If dealers feel provincial new light vehicle sales performances appear stratified as we near the end of the year, they are not alone — for DesRosiers Automotive Consultants used exactly this adjective to describe the situation.
In its latest update on October 2024 sales, DAC said Québec was the standout performer for the month. The province experienced a 19.2% sales increase over October 2023. As for the Atlantic region, these provinces outperformed the broader market as Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick saw sales increase by an estimated 10.0%, 11.9%, and 14.1%, respectively.
In Ontario and British Columbia, sales fell below the national average with mixed results in the Prairies. Year-to-date, if we look at the low end, Ontario experienced a sales performance of +4.8%, while on the high end Newfoundland managed an estimated 20.1% sales increase over the same time last year.
“The market is still adjusting to the tail end of a very uneven recovery last year,” said Andrew King, Managing Partner at DAC, in a statement. “These uneven comparables compound the current variations formed by more traditional economic and market dynamics.”
October saw nearly 162,000 units sold during the month, when the new light vehicle sales market saw an 8.8% increase compared to October 2023. DAC said year-to-date sales settled in at 8.2% above the previous year.
