July car sales show continued forward momentum

There was plenty forward momentum in Canada’s light-vehicle sales in July.

DesRosiers Automotive Consultants reports that after the brutal sales collapse seen in April and subsequent revival in May and June, the market saw sales increases of 6.2% in July. An estimated 165,020 units left dealer lots.

“What is perhaps most remarkable about this total is that it represents a decline of only 4.9% from July 2019,” wrote analysts at DesRosiers Automotive Consultants. “Indeed, these sales figures rank July 2020 as the seventh best July in Canadian automotive history.”

They cautioned that the extent to which this sales success was pent-up demand from the “lost” spring versus a more sustainable recovery remains to be seen.

“For now, however, the sales picture is strong and the automotive industry has some much-needed positive news,” they wrote in the company’s latest