June light vehicle sales down 21.3% compared to last June: DesRosiers

Canadian passenger car sales decreased 21.3% in June and 15.1% in the first half of 2019, according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants.

Much of the volume lost in the first half came from the compact car segment, down over 25,000 units from the first half of 2018.

Overall light truck sales decreased 1.0% in June and 1.4% in the first half of 2019. This chasm between light truck and passenger car performance resulted in light trucks claiming 74.1% of June sales compared to 73.2% year-to-date.

Similar to compact passenger cars, much of the loss for light trucks came from the compact SUV segment which noted a deficit of over 10,000 units since the first half of the year. Had this segment remained flat thus far this year, light truck sales overall would have remained steady.

Looking at regional performance, notable single digit decreases in Ontario and Quebec (down 6.9% and 6.0%) ensured a softened new light vehicle market for June with 185,741 units sold, down from 200,156 in June 2018.

At the half-year point, total new light vehicle sales declined 5.5%, falling from 1,036,677 units to 980,107 with nearly all major regions recording sales decreases.