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

The Ford Mustang was way out in front of other sporty cars in Canadian sales volume in May 2011, but sales of the 'Stang were down 16.6% year-over-year. Mustang sales in Canada are down 9.5% this year. The Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, and Chevrolet Corvette have also suffered sales declines through the first five months of 2011.

Out-and-out sports cars like Mazda's roadster aren't handling 2011 much better. MX-5 Miata sales were down 20 units to 51 in May and are off 44.8% in 2011. It's not just a mainstream brand issue, either. Porsche Boxster sales were up to 29 from 24 in May but are down 18.1% so far this year. Porsche Cayman sales were up two units to 21 in May but are down three units to 51 through five months. Up in May, the BMW Z4 remains down so far this year. Benz SLK sales, with a new model on its way, were down 41% in May and 58% in 2011. The Audi TT is a bright spot in the German sports car field. Sales were up to 55 from 41 in May and are up 15.1% year-to-date. 

The A5 played well for Audi in May, as well. A5 sales were up 13.3% last month. However, A5 sales are down 18.1% in 2011.

The R8 is undoubtedly a source of profit for Audi, not just in terms of R8 sales but the effect the Lamborghini-related car has on the brand's image. R8 sales were up to 18 from 12 in May and have risen to 64 in the first five months of 2011. Audi sold 51 R8s in the first five months of 2010.

BMW 6-Series sales were weak last year, so it's not surprising to see a huge percentage gain of 211% in May's data. But 28 sales is still a good result for the 6-Series in the small Canadian market, tying the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class and beating the R8, Jaguar XK, and Nissan GT-R. The always-dominant Porsche 911 was up by one unit to 77 sales. 911 sales are down 16.5% in 2011. The oldest Porsche model continues to be more popular than the Panamera but isn't as popular as the Cayenne, sales of which reached 33 and 149, respectively, in May.

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The Cars Of My Father - Happy Father's Day 2011

Audi 5000 ad pic via usedcheapcars.org

One would assume I've heard about it before, but I have no idea what my father was driving when he drove my mother and me home from the hospital. I had four older siblings waiting at home, if that provides any clue.

In fact, I'm not sure what car we were in when my father began teaching me the make and model of every car we met on the highway, on city streets, and on rural backroads. I distinctly remember being unable to properly pronounce many of the German and American names (I was a three-year-old) but I had yet to care what we ourselves were driving.

What I do remember are the next group of cars, Audi after Audi after Audi, five in total. Quattro was mandatory, red was chosen 60% of the time, and he even set aside the need for a sedan when choosing the Coupe Quattro as his fourth Audi. These cars arrived in our driveway in quick succession. My father drove 100,000 kilometres per year. Yes, that's  nearly 1200 miles per week. Each Audi rolled its odometer to 100K and was then replaced.

Those late 80s/early 90s Audi turbos can't be considered fast in comparison to a modern RS6, and it's not as though they were the fastest cars on the road back then, either. But these Audis were unique, curvaceous, and elegant when other adults I knew were driving cars like the Pontiac 6000 or Nissan Stanza.

My father drove a completely reliable Hyundai Sonata before people knew they could be reliable. There was a Honda Accord we ran in Texas which may have been the most perpetually clean car I've ever encountered on a long-term basis. After moving back to Nova Scotia, when I had a brother in a Chevrolet Sprint, another brother in a Dodge Colt, a third brother in a Mazda 626, and a sister in a previously-mentioned purple Hyundai Accent, my father arrived home in a green Ford Escort Wagon. It was a stopgap, although I recall spending enough time in it for an English friend of the family to complain that it wouldn't hit 150 km/h fast enough. His wife's Euro-Escort was quicker, he insisted. His name was Norman, and his driving bordered on maniacal. My father and I enjoyed it; my mother didn't.

I had little acquaintance with Fuji Heavy Industries up to that point, but when my father parked a brand new 1997 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT in the driveway, red and be-winged with a 165-hp boxer six that burbled like it was recovering from a wonderfully exotic disease, I was thrilled. Our family's first Subaru was fitted with a manual transmission. I can't remember my father driving anything without a clutch up to that point. 

I wasn't yet licensed, but my father lent it to my friend who was licensed, and he couldn't get over that snickety short-throw shifter. As if I didn't already live with a constant yearning for my 16th birthday, this guy tempts me with talk of short-throw shifters. I eventually learned to drive a manual in that friend's truck, an ancient rear-wheel drive Nissan. That partially explains his love of the Subie's leather-wrapped shifter.

Along came a couple more brief stopgaps while my father bided his time and eventually ended up in a navy second-generation Subaru Outback. Gasp... it was an automatic. Canada Old Age Security cheques were forthcoming. 

However, the Outback, like his first Subaru obviously, harked back to the all-wheel drive of his Audis. This Outback was tough as nails, and still is. It's more than ten years old and my best friend uses it to commute to his HRPD Crown Victoria. This obviously means my father's driving something else now, right?

It's another Outback, a silver third-gen car with leather and sunroof. He washes it constantly. Which basically means he's always washing it. As in, never not washing it. The cop I just mentioned? Well, just as they leave Tim Hortons on their way to a call a few months ago, his partner spots a guy cleaning out his trunk behind a Rubber Duck Car Wash. At 5:00 AM. Isn't that suspicious? Like, did this guy murder his wife or something? As they cruise by, my constable buddy realizes he knows the guy. "Ah, that's normal. I know him. He's alright." Although when I hear the story about 48 hours later I berate him for not calling to make sure my mother was... you know, alive and well. 

Increasingly, GoodCarBadCar.net is a reflection of how I spend my time, analysing auto sales data. There's still the odd review, an infrequent style analysis, some impressions of an important new car. But this is a statistics-based site now. If that leads you to believe my father is no longer the inspiration behind every automotive thing I do, you're wrong. 

And as much as automotive-related topics consume most of my day, most of my small talk with friends and family, and an inappropriate portion of my thought-life, the inspiration my father has provided for other aspects of my life have a far greater impact on me and thus the people who know me well. 

So to hockey dads who transport their sons to practice on cold winter mornings, artsy dads who teach their 6-year old daughters to paint, chef dads who teach their kids how to make pancakes for their mother's birthday, car dads who teach their sons the meaning of torque, and to my own father: Happy Father's Day.

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

You can't just enter any ol' Hyundai dealership and buy an Equus. Its low volume is thus partially explained by its lack of availability. More likely, not all clients who want a car the size of a Mercedes-Benz S550 for the price of a Mercedes-Benz E350 want a Hyundai. That's no criticism of the Equus, just an honest impression. Nevertheless, the Hyundai Equus out-sold the Acura RL, Lexus GS, and Saab 9-5 in May 2011. May was also the best month yet for the big Equus.

Far away at the top of the segment, above vehicles as unique as the Hyundai Genesis and Jaguar XF and Lincoln MKS, are the BMW 5-Series (up 93%) and Mercedes-Benz E-Class/CLS-Class (up 7%).

Nearly every look at every automotive segment over the last few weeks has made mention of the effect Japan's March 11th disasters have had on Japanese automotive brands competing in the United States and Canada. More apparent than anything except the joint 3-Series/C-Class domination in the chart below are the struggles faced by Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus. It's apparent enough that we'll set all that aside this time it and say, "Better luck in June."

News has surfaced regarding MY2012 of the Volvo S40 and V50. There won't be 2012 models of these small Volvos. Sales of the handsome C30, a hatchback which shares architecture with the S40 sedan and V50 wagon, were down 7.1% in May, but C30 sales are up 4.6% so far this year. S40 sales are off 36.4% year-to-date; V50 sales have plunged 48.3% through five months.

You could say sales of another small Swede are skyrocketing, up significantly from zero in May 2010 to 13 last month. 13 is an important number, important for the status it brings to the Saab 9-3, the status of cellar dweller. Every possible 9-3 competitor sold in greater volume last month. Sales of its next-closest, fairly indirect competitor, the hugely undesirable Lexus HS250h, were more than double what Saab's Canadian dealers achieved with the 9-3.

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

Why are there more people entering Buick dealerships looking for a Lucerne than there are LaCrosse-seeking customers? Perhaps finding a Cadillac DTS is increasingly difficult - now that it's defunct - leading car buyers who want a big GM vehicle to Buick. The Lucerne is the last car to receive a modern Buick makeover, the sort of change that has made the Regal, LaCrosse, and Enclave hugely attractive.

This is all somewhat beside the point. The two Buicks were far from being the most popular big cars in Canada in May 2011. Give that honour to the less expensive Chevrolet Impala. Together, Chrysler and Dodge sold 889 300s and Chargers. That's down 14% from their total LX platform sales during the same period of last year.

In Toyota showrooms the Avalon is barely visible to most new car buyers. The Camry and Venza are, however, carrying on a little battle in the price range above the Corolla and Matrix. In May, Camry sales fell 36%; Venza sales were off 16%, enough to drop below the Camry's total of 879 sales. Year-to-date, the Venza leads the Camry 5163-3757.

Combined, the Venza tall wagon and Camry sedan are remain a force. But it's the Hyundai Sonata and its 27.2% May sales increase which smoked the competition last month. The Sonata out-sold its closest rival, the Ford Fusion, by 444 cars. The Honda Accord was in tenth spot after sales plunged 46%.

On the subject of the Corolla, Matrix, and Toyota's other small car, the Yaris, there's plenty of bad news to go around. Both the Yaris and Matrix were on Canada's list of 10 Worst-Selling Cars in May. Corolla sales, meanwhile, were down 27%.

There are reasons for this, reasons which also explain why a brand new Civic isn't selling quite as well as the old Civic was at this time last year. Toyota will report its first operating loss in 70 years. Profits will be down 63% at Honda, the company estimates. Deep down in the compassionate souls of Chevrolet, Hyundai, and Ford you would hope you wouldn't find celebratory spirits post-earthquake, but the Cruze, Elantra, and Focus are reaping benefits from Japan's problems. The Cruze is up 27% from what the Cobalt managed in May 2010. Hyundai's Elantra was Canada's best-selling car in May. May sales of the $15,999-$25,099 2012 Ford Focus were up 13%. 

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Truck Sales And Minivan Sales In Canada - May 2011

9296 minivans were sold in Canada in May 2011. Not shown in the pie chart below are seven Hyundai Entourages, surely wildly discounted vans as the Entourage was cancelled before the 2010 model year. Through the first five months of 2011 Hyundai has sold 30 minivans. Last year at this time Hyundai had sold 56 Entourages. Hyundai Canada's best year with the Entourage was 2007 when 2383 were sold in the calendar year.

The Entourage, not permitted to even form a hint of a slice in GoodCarBadCar.net's chart, is far from the Dodge Grand Caravan, the minivan which held 60% of the Canadian minivan market in May. 

There are a bunch of other vans which sell fairly well. Mercedes-Benz Canada sold 234 Sprinters in May. Add to that 1148 E-Series Fords, 361 Ford Transit Connects, 37 Nissan NVs, 730 GMC Savanas, and 543 copies of the Chevrolet Express and the commercial van story is told.

The Dodge Grand Caravan seems popular, and it is, but as a segment, minivans are nothing in comparison to pickup trucks, more than 24,000 of which were sold in Canada last month. Another Dodge was rather successful here. That'd be the Ram, not the Dakota. GM's truck twins, the Sierra and Silverado, out-sold the Ram, but Sierra and Silverado sales were down 13% and 21% respectively. Dodge Ram sales, on the other hand, jumped 25% and are up 16% year-to-date. 

If - and it's a gigantic if - Ram sales jumped 25% in May 2012 and Ford F-Series sales repeated the 10% drop from May 2011, the Dodge Ram would be Canada's best-selling truck. Despite Dodge's momentum, that seems unlikely.

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Popular Car Market Share In Canada - May 2011

Five out of every 100 new vehicles sold in Canada in May 2011 were Ford F-Series pickup trucks. That's down from nearly six out of every 100 new vehicles sold in Canada in April. Year-over-year, F-Series sales were down 10% in May. 

Six of Canada's 20 best sellers were SUVs or crossovers. Add one minivan to that total, plus four trucks, and you're left with nine cars, one of which - the Ford Focus - took over from the Toyota RAV4. 

The RAV4 was the only vehicle to lose its spot on the list of Canada's 20 best-selling vehicles. 11 of the Top 20 were made by General Motors, Ford Motor Company, or the Chrysler Group.

The remaining couple hundred nameplates on sale in Canada improved their market share in contrast to Canada's 20 best-selling, from 52.3% in April to 52.6% in May. 

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Luxury Auto Market Share In Canada - May 2011

A smaller population that's forced to pay more for new vehicles than their neighbours will inevitably acquire fewer new luxury cars in the span of a month. Just how many fewer vehicles are we talking about? Saab sold 385 cars in the United States in May. In Canada, Saab sold 20. 

This we know, Canadians aren't going to buy that many premium vehicles. But, to a certain extent, Canadian luxury car buyers prefer a different sort of luxury vehicle, too. Oh, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are leaders, no doubt. The brand ranked third, however, was Audi. Following Audi were Acura, then Lexus, then Volvo, then Cadillac, Lincoln, Infiniti, Porsche, Land Rover, Jaguar, Saab, Maserati, and Bentley. Compare that with the U.S. order of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Cadillac, Audi, Acura, Lincoln, Volvo, Infiniti, Land Rover, Porsche, Jaguar, Saab, Bentley, and Maserati. 

Which fact stands out? Here's what you should be noticing: Lexus. Toyota's luxury brand is in a state of flux lately, but Americans have always been more keen on Lexus than their northerly counterparts. Indeed, the Lexus sales decline in May 2011 in Canada wasn't as bad as it was in the United States. Yet the percentage of U.S. luxury car sales afforded to Lexus, its luxury segment market share, was still nearly 11% last month. In Canada, Lexus' market share in the luxury category fell from 11.61% in April to 7.58% in May, as you can see in the pie chart below. 

While it won't surprise frequent readers who understand the depths to which Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti sunk after Japan's March 11th disasters, seeing the percentage of the luxury market owned by German manufacturers climb from 56.49% to 59.94% over the course of 31 days is a sign that Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche aren't just picking off potential TL, IS, and M35 buyers. The German manufacturers are also participating in a numbers game.

Mercedes-Benz is advertising the 48-month lease of a C250 Special Edition at $358/month, save for the fine print. Audi has financing offers beginning with a 1.9% rate over 72 months. BMW's top-of-the-line 335xi can be financed at 1.9% for 60 months. The price of a Porsche Panamera S dropped $11,900 this year. That's an aggressive way of maintaining a lead over the Japanese luxury brands, even after they return from the low-production volume doldrums.

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