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New motor vehicle sales
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New motor vehicle sales dipped slightly for a second consecutive month in June, but remained roughly in line with April's and May's high levels.
There were 143,900 new vehicles sold in June, representing a 1.2% decline from May, according to seasonally adjusted data from the New Motor Vehicle Sales Survey.
The decrease in June was entirely due to a fall in sales of trucks (which include minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light and heavy trucks, vans and buses). This decline was partially offset by an increase in passenger car sales, which were up as a result of increases in both North American-built and overseas-built models.
Note to readersAll data in this release are seasonally adjusted. Passenger cars include those used for personal and commercial purposes, such as taxis or rental cars. Trucks include minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light and heavy trucks, vans and buses. North American-built new motor vehicles include vehicles manufactured or assembled in Canada, the United States or Mexico. All other new motor vehicles are considered to have been manufactured overseas. For reasons of confidentiality, data for Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are included with those for British Columbia. The New Motor Vehicle Sales Survey is compiled on the basis of figures obtained from motor vehicle manufacturers and importers. These results may vary from those obtained directly from auto dealers, due to possible differences in record keeping. |
Preliminary industry data indicate that sales of new motor vehicles declined again (-3%) in July.
Despite the modest declines in May and June, new motor vehicle sales were up a healthy 4.4% in the second quarter. This was largely due to a major sales surge in April (+6.3%).
Decrease in truck sales overwhelms rebound in car sales
Sales of new trucks fell by 3.9% in June to 69,179. Despite the decline in June, truck sales were strong in the second quarter (+2.7%) as dealers maintained comparatively high sales levels throughout the three-month period.
New car sales rebounded (+1.4%) after a decrease in May. Car sales rose by just over 1,000 units to 74,720 in June. Sales of passenger cars have experienced various ups and downs recently, but were strong on the whole as sales in the second quarter increased 6.0% over the first quarter.
Sales of North American-built and overseas-built cars rose in June by 0.7% and 2.6% respectively. The volatility in new car sales has come mainly from the North American-built component as sales of overseas-built models have grown steadily throughout the year so far, stalling only twice.
Sales in most provinces decrease
The overall decline in sales of new motor vehicles was spread across most provinces, as only Nova Scotia and Alberta recorded growth in June. Nova Scotia had the highest percentage increase (+9.5%), compensating for some of the declines experienced in May. Gains in the number of sales in Alberta (+3.4%) more than offset decreases in May, but were not enough to overcome declines in April.
Unit sales in every other province were down in June. Quebec (-3.6%) gave back the increase in May, its sales of new motor vehicles settling at a level of 35,825, similar to April. Ontario sales were down (-1.4%) for the second consecutive month. In the East, Prince Edward Island (-6.9%), Newfoundland and Labrador (-3.8%), and New Brunswick (-1.7%) all slipped after recording increases in May. Saskatchewan (-5.1%), British Columbia (-2.0%) and Manitoba (-1.0%) also contributed to the national decline in June.
Available on CANSIM: tables 079-0001 and 079-0002.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2402.
The June 2007 issue of New Motor Vehicle Sales (63-007-XWE, free) will be available soon.
Data on new motor vehicle sales for July will be released on September 18.
For more information, or to order data, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-877-421-3067; 613-951-3549; retailinfo@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Joseph Dunlavy (613-951-0193), Distributive Trades Division.
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