October 3, 2007

September auto sales "respectable" but not great, analyst says

Richmond Hill, Ontario - Canadian new car sales enjoyed a "respectable month but not a great month," says industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers, noting that sales were down 2.9 per cent over last year, and that sales were higher four times in the last eight years.

"The economy was still very strong in September and prices were coming down with the strong dollar and the huge incentive dollars in play, so there must be other things at work," DesRosiers says.

DesRosiers suggests that a weakness in the U.S. dollar, with customer perception that prices are too high, may be to blame, but says "With this story blasted from one end of the media to the other, I'm sure some consumers just sat on their hands. This is how markets work and why I'm not concerned about the price differentials."

Sales for September 2007 were as follows:

Manufacturer	September 2007	September 2006	Per cent change
Chrysler	17,011	16,191	+5.1
Ford	13,851	15,294	-9.4
General Motors	31,922	35,166	-6.4
Acura	1,525	2,180	-30.2
Audi	620	850	-27.1
BMW	1,929	1,826	+5.6
Honda	13,317	14,702	-9.4
Hyundai	7,080	6,090	+16.3
Infiniti	471	580	-18.8
Jaguar	58	60	-3.3
Kia	3,330	2,471	+34.8
Land Rover	279	221	+26.2
Lexus	982	957	+2.6
Mazda	7,055	7,044	+0.2
Mercedes-Benz	1,329	1,229	+8.1
Mini	320	291	+10.0
Mitsubishi	1,260	1,015	+24.1
Nissan	5,947	6,544	- 9.1
Porsche	160	128	+25.0
Saab	168	277	-39.4
Smart	31	192	-83.9
Subaru	1,575	1,292	+21.9
Suzuki	1,058	904	+17.0
Toyota	15,910	16,247	-2.1
Volkswagen	2,854	3,176	-10.1
Volvo	785	831	-5.5
Passenger Car	70,783	72,813	-2.8
Light truck	61,044	62,951	-3.0
Total light vehicle sales	131,827	135,764	-2.1

More News....