Canadian new light vehicle sales continued to show mixed results for August 2020 across the provinces as it reached an estimated 165,837 units overall, according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants (DAC).
Andrew King, Managing Partner of DAC, said August demonstrated “unstable provincial performance across the country.” Quebec, for example, managed a sales increase of 3.8% in July, but tumbled 4.1% in August. And Newfoundland, which had seen a sales increase of 13.8% in July, experienced a slight decline of 0.9% in August.
“On the other hand, Saskatchewan noted relatively stable sales, with a minor 0.1% increase over August 2019,” said DAC. “The largest percent increase among the provinces was in Prince Edward Island, which saw sales rise 15.4% in August, although obviously the low volumes in P.E.I. allow for a greater degree of volatility.”
Ontario sales declined significantly by 13.1% — down more than 10,000 units behind August 2019 sales. And Nova Scotia sales were down 13.6%, the largest decrease among the provinces in terms of percentage.
“Year-to-date, all provinces remained well below 2019 figures, a trend that will likely persist throughout the rest of the year,” said DAC.
