Wow...that is quite a slip. Interesting to note that most mainstream car companies saw sales slip, but a lot of luxury companies saw gains.
| Quote » |
| Vancouver, B.C. - Combined Canadian car and truck sales in 2003 were down 6.4% from 2002, according to figures released by DesRosiers Automotive Consultants. Total vehicle sales in 2003 were 1,593,506 compared to 2002 sales of 1,703,246. Passenger car sales were down 7.4% while light truck sales were down 5.3%. Overall vehicle sales in 2003 were dragged down by markedly lower December sales which plummeted an average of 21.3%. For the year, GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler all reported lower annual sales. GM sales were down 12.5%, Ford slid 6.3%, and DaimlerChrysler dropped 13.7%. Most import brands, with the exception of Kia, Nissan, and Toyota, also fared poorly in 2003. Honda declined 6.0%, Hyundai slipped 2.3%, Mazda dropped 7.9% (despite a 24.4% surge in December sales), Subaru was down 8.6%, Suzuki plummeted 19.0%, and Volkswagen slid 9.6%. Gainers included Kia whose sales rose 5.2%, Nissan gained 5.0%, and Toyota jumped 7.3%. Mitsubishi's increase of 338% can be attributed to a partial sales year in 2002. Many luxury automakers reported higher sales in 2003. Audi sales rose 8.6%, BMW 7.5%, Infiniti 28.3%, Lexus 24.8%, Porsche 35.1%, and Volvo 13.9%. However, not all luxury automakers fared well. Acura was down 9.2%, Jaguar slid 7.4%, Land Rover dropped 26.3%, Mercedes-Benz slipped 4.4%, and Saab declined 3.1%. In terms of market share, the big winner was Toyota which gained 1.3% to capture 9.8% of the Canadian vehicle market. Losers included General Motors which lost 2.2% of market share and now has 28.4% of the market. DaimlerChrysler also lost 1.1%, and is now down to 13.4% of the Canadian vehicle market. |
