Canadian sales fare better in July; GM down -2%, Toyota Sets Record

[doh]

http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/070802-1.htm

Canadian sales up 0.6 per cent in July, analyst reports

Canada: GM Cars up, Trucks Down

TORONTO, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Canadian auto sales were mixed despite an increased demand for smaller vehicles, while imports continued to grab a bigger piece of the domestic market, company figures released on Wednesday showed.

General Motors of Canada said its July vehicle sales dropped 2 percent to 32,205 from the same month a year earlier. A 3.4 percent rise in car sales was more than offset by a 6.9 percent drop in truck sales.

"Canadians are buying more GM small vehicles than in the past, in spite of a recent softening of fuel prices," Marc Comeau, the company's vice-president of sales, said in a statement.

Ford Motor Co. of Canada sales skidded by 7.6 percent in July to 21,097 vehicles from 22,832 last year. Car sales fell 24.4 percent to 5,665 while truck sales rose 0.6 percent to 15,432.

DaimlerChrysler Canada bucked the trend of its fellow North American automakers as its monthly vehicle sales rose 2.6 percent to 19,122, which marked its 12th straight month of gains.

Overall auto sales in Canada rose 0.6 percent to 142,448 units last month compared with July 2006.

Canadian sales at Big Three North American automakers -- GM, DaimlerChrysler and Ford -- fell 2.6 percent while July sales of import nameplates rose 4 percent.

Toyota Canada Inc. said it set a new sales record for July at its Toyota and luxury Lexus divisions.

The automaker said July vehicle sales rose 2.5 percent to 18,582 vehicles from a year earlier. Toyota sales rose 2.5 percent to 17,542, while sales at its Lexus division rose 1.3 percent to 1,040.

http://www.reuters.com/article/econo...37925020070801

[W.A.F.U.]

I must be missing something. That indicates GM sold 565 vehicles in July. And Toyota sold 17k?

[jkennedy293]

General Motors 565 504 +12.1

Does GM really only sell 500 vehicles a month in Canada? That seems awfully low considering Ford and Chrysler combined to sell 20,000.

[boblutzfan]

What? Are folks north of the boarder do a better job of supporting GM than we do? I wonder how many vehicles with sales gains in Canada are not currently sold in the US?

[K-1]

Originally Posted by W.A.F.U.

I must be missing something. That indicates GM sold 565 vehicles in July. And Toyota sold 17k?

Read the highlighted portion. The number was 32,205 - nearly twice that of Toyota.

[paul38469]

Chrysler is doing employee pricing as well as gas cards good for 20 cents off per litre of gas. I haven't heard much from anyone else, certainly not employee pricing, and still that was only good for a slight bump in their sales over last year.

It is funny that trucks are down so much and cars are up because I am seeing so many Lambdas and GMT-900 pickups lately.

[Chaz_23]

No they're not. They no different than Americans. Fleeing away from domestics into the arms of the Japanese.

Originally Posted by boblutzfan

What? Are folks north of the boarder do a better job of supporting GM than we do? I wonder how many vehicles with sales gains in Canada are not currently sold in the US?

[86'er]

Originally Posted by paul38469

Chrysler is doing employee pricing as well as gas cards good for 20 cents off per litre of gas. I haven't heard much from anyone else, certainly not employee pricing, and still that was only good for a slight bump in their sales over last year.

It is funny that trucks are down so much and cars are up because I am seeing so many Lambdas and GMT-900 pickups lately.

Ford is currently doing their "Family Pricing" event again this summer in Canada.

[racy]

Originally Posted by K-1

...nearly twice that of Toyota.

Not for long. This is another example of the same headline we've been reading for the past few years: Toyota UP, GM Down.

Toyota will be number one in Canada too. Its just a matter of time. Yes, it makes me ill to think about it.

[zete]

Didn't see mention that Honda dropped 8% in Canada in July.

[skylark68]

The Japanese are finishing what they started in 1941. Not by military means this time however, but by economic... haha

[jman196]

Originally Posted by skylark68

The Japanese are finishing what they started in 1941. Not by military means this time however, but by economic... haha

They will eventually rule the world.

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

Originally Posted by Chaz_23

No they're not. They no different than Americans. Fleeing away from domestics into the arms of the Japanese.

And Canadians tend to like Japanese cars a lot. And you can't say much about "patriotism" since the "domestics" are American anyway

[jkennedy293]

Originally Posted by Smaart Aas Saabr

And Canadians tend to like Japanese cars a lot. And you can't say much about "patriotism" since the "domestics" are American anyway

Are there any Canadian car companies?

[Family Man]

Originally Posted by jkennedy293

Are there any Canadian car companies?

Large one? No, although parts company Magna International almost bought Chrysler.

There are smaller companies that make very low volume specialty cars, like electric cars for cities.