Canada Sales: August 2013 Recap

Barring the unforeseen, 2013 will end as the fourth consecutive year of improved auto sales in Canada and one of the best years on record for total industry volume. After a first quarter in which Canadian sales slid 2%, volume has increased in each of the last five months.

Much of that rough first quarter can be blamed on General Motors, the Korean pair of brands, and Toyota Canada. GM has recovered decently over the summer, however, and as a quartet of brands is now up 2.7% through the first eight months of 2013. Cadillac and Buick fueled August’s narrow 0.1% improvement.

Toyota’s spring and summer resurgence owes much to Lexus, which rose 31% and 10%, respectively, in July and August. (Lexus is a minor player in Canada, with just half the market share in August that the Toyota premium division held in the U.S. last month.)

Hyundai and Kia present a slightly different story. Kia has yet to report a year-over-year Canadian sales increase during any month in 2013. The Rondo’s surge hasn’t made up for the losses experienced by the Forte during its replacement phase. Hyundai sales are up 1.7% in 2013 as sales in July and August increased 6.3%.

Canada’s two largest automobile manufacturers, Ford Motor Company and the Chrysler Group, reported disparate August results. Although FoMoCo volume is up a little less than 1% through eight months, August sales slid 1.2%. Lincoln plays a part in this decline – sales fell 24.4% last month. But August results also revealed an 8.2% decline in F-Series sales. The F-Series is still on pace for a record year, and even in August it was responsible for 6.8% of the market’s overall total.

Meanwhile at Chrysler, the group’s namesake brand rose 65% with a big boost in Town & Country sales. The Dodge brand slid by 503 units but is up this year. Ram sales are booming, Jeep sales are stagnant (having fallen 15.2% in August) and Fiat rose 12.8% despite a 16.5% drop in 500 sales. 220 500Ls were sold in August; 446 over its three-month tenure.

Subaru and Honda continue to post impressive Canadian improvements in 2013. With its expanded lineup, Subaru sales are rose 24.6% in August; 20.8% year-to-date. The Forester generates three in ten Subaru sales. The XV Crosstrek outsold the Outback in July and August.

The Honda brand’s 20.5% August improvement (up 10.5% YTD) translates to 2471 extra sales. Civic volume jumped by 1428 units. Accord sales jumped by 529 units, a 71% increase. Passenger cars accounted for two-thirds of Honda brand sales in August. Industry-wide, cars generate 45% of Canadian sales.

Honda’s all-conquering Civic is getting close to securing its crown as Canada’s best-selling car for the sixteenth-consecutive year. Its lead over the Hyundai Elantra has grown to 2546 units. The Elantra last led the Civic at the halfway point.

In August, the Civic also ended the month as Canada’s second-best-selling vehicle overall, outperforming the Ram pickup for the first time this year. Only in March has any vehicle other than the Ford Escape been Canada’s favourite SUV or crossover. Its lead over the Honda CR-V stands at 6874 units through eight months.

Canada’s top sellers receive an inordinately large amount of attention from consumers. In the U.S., a quarter of the market’s volume comes from the ten best-selling vehicles. In Canada, the ten top sellers account for fully one-third of the market.

Full Table: http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2013/09/canada-august-2013-auto-sales-figures-brand-rankings.html