June auto sales: GM down, Chrysler ekes out gain, Toyota hits record

Sales by General Motors Canada crashed in June while Toyota Canada said its brands set records.

Chrysler Canada said it sold 22,194 vehicles during the month, up one per cent over June 2007.

Both GM and Toyota said consumers showed they want fuel-efficient or green cars. GM still has a large line of pickup trucks, which buyers have been avoiding, while Toyota said its hybrids did very well.

But Chrysler said its Dodge Ram pickup bucked the trend, with sales increasing.

GM sales fell 23.8 per cent in June, the company said Wednesday. Truck sales were down 35 per cent, and car sales by almost 12 per cent.

The company sold 32,355 vehicles last month, compared with 42,466 in June 2007.

The second biggest decline was at Ford Canada, which saw sales fall by 13.7 per cent to 21,959 vehicles, down from 25,439 in June last year.

Toyota said it sold 22,428 Toyota and Lexus cars and trucks in June, up 8.8 per cent from June 2007.

Sales of Toyota hybrid cars rose by 68.6 per cent to 1,391 units while Lexus hybrids were up by 97.9 per cent, with 192 units being sold.

“GM Canada's June sales reflected the significant ongoing market impact of rising gas prices and the resulting further consumer shift toward cars and smaller crossovers,” Marc Comeau, vice-president of sales, service and marketing, said in a news release.

Year-to-date, GM's sales are down 11.3 per cent, with cars virtually flat and trucks down almost 21 per cent.

GM said smaller, fuel-efficient cars such as the Chevrolet Aveo and Pontiac Wave were selling well. The Chevy Impala, Pontiac G6 and Cadillac also did well.

Honda Canada's June sales fell two per cent, to 16,518 units, because of a supply shortage of the fuel-efficient Civic and Fit, Jerry Chenkin, executive vice-president, said in a release Wednesday.

Sales at the Honda and Acura divisions were 14,918 and 1,600 units, respectively.

Kia Canada, a subsidiary of South Korea's Kia Motors, reported its best June ever, with sales of 3,772 vehicles. That was an increase of almost 11 per cent over the 3,400 units sold in June last year.

BMW Group Canada, Mercedes-Benz Canada and Subaru Canada Inc. all reported record sales for June.

BMW said June sales were 3,564 units, Mercedes-Benz said it sold a total of 2,516 units, and Subaru sold 1,822 units.

Nissan Canada Inc. said it sold 7,168 Nissan and Infiniti vehicles in June, up 8.9 per cent from June 2007.