I know, the year’s not over yet. However, with only the month of December to go, we can already list the top 5 bestselling car companies in Canada, and in the right order.
Before we do, let’s take a moment to point out that for the second year in a row, Canadians have been buying more trucks than cars. In 2011, the ratio should stand at about 56% for light trucks and 44% for cars. Keep in mind, though, that car-based crossovers such as the Mitsubishi RVR and Honda CR-V are considered as light trucks, so this kinda screws up the numbers. Anyhow, you get the picture.
5 – Hyundai
In 2010, Hyundai had Honda/Acura in its sights to grab the #5 spot among bestselling manufacturers in Canada, but fell short. This year, there’s no contest; the Korean brand has pulled ahead of Honda and Acura, no doubt aided by Mother Nature. We’ll see if they will be able to keep their momentum.
The star of Hyundai’s lineup this has unquestionably been the Elantra, including surprisingly strong sales of its dusty Touring model. They would’ve sold a lot more Velosters if production would've kept up with demand. Heck, even sales of the Equus surpassed Hyundai’s 100-unit objective this year.
Hyundai may be #5 in total sales, but this year in Canada, they’re #1 in car sales.
4 – Toyota (Toyota, Lexus, Scion)
Despite a 10% sales drop in 2011, Toyota managed to keep its #4 spot. With a plethora of new and redesigned models being released over the course of the next year, Toyota still won’t catch the 3rd-place manufacturer but will likely consolidate its current position.
This new arrival of fresh products will be most welcome for Toyota, as no model in its vast product portfolio really distinguished itself sales-wise in 2011. In addition to the redesigned Camry, Yaris and Tacoma, the Prius v and Scion iQ have been added, and we should see a new RAV4 this year. The 2013 Scion FR-S sports car should remain a low-volume model but could attract many people to Toyota’s showrooms.
3 – Chrysler (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat)
We still think the Chrysler group has too many divisions and several models compete against each other on their showroom floors, but at least their sales have picked up in 2011 after a morbid 2010 calendar year.
Sales of almost every model have increased (they’re still selling the Caliber, right?), while the Journey and the Ram pickup are enjoying respectable market-share gains. On the other hand, only 14% of Chrysler’s sales are cars; the remaining 86% are light-duty trucks. Not something to brag about.
2 – General Motors (Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC)
While sales were flat throughout 2011 compared to the previous year, GM will celebrate New Year’s Day in the #2 spot, edging out Chrysler by only a few thousand units.
Like Chrysler, General Motors has several models that compete against each other, but each of its four divisions posted stable sales numbers. Unlike Chrysler, GM’s car sales represent a more respectable proportion of the total figure, currently at 34%.
1 – Ford (Ford, Lincoln)
No surprise here. The Ford Motor Company is cleaning up once again this year, despite only a 4% increase in sales over the 2010 calendar year.
The F-Series pickup is the country’s bestselling vehicle by a landslide – and still ahead after you combine sales of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. The Escape is the bestselling compact SUV/CUV, also by a wide margin. On the other hand, the new, critically-acclaimed 2012 Focus isn’t selling much more than the old model, although Ford was basically giving away the 2011 car with rebates and low interest rates.
With a car sales proportion of 26% versus 74% for light-duty and heavy-duty trucks, Ford can’t match GM’s ratio but is doing better than Chrysler.
Will there be any changes in the top 5 list at the end of 2012? Highly unlikely.
Before we do, let’s take a moment to point out that for the second year in a row, Canadians have been buying more trucks than cars. In 2011, the ratio should stand at about 56% for light trucks and 44% for cars. Keep in mind, though, that car-based crossovers such as the Mitsubishi RVR and Honda CR-V are considered as light trucks, so this kinda screws up the numbers. Anyhow, you get the picture.
5 – Hyundai
In 2010, Hyundai had Honda/Acura in its sights to grab the #5 spot among bestselling manufacturers in Canada, but fell short. This year, there’s no contest; the Korean brand has pulled ahead of Honda and Acura, no doubt aided by Mother Nature. We’ll see if they will be able to keep their momentum.
The star of Hyundai’s lineup this has unquestionably been the Elantra, including surprisingly strong sales of its dusty Touring model. They would’ve sold a lot more Velosters if production would've kept up with demand. Heck, even sales of the Equus surpassed Hyundai’s 100-unit objective this year.
Hyundai may be #5 in total sales, but this year in Canada, they’re #1 in car sales.
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| 2011 Hyundai Elantra (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com) |
4 – Toyota (Toyota, Lexus, Scion)
Despite a 10% sales drop in 2011, Toyota managed to keep its #4 spot. With a plethora of new and redesigned models being released over the course of the next year, Toyota still won’t catch the 3rd-place manufacturer but will likely consolidate its current position.
This new arrival of fresh products will be most welcome for Toyota, as no model in its vast product portfolio really distinguished itself sales-wise in 2011. In addition to the redesigned Camry, Yaris and Tacoma, the Prius v and Scion iQ have been added, and we should see a new RAV4 this year. The 2013 Scion FR-S sports car should remain a low-volume model but could attract many people to Toyota’s showrooms.
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| 2012 Toyota Camry (Photo: Michel Deslauriers/Auto123.com) |
3 – Chrysler (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat)
We still think the Chrysler group has too many divisions and several models compete against each other on their showroom floors, but at least their sales have picked up in 2011 after a morbid 2010 calendar year.
Sales of almost every model have increased (they’re still selling the Caliber, right?), while the Journey and the Ram pickup are enjoying respectable market-share gains. On the other hand, only 14% of Chrysler’s sales are cars; the remaining 86% are light-duty trucks. Not something to brag about.
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| 2011 Dodge Journey RT AWD (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
2 – General Motors (Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC)
While sales were flat throughout 2011 compared to the previous year, GM will celebrate New Year’s Day in the #2 spot, edging out Chrysler by only a few thousand units.
Like Chrysler, General Motors has several models that compete against each other, but each of its four divisions posted stable sales numbers. Unlike Chrysler, GM’s car sales represent a more respectable proportion of the total figure, currently at 34%.
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| 2012 Chevrolet Cruze LT (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
1 – Ford (Ford, Lincoln)
No surprise here. The Ford Motor Company is cleaning up once again this year, despite only a 4% increase in sales over the 2010 calendar year.
The F-Series pickup is the country’s bestselling vehicle by a landslide – and still ahead after you combine sales of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. The Escape is the bestselling compact SUV/CUV, also by a wide margin. On the other hand, the new, critically-acclaimed 2012 Focus isn’t selling much more than the old model, although Ford was basically giving away the 2011 car with rebates and low interest rates.
With a car sales proportion of 26% versus 74% for light-duty and heavy-duty trucks, Ford can’t match GM’s ratio but is doing better than Chrysler.
Will there be any changes in the top 5 list at the end of 2012? Highly unlikely.
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| 2011 Ford F350 SuperDuty Power Stroke (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |