Sales of new motor vehicles slipped to 143,270 units in June, down 1% from May as buyers shied away from gas guzzlers, according to Statistics Canada.
Sales of new trucks, including minivans and SUVs, dropped 2.4% to 63,746 units, continuing a trend that began at the start of the year.
Passenger car sales crept up 0.1%, with 79,524 units moving off the lots.
Sales of North American-built passenger cars rose for the second consecutive month, while sales of foreign-built vehicles slipped.
Sales decline were concentrated in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, with the largest drops in Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec.
Statistics Canada says its preliminary data for July suggest that sales for that month won’t change much from June.
