New motor vehicle sales

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The number of new motor vehicles sold in August declined 4.8% to 128,764 units. Sales of both trucks and passenger cars were down.

Preliminary industry data indicate that the number of new motor vehicles sold increased 4% in September.

Sales down for both trucks and passenger cars

Sales of trucks (which include minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light and heavy trucks, vans and buses) decreased 5.2% to 73,002 units in August after rising the previous four months. While the number of passenger cars sold has traditionally exceeded the number of trucks sold on a monthly basis, truck sales have been higher in most months since the second half of 2009.

Sales of passenger cars dropped 4.3% to 55,762 units in August. North American-built passenger car sales (-5.7%) were the main contributor to the decline. Sales of overseas-built passenger cars were down 2.6%.

Sales down in seven provinces

Sales of new motor vehicles decreased in seven provinces in August.

After three months of consecutive increases, new motor vehicle sales in Ontario dropped 8.9% in August. This decline erased the gains reported over the previous three months.

Following two months of increases, sales in Quebec declined 4.5% in August, offsetting the increase reported in the previous month.

The largest gain was in Alberta where sales increased 2.4%, a fourth consecutive monthly increase.

Available on CANSIM: table 079-0003.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2402.

The August 2010 issue of New Motor Vehicle Sales (63-007-X, free) will be available soon.

Data on new motor vehicle sales for September will be released on November 15.

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 John De Luca (613-951-8719), Distributive Trades Division.