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New motor vehicle sales
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New motor vehicle sales advanced 2.8% in August, partially offsetting three months of declines. Seasonally adjusted data from the New Motor Vehicle Sales Survey show that 143,606 new vehicles were sold in August on the strength of rebounding truck sales. Ontario and Quebec accounted for almost 95% of this increase.
Prior to the three consecutive monthly declines, sales of new motor vehicles had been trending up since the fall of 2005 despite large fluctuations. Preliminary industry data for the month of September suggest that sales of new motor vehicles are expected to fall by 2%, mainly due to a decline in truck sales.
Trucks dominate sales increase in August
While both passenger cars and truck sales increased in August, truck sales (which include minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light and heavy trucks, vans and buses) outperformed passenger cars, accounting for over 85% of the increase in total vehicles sold.
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. |
Truck sales advanced 4.9% to 70,399 vehicles in August, partially offsetting two consecutive months of sales declines. Truck sales have fluctuated since the beginning of 2007, with four out of eight months registering gains.
Passenger cars sales edged up 0.8% to 73,206 vehicles after declining 2.3% in July. Sales have been lackluster since a strong 7.2% increase in April 2007. North American-built passenger cars were the driving force behind the passenger car sales gain in August, rising by 1.6% to 46,801 vehicles. Sales of North American-built cars had a rough start to the year, with a 10.8% sales drop in January followed by two additional months of declines. After a nearly full recovery in April with an 11.8% gain, sales have since remained below the average monthly sales levels seen in 2005 and 2006.
Sales of overseas-built passenger cars slipped 0.7% in August. So far this year, overseas-built cars have accounted for 36.1% of total passenger cars sold. This is higher than the 2006 average of 33.6% and the highest share since 1992.
Sales in Quebec and Ontario drive national increase
Although all but three provinces saw sales rise in August, 95% of the national increase came from Quebec (+4.6%) and Ontario (+4.3%). The gains in these two provinces partially offset their recent monthly declines.
Sales in Prince Edward Island (+13.2%) rebounded from two months of declines. Sales in this province have been generally on the rise since the fall of 2006. Increases in August were also seen in Manitoba (+5.6%), New Brunswick (+3.3%), Nova Scotia (+2.0%) and Saskatchewan (+1.2%).
Sales in Saskatchewan have picked up speed, with only three sales declines recorded since August 2006. Auto sales in Newfoundland and Labrador followed a similar pattern but have levelled off in recent months, declining 1.2% in August.
Sales in Alberta (-0.5%) and British Columbia (-0.7%) also fell in August. For British Columbia, August represented the fourth consecutive monthly decline. In fact, since the start of 2007, sales only increased in two out of eight months.
Available on CANSIM: tables 079-0001 and 079-0002.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2402.
The August 2007 issue of New motor vehicle sales (63-007-XWE, free) will be available soon.
Data on new motor vehicle sales for September will be released on November 14.
For general information or to order data, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-877-421-3067; 613-951-3549; retailinfo@statcan.gc.ca). For more information or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Lucy Chung (613-951-1903), Distributive Trades Division.
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