 |
| Hyundai's Santa Fe SUV led Hyundai's March growth by 117% over the same time last year. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Hyundai Auto Canada has also improved over March of last year, with 5,485 units sold resulting in an increase of 15%. Subcompact Elantra was up 14%, the midsize Sonata by 26%, and Santa Fe SUV sales rose by an amazing 117%. "We are very happy with the 2002 sales figures to date, in particular the Santa Fe sales," stated Steve Kelleher, President and CEO.
Still, overall Canadian new vehicle sales dipped slightly in March over last year's totals. The actual numbers equal 146,431 in March of 2003 compared to 148,273 in March, 2002, representing just over 1% in the red. And that's not too bad considering the political unrest currently in play. Once the Iraq war is over, and to some extent the problems in Venezuela improve, a strong sales surge is expected.