Richmond Hill, Ontario – New-vehicle sales rose 24.9 per cent in February 2010, compared with February 2009, according to industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers, with year-to-date sales up 15.8 per cent.

Total passenger car and light truck sales were 100,243 units for the month.

“Even though this increase is from a weak comparable year-ago month, it still signals a very strong month,” DesRosiers said. “A 100,000 month is right up there with some of the better Februaries over the past decade. January and February are typically weak sales months, but the year is starting out very strong.”

DesRosiers said that the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) is “very healthy,” tracking at 1.65 million units, and the best SAAR since October 2008.

He also noted that both Toyota and Lexus were up and slightly above the market, even though eight of their best-selling vehicles were unavailable for about ten days. DesRosiers said it may be that consumers are giving the company the benefit of the doubt, and also that there may be some backlash in Canada to the treatment Toyota is getting from politicians in the U.S., who may appear to be “piling on.”

DesRosiers also noted that, due to Ford’s performance, the three domestic automakers outperformed import nameplates for the first time in as many as 15 years. “We analysts have to get out of lumping these companies together as a group,” he said. “There is no more Big Three or Detroit Three. There is GM and Ford and Chrysler. Fundamentally different companies all on a different page.”

February sales were as follows:

Company Feb 2010 Feb 2010 % Change
       
Chrysler 13,970 11,923 + 17.2
Ford 17,910 11,854 + 51.1
General Motors 13,846 11,381 + 21.7
       
Acura 858 990 - 13.3
Audi 866 627 + 38.1
BMW 1,420 1,190 + 19.3
Honda 8,059 6,051 + 33.2
Hyundai 8,502 6,912 + 23.0
Infiniti 440 429 +  2.6
Jaguar 35 35 +  0.0
Kia 3,001 2,221 + 35.1
Land Rover 180 150 + 20.0
Lexus 902 715 + 26.2
Mazda 4,929 4,666 +  5.6
Mercedes-Benz 1,892 1,419 + 33.3
Mini 193 148 + 30.4
Mitsubishi 1,558 1,454 +  7.2
Nissan 4,006 4,288 -  6.6
Porsche 110 104 +  5.8
Saab 0 36 -100.0
Smart 119 141 - 15.6
Subaru 1,724 1,263 + 36.5
Suzuki 700 728 -  3.8
Toyota 11,791 9,421 + 25.2
Volkswagen 2,821 1,721 + 63.9
Volvo 411 363 + 13.2
       
Light vehicles 100,243 80,230 + 24.9
Passenger cars 45,400 40,786 + 11.3
Light trucks 54,843 39,444 + 39.0

Related posts:

  1. Sales up in January but not all is good: DesRosiers
  2. Honda Civic and Ford F-Series top February sales
  3. Canadian vehicle sales rise in July
  4. Mazda3 tops February passenger car sales
  5. December sales up, 2009 sales down: DesRosiers