Canadian consumers' general ignorance of the car buying process could explain why a lot of the same products are in the top-20 of new vehicle sales in Canada after the first six months of the year, says a prominent Canadian auto analyst.That would help explain why those two vehicles continue to do so well while the segments they're in are both attracting considerably fewer buyers in 2005.In trying to make sense of the consumer behavior, analyst Dennis DesRosiers argues that "most consumers fundamentally do not understand what they are doing when they enter the vehicle markets. So they look for 'comfort' in what others are buying."DesRosiers goes on to say that, if "a consumer doesn't really understand vehicles, then a lot can be said for the logic a typical consumer uses -- if all these people are buying XYZ vehicle then it must be a good vehicle."This argument is "compelling if you think about it," says DesRosiers, though he does go on to add that it may "not be necessarily true, but compelling."DesRosiers argues that "This is why these top selling positions and the dozens of other awards that are heaped onto to this industry tend to be taken seriously."People buying what other people have already bought may not be a bad thing for the newest buyers, DesRosiers says. "If a product is in the top 10 or even top 20 it deserves a lot of merit, and that position alone should give consumers comfort that they are getting a good product."Whatever their reasons for being there and whatever it means for buyers, here are the 20 best-selling vehicles for the first six months of the year, with their sales records for the same time in 2004 in brackets. The sales numbers are all provided by DesRosiers.
- Ford F-Series 36,687 (38,603) -5.0%
- Dodge Caravan 34,773 (36,914) -5.8%
- Honda Civic 29,367 (28,016) 4.8%
- Mazda3 27,819 (24,809) 12.1%
- Toyota Corolla 23,403 (23,648) -1.0%
- GMC Sierra 19,379 (19,797) -2.1%
- Chevrolet Silverado 18,743 (18,947) -1.1%
- Dodge Ram Pickup 18,529 (22,662) -18.2%
- Toyota Echo 16,835 (16,535) 1.8%
- Pontiac Sunfire 14,329 (17,473) -18.0%
- Ford Focus 14,013 (15,979) -12.3%
- Honda Accord 12,039 (12,380) -2.8%
- Toyota Matrix 11,985 (9,634) 24.4%
- Ford Escape/Hybrid 10,814 (10,861) -0.4%
- Chevrolet Uplander 10,571 - n.a.
- Toyota Camry 9,991 (9,294) 7.5%
- Pontiac Montana SV6 9,609 - n.a.
- Chrysler Sebring Sedan 9,540 (10,091) -5.5%
- Ford Freestar 9,157 (11,889) -23.0%
- Honda CR-V 7,702 (7,242) 6.4%