A look back at the last month of 2024 reveals some clear distinctions developed among the Canadian provinces that DesRosiers Automotive Consultants believes will raise interesting questions for sales in 2025.
In its latest update, the firm said a rush to buy zero-emission vehicles in Quebec before incentives were cut helped propel the province to a 20.6% gain for December, and a 13.8% boost in new light vehicle sales for the year. That last one accounted for 40% of the overall national increase, from a volume perspective.
The other large volume provinces enjoyed more modest growth last year, with Alberta’s increase at 6.4%, Ontario at 5.1%, and British Columbia up 4.2%, according to DAC. On the lower volume provincial side, increases varied: Saskatchewan, for example, was up 10.2%, while Newfoundland jumped 18.6%.
“The tail end of 2024 was largely defined by the impact of ZEV incentive changes in Quebec, resulting in a notable jump in the province’s sales trajectory in Q4,” said Andrew King, Managing Partner at DAC, in a statement. “As we enter 2025, it will be interesting to watch the impacts of these sales being pulled forward, especially given a likely upcoming Canadian election and grave uncertainties over the U.S. trade environment.”
Overall, DAC said 2024 new light vehicle sales in Canada reached 1.86 million units, an increase of 8.2% from the 1.72 million in 2023, with December experiencing an estimated 7.1% sales increase.
