June deliveries may not have reached May’s robust 216,146 units they still marked the industry’s second-best showing for any month in history, beating April’s 200,242 units.

Is was no surprise that light trucks drove June sales into record territory with 136,781 units,  topping by 9.1% prior-year’s old June record of 125 415.

Statistically, cars sales were virtually tied with year ago. Although edging past the prior year by 11 units, to 66,106, the result was the second-poorest showing in the past 32 years, trailed only by like-2016’s 66,095.

After beating FCA for LV market leadership by just 181 units in like-2016, Ford widened the gap to a 5,386 units in June as it posted a 13.3% year-over-year increase, to 32,177 from 28,411, while those of its archrival fell 6.1%, to 26,791 from 28,220.

Most other LV makers saw June sales increases compared with like-2016 except Hyundai, down 15.1%, and low-volume Tesla, off 25.6%, the latter having more to do with availability than demand.  

Buick and Cadillac also trailed year-ago, but more robust sales of Chevy and GMC light trucks moved third-place General Motors ahead by 4.2% for the month and fourth-place Toyota boasted a 6.5% gain.

Canadian LV sales so far this year total 1,035,969 units, a 4.8% increase over 988,775 in January-June 2016, with cars off 2.2% and light trucks up by 9.1%.

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