While the majority of Canadian provinces experienced a sales decrease during the end of 2019, Prince Edward Island was the only clear exception that demonstrated an increase during this period, according to Desrosiers Automotive Consultants (DAC).
Total year-end new light vehicle sales in Canada came in at 1,914,357 units, representing a decline of 3.6% from 2018. But P.E.I. managed a 7.4% sales increase during this period, even as overall sales in Canada had slipped — and most other provinces were not as lucky as P.E.I.
“The most notable decrease for the year — in terms of percent change — was noted in Manitoba where sales fell 19.6%,” said DAC. “With passenger car sales down 16.1% and light truck sales up 1.6%, 2019 concluded with a widening of the gap between these two sides of the new light vehicle market in Canada.”
Subcompact SUVs, which is considered to be the fastest growing segment in the industry, ended the year with a 28.5% sales increase. And large luxury SUVs were up 12.4%. But compact SUVs, the largest segment, declined 1.6%, and small van sales dropped 14.2% for the year.
“At the model level, the Ram Pickups and Toyota RAV4 were standout performers among light trucks, growing 14.0% and 17.8% for the year respectively,” said DAC. “The RAV4’s increase helped the model secure third place among light trucks, while the increase in Ram Pickup sales narrowed the gap between them and the ever-popular Ford F-Series pickup trucks.”
In the passenger car segment, among the top 10 sellers the only double-digit increase in 2019 came from the Volkswagen Jetta — which experienced a sales boost of 14.1%.
