Canadian Auto Sales Drop For 1st Time In More Than A Decade

TORONTO ― Canadian sales of passenger cars and light trucks were down about 3.6 per cent last year compared with 2018, according to industry statistics compiled by Des Rosiers Automotive Reports.

It’s the industry’s first year-over-year decline in more than a decade, but Des Rosiers says 2019 was still the fourth best sales year on record.

Watch: Canada’s auto industry has an expiration date. Story continues below.

Des Rosiers says the total number of vehicles sold last year was 1,914,357, including 109,584 in December.

That’s down from 1,984,992 sales in 2018, including 114,289 in the month of December.

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Full-year sales of passenger cars fell 16.1 per cent to 484,687, while sales of light trucks including sport utility vehicles rose 1.6 per cent to 1,429,670.

Des Rosiers says 2019 was a good year for sport utility vehicles, with Canadian sales surpassing the 900,000 units for the first time on record.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2020.