Toyota Hybrid Sales In Canada - February 2011

Before you jump too far into the theory that says Toyota hybrids are failing, keep a few things things in mind. Overall, Toyota brand car sales were down 42.4% in February 2011, Toyota sales overall were down 28%, and Lexus was down 7.2%. 

Sure, Camry Hybrid sales dropped 33.6%, and that's not good, but the regular Camry was down 63.8%. Prius sales were down 38% in February, but the Yaris fared even worse. The point: yes, Toyota and Lexus are struggling to sell hybrids these days, but Toyota and Lexus are struggling to sell regular cars in Canada these days, too.

Toyota/Lexus sold 551 hybrids in Canada in February 2010. This February, hybrid sales fell 37.2%. In what segments did Toyota Canada do well? RAV4 sales were up 6.6%. Sales of Highlanders which lack electric assist were up 33.3%. Sienna sales rose 238.3%. Lexus sold 153 IS sedans and convertibles (ISF sales totalled 3, down from 5 at this time last year) up from 131 in February 2010. Overall, the Lexus RX enjoyed its best February ever in Canada.

However, Prius sales have been cut in half in 2011 so far. Lexus sold only 1 GS450h in the first 59 days of 2011. Despite intended exclusivity, the wild ISF has sold four times more often than the GS450h "performance luxury sedan" that is supposed to appeal to both sides of the brain. For every Camry Hybrid sold in Canada in 2011, Volkswagen has sold more than 2 Passats, a vehicle line that's forged along without a 2011 model year edition. 

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Porsche 911 Sales Data In Canada - February 2011

Porsche 911 sales were up 3.1% in Canada in February. That's an increase of one unit over February 2010. Through the first two months of 2011, 911 sales are down from 54 to 45. In 2010, Porsche sold 525 911s, up from 495 in 2009.

But which versions of the 911 manage to sell best in a country where the most popular car has a base price of $14,990 and the best-selling luxury car starts at $37,650? After all, one would assume the 911's $189,400 price range would have the majority of Canadian 911 buyers gravitating toward the lesser models.

As in November when GoodCarBadCar.net first published a Graph like this, the basic 911 Carrera went unsold in Canada in February 2011. The most popular 911 was the 911 Carrera S, basically your everyday 911 with an extra 40 horsepower and another $14,800 on the pricing manifesto. Porsche.ca currently lists 22 911 variants for sale in Canada. The Carrera S, representing 4.5% of those models, formed 27.3% of all 911 sales in Canada in February.

More exciting to enthusiasts and track day fans is the relative popularity of the most extreme 911s. 18.2% of the 911s sold in Canada in February 2011 were RS models: three each of the $154,600 911 GT3 RS and $279,500 911 GT2 RS. There were also five 911 Turbos sold: one traditional Turbo hardtop, two 911 Turbo Cabriolets and two 911 Turbo S Cabriolets.

In other Porsche sales news, the most popular Boxster/Cayman in February was the base Boxster, five of which were sold. Porsche Canada sold 8 Cayenne Turbos and 10 Cayenne S Hybrids. No base Panameras were sold in February but 3 Panamera Turbos did find homes, taking 2011's Panamera Turbo total to 7, down from 10 in the first two months of 2010.

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Luxury Auto Market Share In Canada - February 2011

9078 luxury-branded vehicles were sold in Canada in February 2011. 21.7% were affixed with the three-pointed of Mercedes-Benz. 2 - that's 2 as in one-two, not 2% - were Saabs. 

7.8% of all luxury vehicles sold in Canada last month were one variant or another of the BMW 3-Series, Canada's 18th-most-popular car. Just about four in every ten BMWs sold in February were 3-Series sedans, coupes, convertibles, or wagons. 

Canada's #3 luxury automaker in February 2011 was Audi. Sales increased by 39.1% as luxury market share climbed to 13.3%. For perspective on all this, Ford alone out-sold all luxury brands in February, despite the Blue Oval's 10% year-over-year sales decline. In fact, Dodge out-sold the whole luxury market by 3467 units, too. As for the U.S. luxury auto market situation, three automakers out-sold the luxury fleet: Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota.

* indicates Automotive News estimate

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Small Luxury SUV Sales And Midsize Luxury SUV Sales In Canada - February 2011

If Acura ZDX sales remained level with February 2010's level, the Acura ZDX would still possess the shortest bar in the midsize luxury SUV chart below. But, well... um, Acura ZDX sales dropped 63.6% from February 2010 levels. Toyota sold more Land Cruisers in Canada in February, and Toyota doesn't even try to sell the Land Cruiser in Canada. Seriously. BMW X6 sales were up 32.1% in February; Infiniti FX sales were up 13.1%.

Among more conventional luxury utility vehicles, the Lexus RX350 had its best February ever as sales rose 3.6%. 41 of the RXs sold were hybrids. Sales of the RX450h were down 33.9% in February.

The Audi Q5, already well-established at this time last year, saw sales rise 183% in February 2011. That was enough of an increase to see the Q5 rise to fourth on the list of Canada's best-selling luxury vehicles, right behind the Lexus RX. Thanks to the introduction of the second-generation X3, BMW was served a 74.5% year-over-year sales increase of its small SAV.

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Small SUV Sales, Midsize SUV Sales, Large SUV Sales In Canada - February 2011

GM market share in the large SUV segment in February 2011 was 36.8%. Throw the Ford Expedition into the mix and the domestic share of the Canadian large SUV market was 67.9%. Toyota Sequoia sales rose 23.3% in February, however, and Nissan Armada sales jumped 300%. (Kia Borrego sales fell 35.3%.) Thus, compared with February 2010 when GM large SUV market share stood at 69.3% and domestic market share was 86.4%, all is not sublimely well.

In the loosely defined mainstream midsize SUV category General Motors is a far greater force in the U.S. than in Canada. In the Graph below - a Graph filled with many vehicles that don't compete with another, mind you - GM market share stands at just 13.2%. Compare that with the equivalent U.S. chart and you'll see a huge difference: GM market share in the category was 22.7% south of the border in February. Back to the Canadian story, have a look at Ford: despite faltering Edge and Flex sales, the new Explorer helped Ford remain dominant with 31.1% market share last month. 36.7% of the midsize SUVs in the chart below wear Japanese badges.

Way down below in the large volume small SUV category, a classification used mainly to signify pricing competitiveness, there were 19,975 vehicles sold in February 2011. That's up from 18,275 in February 2010, an increase very attributable to the Dodge Journey's 63.2% year-over-year increase. Speaking of Chrysler, their four least expensive utility vehicles made up 19.5% of all sales manifested in the small SUV chart below. 41.8% of all sales shown in the small SUV sales chart were from the Detroit Three.

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Minivan Sales And Truck Sales In Canada - February 2011

With a 13.6% gain the Dodge Grand Caravan greatly out-performed the overall Canadian new vehicle market in February 2011 which fell from 100,352 sales in February 2010 to 96,112 this year. Chrysler's Town & Country lost five sales, the Volkswagen Routan was down significantly, and the Kia Rondo fell 10.8%. At the same time, Honda Odyssey sales rose 61.7%, Mazda 5 sales increased by 82.7%, Kia Sedona sales nearly doubled, and the Sienna bucked Toyota trends by posting a 238% jump. Did Swagger Wagon advertising work? One would imagine.

We've already covered Canada's 5 Best-Selling Trucks, so now's a good time to look at the slow sellers. Honda Ridgeline sales fell from 175 in February of 2010 to just 77 last month. The Nissan Titan, though inflicting no damage to Ford's F-Series, did post a 95.4% increase in February 2011. Frontier sales also increased for Nissan, up 54.3%. Combined, the two General Motors small pickup trucks posted a 25.3% decrease in volume from February 2010.

Surprised by the Dodge Ram's gains? Up 41.5% in February, the Ram trailed the Ford F-Series by "only" 1156 units in February. The Dodge Ram owned 25.1% of Canada's pickup truck market in February. Ram market share in the United States in February was just 14.2%.

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Sporty Car Sales And Premium Sporty Car Sales In Canada - February 2011

Accentuated by the severely declining sales of BMW's Z4, the Mercedes-Benz SLK, and Porsche's Boxster and Cayman, the Audi TT's halfway decent 23 sales (down 14.8% in February) were class-leading in the second month of 2011. The 2011 Audi TTS starts at $57,900.

Talk about serious declines: Ford Mustang sales fell 63.1% in February to 79. That's some way below the Chevrolet Camaro. The Camaro was down 58.4%. These two events opened up the way for the Dodge Challenger and its 150 sales to lead the way among American muscle, despite the Challenger's 24.2% decline from February 2010. Other than the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Mazda RX-8, Chevrolet Corvette, Audi A5, and two cars that weren't on sale in February 2010, every sporty car in the first Graph you'll see below suffered from falling sales in February 2011.

Declines weren't the story of the month among the more premium machines. Although gains were generally slight (and nonexistent in the case of the Audi R8 and BMW 6-Series), the segment didn't endure, in the manner of Ford Mustang sales, a disappearing act in February. Because of incomplete sales reports we can't take into account the wide-ranging set of competitors with which the Porsche 911... er, competes. That said, based on the information we have, the 911 was worth one in every two premium sports car sales in Canada last month.

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Large Luxury Car Sales And Large Luxury SUV Sales In Canada - February 2011

Had it eclipsed the Mercedes-Benz S-Class/CL-Class tandem in February 2011, the Porsche Panamera would have been the best-selling large luxury car in Canada. If onlys don't normally matter, but this Panamera instance is a shocker if only because of the cars Porsche out-sold in February: BMW's 7-Series, the new Audi A8, and the fresh Jaguar XJ. Moreover, it wasn't as though Porsche gained a narrow victory over these cars. The Panamera was twice as successful as the A8 in February. Also, as mentioned, Mercedes-Benz Canada offers up figures for the S-Class with the CL in tow. Safely assuming that Mercedes-Benz doesn't sell a lot of CLs per month in Canada, the S-Class still has a partner; the Porsche Panamera does not.

Range Rover sales are now off 22.6% through the first two months of 2011. Lexus LX570 sales dropped 33.3% in February and are down 40.5% in 2011. Land Cruiser sales have been chopped in half from 2010 levels. Cadillac Escalade sales dropped 17.7% in February. After 191 Escalade buyers were found through two months of 2010, only 164 have been found in the same period of 2011. Infiniti QX56 sales have taken off, up 282% in February and 228% on the year for a fairly respectable 82 sales so far. Given the size of the overall market, Infiniti's ability to sell this much large product is impressive. Infiniti has no large luxury car alternative for QX56 buyers. 

With the GL-Class and G-Wagen's 21.3% jump in February, Mercedes-Benz has now sold 270 of their biggest machines in 2011 (G, GL, S, and CL), up from 252 at this point in 2010.

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Small/Entry Luxury Car Sales And Midsize Luxury Car Sales In Canada - February 2011

Selling luxury sedans in Canada in February 2011 was not as easy as it was in February 2010. Ask Lexus: sales of the ES dropped 39.4%. Lincoln? MKS sales dropped 78.9%. Not a single Cadillac STS was sold, and CTS sales were down 14.9%. Sales of the sedan version of Hyundai's Genesis were down 68.5%. Even the Infiniti G, now available  as a less-expensive volume driver called the G25, a Good 12 winner, suffered a 7.9% decline in an overall new vehicle market which dropped by 4.2%. Volvo XC70 sales were off by 37%.

As will be obvious when you scroll down to peruse the Graphs, the Acura TL out-sold both the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz's E-Class/CLS-Class tandem. No other "midsize" rival sold half as many units as any one of those three. The 2011 Acura TL starts at $39,490, some $22K or so below the E-Class Benz and more in line with the C-Class's $35,900 point of entry.

Further down the price scale, BMW 3-Series sales were up as per the norm. Combined, the Acura TSX, Infiniti G, and Lexus IS - Japan's 3-Series-fighting contingent - were 231 sales behind the 3-Series.

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Small Car Sales, Midsize Car Sales, Large Car Sales In Canada - February 2011

Canadian Dodge Caliber sales dropped 63.1% in February. Knowledgeable auto observers won't be surprised to learn such a fact: the Caliber has always sucked more than a little bit. Toyota Camry sales dropped 60.7% in February, the Honda Accord was off 52.9%, and sales of the Chevrolet Malibu were down 48.4%, somewhat more surprising figures.

In the larger, more expensive fleet below, numerous models posted declining sales. The Nissan Maxima, Buick LaCrosse, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Ford Taurus performed better in February 2010.

Good news please? As you've already read, the 2011 Hyundai Elantra was the best-selling car in Canada in February. Elantra Touring sales were down 3%, but sedan sales nearly doubled from 1412 in February 2010. The Honda Civic charged back after a rough January, but still trails the Elantra by 2286 through the first two months of 2011. Hyundai/Kia sold 7194 small cars in Canada in February, up from 6162 in February 2010. 

You'll notice a change highlighted in blue in the charts below, a change implemented first in the U.S. version of this post. Of the blue cars - the subcompacts as they're often called - the Hyundai Accent clearly led the way, but competition is fierce for second place. Volatile Fit sales swung Honda to the bottom of that segment in February (excluding the Suzuki Swift) after Fit sales swung from 615 in May to 593, 477, 475, 385, 316, 1557, 1655, and 72 in January. 

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Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada - February 2011

Narrowly missing the cut for Canada's 30 best-selling luxury vehicle team were the Acura TSX, Volvo S40, Acura CSX, Audi A3, and Audi Q7. In fact, if you mix in the Volvo V50's sales with the S40's, you've got 105 in total, enough to place the Volvo duo in 28th. These cars are named mainly for those who complain that the Mercedes-Benz B-Class, Hyundai Genesis, and Volkswagen Touareg shouldn't be included.

The BMW 3-Series was once again Canada's best-selling luxury car and the country's best-selling luxury vehicle overall. Its lead over the number two spot (this month held by the Benz C-Class, last month by the Lexus RX) grew from 18 to 76 units. 3-Series sales were up 2.2% in Canada in February as the wildly popular Bimmer swam among the mainstream players on Canada's list of the 20 Best-Selling Cars.

There are four members of last month's best-selling luxury vehicle group which are no longer present: Audi Q7, Acura CSX, Cadillac Escalade, and the Volvo C30, sales of which plummeted 80% from January. New members include the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class (and its G-Wagen sibling), Land Rover Range Rover Sport, Lincoln MKZ, and the BMW 1-Series, sales of which skyrocketed 171% from January. 

16 vehicles on this list of 30 best-selling luxury vehicles carry German badges. There are four American automobiles, one Korean car, one British SUV, one Swedish crossover, and thus seven Japanese vehicles. The Lincoln MKX and Acura MDX, incidentally tied for seventh spot in February, are both built in Canada, as is the Lexus RX350

Rank	Car	Status	February 2011	Last Month	February 2010
#1	BMW 3-Series	↔	706	443	691
#2	Mercedes-Benz C-Class	↑	630	378	608
#3	Lexus RX	↓	491	425	474
#4	Audi Q5	↑	433	374	153
#5	Audi A4	↓	383	385	338
#6	BMW X3	↑	356	193	204
T7	Acura MDX	↑	334	203	328
T7	Lincoln MKX	↑	334	172	332
#9	BMW X5	↓	330	262	217
#10	Mercedes-Benz GLK	↓	328	208	327
#11	Mercedes-Benz M-Class	↓	238	253	274
#12	Infiniti G	↑	233	142	253
#13	Mercedes-Benz B-Class	↓	219	231	183
#14	Acura TL	↑	205	87	145
#15	Mercedes-Benz E & CLS-Class	↑	201	158	242
#16	BMW 5-Series	↓	198	165	99
#17	Cadillac CTS	↓	188	199	221
#18	Cadillac SRX	↓	186	187	138
#19	Acura RDX	↔	181	130	114
#20	Lexus IS	↑	153	115	131
#21	Audi A5	↔	151	123	147
#22	Volkswagen Touareg	↓	137	125	77
#23	Land Rover Range Rover Sport	↑	115	70	77
#24	Volvo XC60	↓	115	106	60
#25	Hyundai Genesis	↑	113	99	228
#26	BMW 1-Series	↑	111	41	104
#27	Mercedes-Benz G & GL-Class	↑	108	85	89
#28	Lincoln MKZ	↑	102	40	71
#29	Lexus ES	↓	94	101	155
#30	Porsche Cayenne	↓	90	49	26

Source: Manufacturers And Automotive News Data Center


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