New light vehicle sales at the provincial level varied notably, even as sales on a national level shows an impressive increase.That is according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants (DAC) latest update, which found that Québec led the market with an estimated 21.9% sales increase when compared to August 2022.
Close behind was Prince Edward Island and Ontario, experiencing an increase of 21.1% and 19.5%, respectively. But not all provinces enjoyed this status, as Saskatchewan observed a 4.4% sales decrease, compared to a year earlier. DAC said this may have been a reflection of “unfavourable growing conditions” for the province’s agricultural sector in 2023, which is considered critical to Saskatchewan.
“August brought with it significant new light vehicle sales variance throughout Canada,” said Andrew King, Managing Partner at DAC, in a statement. “It was the larger volume provinces that came out ahead, setting the tone for the overall market.”
Year-to-date, DAC’s update shows that sales performances at the provincial level range greatly, from Saskatchewan and a 1.5% sales decrease on one end to Ontario with a 10.8% sales increase on the other. August new light vehicle sales, when considering reporting OEMs, came in at an estimated 149,697 units sold —an increase of 18.3% from the 126,533 units recorded last August.
“Year-to-date, sales reached an estimated 1.10 million units, up 9.0% from the same time last year,” said DAC.
