May auto sales set an all-time record

May2015-sales-640

Another month, another record. Actually, several records. New-vehicle sales in Canada in May were the highest for any month ever, according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants. These sales set a new monthly record for the fifth month in a row and increased the string of consecutive year-over-year increases to 14 months.

Sales of 197,937 new cars and trucks were up just 1.1 per cent from a year ago but that was enough to reset the bar, fully 15 per cent above the May average for the past five years. Year-to-date sales through May are up 3.0 per cent from the same period last year.

“The seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) hovered around the 1.9 million unit mark, coming in at a very solid 1.88,” according to industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers. That figure is key if 2015 is to become the third record year in a row.

The challenge in outpacing 2014 becomes tougher going forward for it was the second half of that year, not the first, that drove a record sales level.
While overall numbers are up, “the sales growth we are observing is not consistent across the market,” observed David Adams, president of Global Automakers of Canada. “Some manufacturers experienced lower sales than last year, while others… for the most part luxury brands, are experiencing significant gains,” he added.

FCA BACK ON TOP
FCA Canada (formerly Chrysler Canada) regained the top sales spot in May, after being deposed by General Motors in April. FCA’s sales of 31,617 units were up 0.4 per cent from May 2014, sufficient to maintain its first-place status in year-to-date sales, which are up 1.1 per cent from last year.

Ford was the second-best selling automaker, in spite of a sales drop of 8.5 per cent from last May, with GM (+3.8 per cent) in third place, for both the month and year-to-date.

Toyota (-1.9 per cent) maintained its fourth-place position, with Honda (-4.0 per cent) rebounding into fifth, ahead of Hyundai (-3.5 per cent) for the month, and reclaiming that position year-to-date as well.

Nissan (+21.8 per cent) continued its hot pace in seventh place, up 14.3 per cent year-to-date, followed by Volkswagen (+14.0 per cent) and Kia (-7.0 per cent), which leap-frogged Mazda (-15.1 per cent) for eighth. Subaru (+12.6 per cdnt) had its best monthly sales ever, surpassing the new record set in April.

LUXURY BRANDS AND TRUCKS SET THE PACE
With the singular exception of Jaguar (-14.0 per cent), sales of luxury brands outpaced the rest of the market, most of them by a significant margin. Porsche (+31.1 per cent) and Mercedes-Benz (+28.4 per cent) led the way, followed by Audi (+26.2 per cent), Land Rover (+24.0 per cent), Infiniti (+22.3 per cent), BMW (+20.3 per cent) and Lexus (+13.2 per cent).

Truck/SUV sales (+2.8 per cent) again outpaced those of passenger cars (-1.1 per cent), accounting for 57.8 per cent of all vehicle sales in May and 59.8 per cent year-to-date.

The Ford F-series continued as the best-selling truck and the best-selling vehicle overall in may, and the Honda Civic was the best-selling passenger car.
[NOTE: Data quoted in this report was sourced from DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, Global Automakers of Canada and individual automakers.]

About Gerry Malloy

Gerry Malloy is one of Canada's best known, award-winning automotive journalists.

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