8 Cars Canadians Can Buy That Americans Can't

The Canadian new vehicle market is not merely a mini-representation of the U.S. auto industry. Full-size pickup trucks own a significantly larger percentage of the Canadian market, for example, and Canadians are nearly three times more likely to buy a Toyota Corolla than a Toyota Camry.

The Canadian market can, however, be a useful test bed.

Some new vehicle pass the test, such as the BMW X1 which enjoyed 16 fruitful months in Canada before grabbing a slice of the American pie. Others, such as the Chevrolet Orlando, wilt under the pressure of the Ontario-built Dodge Grand Caravan, endure a brief four-year run, and never even get a chance to make it in America.

Other cars aren’t prone on a test bed, they’re simply the response of different automakers to different markets. We already looked at seven U.S.-market vehicles which don’t make their way through the Detroit Windsor Tunnel. These are the eight current vehicles which are marketed in Canada, not the United States. ( We’ve already examined the seven cars Americans can buy that Canadians can’t.)

KIA RONDO

When Kia Canada introduced a new Rondo — sales of which are consistently falling — for the 2014 model year, Kia USA didn’t join in. It’s a much-improved vehicle, but Canadian sales today are down 76 percent compared with 2008.

MAZDA5

We discussed the Mazda5’s U.S. demise two years ago.

MERCEDES-BENZ B-CLASS

7 percent of the non-van Benzes sold in Canada are B250s.

MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS WAGON

The C-Class, last sold in the U.S. in wagon form in 2005, returns to Canada two generations later as the C300d 4Matic. D is for diesel.

MITSUBISHI LANCER SPORTBACK

North of the border, the Lancer Sportback continues through 2017. Some people might notice. Most will not.

NISSAN MICRA

Nearly 26,000 Micras have been sold in the 28 months since its April 2014 launch. In 2015, the Nissan Micra was Canada’s 16th-best-selling car.

TOYOTA VENZA

In Canada, the Venza has always told a different story. In fact, though sales now are down by half compared with 2011, the Venza was strong enough to outsell the Toyota Camry in 2010 and 2011.

TOYOTA YARIS SEDAN*

The Toyota Yaris Sedan is a Scion iA — soon to be Toyota Yaris iA — in the United States. In both cases, it’s really just a Mazda 2, which isn’t sold in either country.

[Images: Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota]

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.