Provincial new light vehicle sales performances in August continued the slightly disjointed and uneven trend from July, according to a recent update from DesRosiers Automotive Consultants (DAC).
DAC said the higher volume provinces, which include Québec, Alberta, and British Columbia, saw single digit sales increases estimated at 9.8%, 5.2%, and 3.7%, respectively. Ontario managed a minor decline of 1.0%. However, lower volume provinces continued to outperform the higher volume ones in August.
“Current growth rates are to some extent a legacy of which provinces first saw improved vehicle supply in 2023,” said Andrew King, Managing Partner at DAC, in a statement. “As the smaller provinces were often the last to see improved supply in 2023, they are now showing higher growth rates as supply is plentiful.”
For example, DAC said Nova Scotia experienced a 13.4% increase in sales, while Saskatchewan was up an estimated 28.3%. Year-to-date, B.C., Ontario, and Alberta noted single digit growth, but the other provinces were ahead percentage-wise.
Overall, new light vehicle sales for August 2024 came in at an estimated 165,000 — an increase of 5.6% from a year earlier, with the year-to-date sales figure up 9.8% over 2023.
