Canadian sales rise 6%, set new monthly record

MONTREAL -- Light-vehicle sales in Canada grew 6 percent in April to a record 200,327 deliveries, according to the monthly DesRosiers industry report.

Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles reported double-digit growth in Canadian auto sales during the month, fueled by growing demand for trucks in a market expected to once again break records in 2016.

General Motors, however, reported a decline in sales in April. GM said its Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealers delivered 26,596 vehicles in April, down 9 percent compared with the same month in 2015.

The April results broke a record for any month of the year, Ontario-based automotive consultant Dennis DesRosiers said.

"Never in the history of the automotive sector have Canadians bought more than 200,000 light vehicles in a month," DesRosiers said in a note to clients. "This brings sales year-to-date to 603,000 units, also a record."

But DesRosiers cautioned that the year-to-date sales may appear stronger than they really are because the comparison to last year includes a "somewhat soft" first quarter.

"We do not believe this pace will hold for the rest of the year, but with such a great first four months Canada is heading towards another record sales year and should break the record of 1.9 million light vehicle sales set just last year," he wrote.

Fiat Chrysler reported sales of 30,108 vehicles in Canada last month, up 10 percent compared with April 2015.

"We are off to the best sales start in our history," Dave Buckingham, COO for Fiat Chrysler Canada, said in a statement.

Ford said its sales grew 11 percent, to 30,327 vehicles, even as customer demand declined for sedans.

The data was not adjusted for a difference in selling days. April 2016 had 27 selling days compared with 25 selling days in April 2015.

Other automakers also reported record Canadian sales for the month, with Toyota posting a 16 percent gain to 21,436 vehicles and its Lexus brand advancing 11 percent to 2,386 deliveries.

For the first four months, overall Canadian sales grew 8.2 percent to 603,223 vehicles, DesRosiers said.

Subaru's Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. retailed 5,087 vehicles in April, up 3.8 percent compared with the same month in 2015.

Last year, FCA won the Canadian auto sales title for the first time in its 90-year history.

Philip Nussel and Reuters contributed to this report.