2008 vehicle sales in Canada: winners and losers

By now, everyone knows how bad the economy is doing, and a perfectly normal reflex is to hold off major purchases like houses and cars. Yet the year-end results are surprising in some cases.

In Canada, total car sales went up 3.9%, while light truck sales were dropped by 6.4%. All summed up, light vehicle sales are down 1.1% compared to 2007.

Here's the breakdown for cars and light trucks of every manufacturer, from best to worst. December 2008 sales compared to 2007 are also an indication of what to expect in 2009.

smart +54.1%
December sales: -38.8%

	2008	2007	Variation
Total	3749	2433	+54,1%

MINI +32.5%
December sales: +4.9%

	2008	2007	Variation
Total	4905	3703	+32,5%

Mercedes-Benz +26.4%
December sales: +12.5%

	2008	2007	Variation
Cars	15293	11991	+27,5%
Trucks	5075	4123	+23,1%
Total	20368	16114	+26,4%

Jaguar +25.9%
December sales: -25.5%

	2008	2007	Variation
Total	929	738	+25,9%

Infiniti +20.8%
December sales: +16.6%

	2008	2007	Variation
Cars	4696	5458	-14,0%
Trucks	3463	1298	+166,8%
Total	8159	6756	+20,8%

Subaru +20.5%
December sales: +16.0%

	2008	2007	Variation
Cars	12644	12399	+2,0%
Trucks	7248	4105	+76,6%
Total	19892	16504	+20,5%

Audi +12.6%
December sales: +3.5%

	2008	2007	Variation
Cars	8002	6995	+14,4%
Trucks	1269	1235	+2,8%
Total	9271	8230	+12,6%

Suzuki +12.0%
December sales: +31.6%

	2008	2007	Variation
Cars	9662	7320	+32,0%
Trucks	3780	4681	-19,2%
Total	13442	12001	+12,0%

Lexus +12.0%
December sales: -25.9%

	2008	2007	Variation
Cars	8136	8336	-2,4%
Trucks	6865	5052	+35,9%
Total	15001	13388	+12,0%