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Increased truck sales led to a 1.0% rise in the number of new motor vehicles sold in May to 121,348 units. After falling sharply in the latter part of 2008, sales of new motor vehicles have generally been rising since the beginning of 2009.
Preliminary industry data indicate that the number of new motor vehicles sold fell about 1% in June.
Higher truck sales lead to overall increase
Sales of new trucks (which include minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light and heavy trucks, vans and buses) were up 2.2% to 61,392 units in May. Truck sales exceeded passenger car sales in May for only the fourth time in the last 10 years.
The number of new passenger cars sold in May was down 0.3%, totalling 59,956 vehicles. Sales of North American-built passenger cars rose 1.4% from April, when sales were at their lowest level since October 1982. Sales of overseas-built passenger cars fell 2.4% in May, which did not offset the sales gain of 3.6% in April.
Sales up in most provinces
Higher sales were recorded in seven provinces in May. The main contributor to the increase in Canada was a 2.0% gain in Ontario. The largest percentage increase occurred in Nova Scotia (+8.5%), where sales rose for the fourth consecutive month.
A 1.6% advance in sales in British Columbia marked the third consecutive increase in the number of new motor vehicles sold in that province. Sales in British Columbia had been on a downward trend since early 2008.
The 1.4% sales drop in Quebec, the only province where sales declined for a second consecutive month, did not offset March's increase.
Available on CANSIM: table 079-0003.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2402.
The May 2009 issue of New Motor Vehicle Sales (63-007-X, free) will be available soon.
Data on new motor vehicle sales for June will be released on August 14.
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 Jian Zhu (613-951-4906), Distributive Trades Division.
Table 1
| May 2008 | April 2009r | May 2009p | May 2008 to May 2009 | April to May 2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonally adjusted | |||||
| number of vehicles | % change | ||||
| New motor vehicles | 143,247 | 120,169 | 121,348 | -15.3 | 1.0 |
| Passenger cars | 78,876 | 60,122 | 59,956 | -24.0 | -0.3 |
| North American1 | 48,713 | 33,354 | 33,831 | -30.6 | 1.4 |
| Overseas | 30,163 | 26,768 | 26,125 | -13.4 | -2.4 |
| Trucks, vans and buses | 64,371 | 60,047 | 61,392 | -4.6 | 2.2 |
| New motor vehicles | |||||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 2,527 | 2,346 | 2,487 | -1.6 | 6.0 |
| Prince Edward Island | 496 | 460 | 418 | -15.7 | -9.1 |
| Nova Scotia | 4,580 | 3,732 | 4,049 | -11.6 | 8.5 |
| New Brunswick | 3,369 | 2,847 | 2,953 | -12.3 | 3.7 |
| Quebec | 37,281 | 32,529 | 32,068 | -14.0 | -1.4 |
| Ontario | 50,775 | 43,402 | 44,272 | -12.8 | 2.0 |
| Manitoba | 3,980 | 3,708 | 3,885 | -2.4 | 4.8 |
| Saskatchewan | 3,979 | 3,693 | 3,863 | -2.9 | 4.6 |
| Alberta | 20,262 | 15,293 | 14,995 | -26.0 | -1.9 |
| British Columbia2 | 15,998 | 12,159 | 12,358 | -22.8 | 1.6 |
| May 2008 | April 2009r | May 2009p | May 2008 to May 2009 | ||
| Unadjusted | |||||
| number of vehicles | % change | ||||
| New motor vehicles | 188,137 | 146,026 | 156,025 | -17.1 | |
| Passenger cars | 109,387 | 75,332 | 83,181 | -24.0 | |
| North American1 | 67,352 | 40,460 | 47,369 | -29.7 | |
| Overseas | 42,035 | 34,872 | 35,812 | -14.8 | |
| Trucks, vans and buses | 78,750 | 70,694 | 72,844 | -7.5 | |
| New motor vehicles | |||||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 3,825 | 3,148 | 3,736 | -2.3 | |
| Prince Edward Island | 707 | 551 | 589 | -16.7 | |
| Nova Scotia | 6,331 | 4,860 | 5,764 | -9.0 | |
| New Brunswick | 4,587 | 3,556 | 4,059 | -11.5 | |
| Quebec | 53,409 | 44,077 | 43,861 | -17.9 | |
| Ontario | 64,143 | 51,047 | 54,979 | -14.3 | |
| Manitoba | 4,824 | 4,236 | 4,554 | -5.6 | |
| Saskatchewan | 4,692 | 4,035 | 4,540 | -3.2 | |
| Alberta | 25,514 | 17,076 | 18,495 | -27.5 | |
| British Columbia2 | 20,105 | 13,440 | 15,448 | -23.2 | |
