New vehicle sales plunge in November

DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. says light vehicle sales fell 9.4 per cent in November compared with last year for a ninth straight month of declines.

The consultancy firm says a total of 143,668 vehicles were sold in the month, compared with 158,653 a year ago, as passenger car sales fell 11.4 per cent and light truck sales were down 8.7 per cent.

DesRosiers says that with the light vehicle market down by about 44,000 units so far compared with last year, it’s almost certain that this year will be the first since 2009 that there won’t be year-over-year growth in the market.

Sales are down 2.3 per cent as of the end of the month compared with last year, made up of a 9.6 per cent decline for passenger cars and a 1.1 per cent increase in light truck sales.

Despite the dip from last year’s record high, the light vehicle market is still close to 50,000 units ahead of where it was at the end of November in 2016.

General Motors, which last week announced it was closing its Oshawa assembly plant, saw sales dip 18.3 per cent in the month compared with last year, while Ford Motor Co. saw a 10.7 per cent drop and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles was down 35.1 per cent. Toyota sales were up 11.5 per cent and Hyundai sales were up 10 per cent.