Some of Canada’s top automakers are reporting a strong rebound in June sales after a weak performance in May.
Canada’s top three automakers — Ford, General Motors and Chrysler of Canada — saw their sales improve dramatically on an annual basis. Ford and GM also saw a bounce from weak sales activity reported in May, when the industry recorded a 3.8% drop in sales.
Ford Canada once again claimed the top spot with June sales that increased 6% to 33,450 from 31,707 from year-earlier levels. It was its best June since 1989.
“After some uncertainty in May, we experienced a nice uptick in showroom traffic in June,” said David Mondragon, president and CEO, Ford of Canada.
“In fact, the Canadian market may come in stronger for 2011 than first forecasted.”
May was the only month of the year the automaker — along with many others — reported a decline in sales, led by falling truck sales. That led observers to question whether high gas prices might have forced drivers to rein in purchases.
Automakers have been reporting larger increases in car sales for most of this year due to soaring fuel costs.
In June, Ford car sales were up 32%, driven by sales of its Focus, Fusion, Taurus and Mustang. Truck sales, however, fell nearly 4%.
General Motors Canada, Canada’s second best-selling automaker in June, said sales grew 12% from a year ago, led by its Chevrolet Cruze and other fuel efficient cars and crossovers. The company reported total sales of 27,865 vehicles, compared to 24,897 a year earlier.
Car sales rose 14% while truck sales gained 11%.
“With gas prices on the rise, customers have embraced fuel efficiency leaders such as the Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain,” said Marc Comeau, vice-president of sales, service and marketing at GM of Canada.
Chrysler Canada reported the largest improvement from year-ago sales among Detroit’s so-called big three automakers, and the top three selling brands in Canada. The company said its sales soared 27% to 23,576 vehicles from 18, 502 a year ago. That was its best June since 2005.
Luxury automaker BMW Group Canada saw sales jump 19% over June 2010 to 4,164 vehicles.
Meanwhile, Japanese automaker Honda Canada says its sales, including the luxury Acura model, fell by 19% to 9,584 vehicles.
The company is still struggling with supply chain issues following a disruption caused by Japan’s earthquake and tsunami in March.
