Auto sales were up modestly through the first quarter of 2015, leaving questions as to their ultimate direction. But they increased decisively in April, providing reassurance that the market is still strong in spite of pressures from low oil prices and a devalued Loonie.
Sales of 189,072 new cars and trucks were up 5.7 per cent from last April and 15.6 per cent above the average for the past five years, raising the year-to-date average to 3.7 per cent ahead of the same period last year. That rate was just 2.7 per cent through the first quarter.
April was the fourth month in a row that new vehicle sales in Canada set a new monthly record, and the 13th consecutive month of year-over-year increases.
Just as important for manufacturers and dealers, the seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR) for April jumped to 1.91 million – the highest it has been since last October. In spite of record sales figures, the annualized monthly rate had been on the decline since then, falling to just over 1.7 million in March.
“We’re in a period of unprecedented new product introductions,” said David Adams, president of the Global Automakers of Canada (GAC) and a regular Canadian auto dealer columnist.
“In an industry where the three most important things are product, product and product, such a cadence of new model introductions bodes well for sales success,” he added.
General Motors back on top
For the first time since October 2011, General Motors was the top-selling automaker in April. Sales of 29,127 vehicles were up 14.5 per cent from last year. It was the company’s best April since 2009.
GM credits the addition of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-size pickups for aiding its sales surge but a 15.1 per cent bump in full-size truck sales made an even bigger impact. Total GM truck sales, including SUVs, were up 16.4 per cent from last year, giving the company leadership in overall truck sales for the month.
In total sales, GM was well ahead of FCA (+1.0 per cent), which claimed second place, and Ford (-0.1 per cent) in third. FCA (formerly Chrysler) continues to be the top seller year-to-date, with Ford in second and GM third.
Toyota remained comfortably in fourth place while Hyundai and Honda continue their tight race for fifth. Hyundai (+1.5 per cent) prevailed in April, edging out Honda (+5.6 per cent) by just 78 vehicles. Year-to-date, Hyundai leads Honda by just over 1,000 vehicles.
Nissan (+9.0 per cent) continues to hold a hot hand, ahead of Volkswagen (+23.5 per cent), Mazda (-1.5 per cent) and Kia (-3.3 per cent). And Subaru (+17.1 per cent) had its highest monthly sales ever.
Luxury brands and trucks make gains
As a group, the greatest percentage sales gains came from luxury brands. Porsche (+47.8 per cent) led the way, followed by BMW (+36.8 per cent), Audi (+36.6 per cent), Lexus (31.9 per cent), Volvo (+27.7 per cent) and Mercedes-Benz (+27.1 per cent).
Mercedes-Benz, with its best April sales ever, continued to be the clear luxury-class sales leader, almost 3,000 vehicles ahead of second-place BMW year-to-date.
Maintaining a now long-standing trend, truck/SUV sales (+8.5 per cent) continued to outpace those of passenger cars (+2.0 per cent). They accounted for 58.0 per cent of all vehicle sales in April and 60.6 per cent year-to-date.
The Ford F-series continued its reign as the best-selling truck and the best-selling vehicle overall in April, and the Honda Civic maintained its position as the best-selling passenger car.
[NOTE: Data quoted in this report were sourced from DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, Global Automakers of Canada, and OEMs.]
