Best July on record for Canadian new car sales

According to the latest report by DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, light vehicle sales in Canada continued to exceed expectations with a record setting month for July sales.

The 176,995 vehicles sold in July 2014 represents an 11.3 percent growth over July 2013 (158,993 units sold) and mark the best July ever recorded. The SAAR reached a breathtaking 1.97 million rate in July.

Looking at brands that enjoyed the biggest year-over-year growth, Porsche (73.3 percent) continues to build momentum on the back of the new Macan, with Land Rover (55.6 percent) and Volkswagen (50.9 percent) also posting growth rates above 50 percent. Volkswagen established a new all-time record last month with sales of 7,706 new cars and light trucks through the company’s 136 dealers. This bested last year’s figure by 51%. Year-to-date, 38,322 new Volkswagens have been sold in Canada, a 5% increase over last year’s record pace.

Collectively, the Detroit three were up 14.8 percent in July, led by strong performances from GM (25.1 percent), Fiat Chrysler (15.0 percent) and Ford (7.0 percent). With GM’s Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealers delivering 23,973 vehicles in July, GM experienced the largest growth compared to July 2013.

Ford with 28,911 units sold was the top selling brand in July.

Year-to-date, Chrysler is still in the lead albeit narrowly (173,398 units versus Ford’s 171,981 units).

Brands that witnessed some fallback in July include: Volvo (-24.7 percent), Acura (-18.6 percent), Kia (-17.2 percent), Jaguar (-5.6 percent), Mercedes-Benz (-3.5 percent), MINI (-2.1 percent) and Lexus (-1.2 percent).

www.desrosiers.ca