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New motor vehicle sales
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The number of new motor vehicles sold declined for a second consecutive month, down 3.0% in December to 133,146 units. Weaker sales in Ontario and Alberta accounted for the decrease.
New motor vehicle sales down in December
Preliminary industry data indicate that the number of new motor vehicles sold in January 2012 increased 16% on the strength of passenger cars.
Truck sales decline in December
Sales of trucks (which include minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light and heavy trucks, vans and buses) decreased 6.0% to 75,175 units in December. Truck sales were relatively stable in the second half of 2011 following an upward trend earlier in the year.
Truck sales down in December
Passenger car sales rose 1.1% to 57,971 units. Following a downward trend that began in early 2010, sales of overseas-built passenger cars (+3.3%) rose for a fourth consecutive month. Sales of North-American built passenger cars edged down 0.2%.
Sales decrease most in Ontario and Alberta
Sales were down in five provinces in December.
Ontario (-6.1%) reported the largest decrease in the number of new motor vehicles sold. This was Ontario's first decline in five months.
Sales of new motor vehicles fell for a second consecutive month in Alberta (-6.6%). This province registered the highest growth in units sold among all provinces in 2011.
Quebec's (+0.9%) sales of new motor vehicles advanced for the fourth month in a row. These gains offset the downward trend in sales observed in early 2011.
Available without charge in CANSIM: table 079-0003.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2402.
The December 2011 issue of New Motor Vehicle Sales (63-007-X, free) will soon be available.
Data on new motor vehicle sales for January will be released on March 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 Jason Aston (613-951-0746), Distributive Trades Division.
Table 1
| December 2010 | November 2011r | December 2011p | December 2010 to December 2011 | November to December 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| number of vehicles | % change | ||||
| New motor vehicles | 128,178 | 137,320 | 133,146 | 3.9 | -3.0 |
| Passenger cars | 57,952 | 57,337 | 57,971 | 0.0 | 1.1 |
| North American1 | 32,380 | 36,049 | 35,972 | 11.1 | -0.2 |
| Overseas | 25,572 | 21,288 | 21,999 | -14.0 | 3.3 |
| Trucks, vans and buses | 70,226 | 79,983 | 75,175 | 7.0 | -6.0 |
| New motor vehicles | |||||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 2,617 | 2,725 | 2,705 | 3.4 | -0.7 |
| Prince Edward Island | 445 | 491 | 499 | 12.1 | 1.6 |
| Nova Scotia | 3,433 | 3,813 | 3,870 | 12.7 | 1.5 |
| New Brunswick | 3,017 | 3,351 | 3,321 | 10.1 | -0.9 |
| Quebec | 35,337 | 35,589 | 35,912 | 1.6 | 0.9 |
| Ontario | 47,277 | 50,329 | 47,268 | 0.0 | -6.1 |
| Manitoba | 3,593 | 4,029 | 4,041 | 12.5 | 0.3 |
| Saskatchewan | 3,905 | 4,152 | 4,370 | 11.9 | 5.3 |
| Alberta | 16,207 | 19,582 | 18,291 | 12.9 | -6.6 |
| British Columbia2 | 12,347 | 13,259 | 12,869 | 4.2 | -2.9 |
Table 2
| December 2010 | November 2011r | December 2011p | December 2010 to December 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| number of vehicles | % change | |||
| New motor vehicles | 114,376 | 124,466 | 117,863 | 3.0 |
| Passenger cars | 45,874 | 50,763 | 45,646 | -0.5 |
| North American1 | 26,372 | 32,521 | 29,073 | 10.2 |
| Overseas | 19,502 | 18,242 | 16,573 | -15.0 |
| Trucks, vans and buses | 68,502 | 73,703 | 72,217 | 5.4 |
| New motor vehicles | ||||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 1,868 | 2,357 | 1,965 | 5.2 |
| Prince Edward Island | 354 | 433 | 403 | 13.8 |
| Nova Scotia | 2,844 | 3,323 | 3,112 | 9.4 |
| New Brunswick | 2,483 | 2,821 | 2,654 | 6.9 |
| Quebec | 27,399 | 30,897 | 28,142 | 2.7 |
| Ontario | 43,557 | 46,050 | 42,477 | -2.5 |
| Manitoba | 3,340 | 3,708 | 3,859 | 15.5 |
| Saskatchewan | 3,719 | 3,957 | 4,272 | 14.9 |
| Alberta | 16,272 | 18,686 | 17,965 | 10.4 |
| British Columbia2 | 12,540 | 12,234 | 13,014 | 3.8 |
