Light vehicle sales post second best August on record, but fall 1.6 per cent

TORONTO—Canadian new light vehicle sales fell for a sixth straight month in August but still posted the second-best August on record, DesRosiers Automotive Consultants said Tuesday.

Sales decreased 1.6 per cent to almost 181,000 from the prior year.

Passenger car sales dropped 10.6 per cent to 52,842 while light trucks were up 2.6 per cent to 128,100 units.

Ford was the volume leader with sales rising 7.1 per cent, allowing it to overtake General Motors’s leading position last year.

Genesis sales increased 236 per cent, Volvo 43.5 per cent, Mitsubishi 18 per cent and Acura 13 per cent.

Sales in the first eight months of the year were 0.8 per cent below 2017’s record.

In the United States, a forecasted pickup in sales failed to materialize as 16.6 million vehicle were sold, down 0.6 per cent from July, said TD senior economist Thomas Feltmate.

GM sales were down the most at 13 per from a year ago while FCA was up 10 per cent.