Canada’s top 10 cars and light trucks through the first quarter of 2012

[seftonm]

Canada’s No. 1 passenger car remains the Honda Civic, followed by the Hyundai Elantra and a long list of other compact cars

Jeremy Cato - THEGLOBEANDMAIL - May 1, 2012

Compacts and trucks still rule our market --Ed.

Perhaps we should call this phenomenon the schizophrenia of the new car marketplace.

Consider: through the first quarter of this year (January to March), sales of fuel-efficient subcompact cars, or “B” cars, were up a stunning 32.2 per cent, while sales of almost-as-thrifty compact cars (“C” cars) were up a far more modest 4.8 per cent. And sales of thirstier intermediate cars, or “D” cars, were up 27.6 per cent.

“So it appears that passenger car intenders are moving further down-market from C-sized vehicles to B-sized vehicles, both of which are very fuel efficient, though B-cars are even more fuel efficient than Cs,” says auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers in a note to clients.

Meanwhile, reasonably frugal small pickup sales were down 13.1 per cent, though this can be attributed solely to the fact that Ford of Canada no longer sells the Ranger.

That said, DesRosiers notes, “some of the least fuel efficient vehicles are in the luxury/large/sport segments and they are up 8.6 per cent in March and are up 17.3 per cent YTD [year to date].”... [Read More]

[Harold]

Man what is wrong with this picture, Ford F150 out selling a Honda Civic. What in heck is the matter with Canadian auto buyers. I cannot fathom their reasoning! H

[PaleMelanesian]

You should come visit Texas some day.
Central Texas new vehicle sales up 17.1%

Top-selling vehicles in Central Texas
1. Ford F-150
2. Chevrolet Silverado 1500
3. Dodge Ram
4. Honda Accord
5. Honda CR-V
6. Toyota Prius
7. Toyota Camry
8. Hyundai Sonata
9. Honda Civic
10. Mazda 3

[Harold]

So it sounds like all North America is F***e* when it comes to transportation!!! H

[08EscapeHybrid]

Adding up the vehicles from the list:

Total Light Duty Trucks: 100,497 (-) Total cars: 71,986 (=) 28,511 more trucks

Has anyone stopped to think that maybe Canada has harsher winters than most of the US, and that they may require capable 4wd vehicles?

[seftonm]

From my experience it's all the people living in rural areas, suburban dwellers with more space and boats and ski-doos and so on, and the farmers who buy trucks. People in the largest cities like Toronto don't buy many trucks. But even in cities like Winnipeg or Calgary, they are quite common. It's probably pretty much like Texas out here in western Canada.

[PaleMelanesian]

Mike, that's the picture I get as well. Except we don't have winter.

I do notice that my report is for central Texas, meaning Austin. Austin is like a Left Coast city transported into Texas. That explains the Prius' appearance on the list. Not likely in the rest of the state.

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Originally Posted by 08EscapeHybrid

Adding up the vehicles from the list:

Total Light Duty Trucks: 100,497 (-) Total cars: 71,986 (=) 28,511 more trucks

Has anyone stopped to think that maybe Canada has harsher winters than most of the US, and that they may require capable 4wd vehicles?

Some. But I'd expect that for many it's like Maine. People buy a plot and build a house in a rural area and then say that they have to have 4WD because their roads aren't plowed.

For most people 4WD is a lifestyle choice.

[Harold]

I live in a rural area on acreage and don't own a truck and get by! I do have a utility trailer for when I do require something to haul. A car handles winters as well if not better than a pick-up. They just feel safer and more moncho, I believe. A pick-up is really a useless mode of transportation in my opinion. H

[seftonm]

It's different here, even a 2wd compact pickup can do reasonably well in winter and go places that a car cannot simply because of its ground clearance.