Canada June 2020: Mazda (+8.9%), Kia (+7.4%) buck market down -16.3%, Q2 off -44.5%

Mazda sales lift 8.9% year-on-year in a June market down -16.3%

29/07 update: Now with Q2 Top 290 All-models sales.

June new light vehicle sales in Canada are estimated to drop -16.3% year-on-year in June to 155.439 units according to local consultancy DesRosiers Automotive, who says “June undoubtedly saw the release of some pent-up demand into the market” as dealerships had their first full months of activity post-lockdown. This is a much better performance than in the neighbouring U.S. (-27%) where Covid-19 remains rampant, however the extent of pent-up demand remain uncertain and the next few months may not show the same resolve as the post-lockdown activity surge tampers down. Due to the market collapsing in April (-74.6%) and May  (-44.2%), Q2 volumes are off -44.5% to 316.769 and lead to a First Half figure down -34.1% to 648.487 units. We at BSCB are now forecasting a 2020 Canadian volume down -24% to 1.47m units, up from 1.38m (-28%) a month ago. In the segment detail, according to Desrosiers light trucks drop -39.7% year-on-year over Q2 to 248.015 units and 78.6% share vs. 72.4% over Q2 2019 while passenger cars implode -57.1% to 67.369 and 21.4% share vs. 27.6% a year ago. Over the First Half of 2020, light trucks are off -29.1% to 507.763 and 78.9% share vs. 73.2% in H1 2019 and passenger cars collapse -48.3% to 135.729 and 21.1% share vs. 26.8% in 2019.

Kia sales are up 7.4% year-on-year in Canada in June.

Among the few groups reporting June sales, Honda Motor (-1.6%) and Hyundai-Kia (-1.8%) fare the best by far and manage almost stable sales while Toyota Motor (-22.1%) is still in a rut. Brand-wise, like in the U.S. Mazda (+8.9%) sports a very strong year-on-year gain and is joined by Kia (+7.4%) and Acura (+23.7%). Honda (-4.3%), Lexus (-6.5%), Hyundai (-7.5%) and Volvo (-10.5%) drastically contain their losses but Genesis (-38.6%), Toyota (-20.4%) and Subaru (-19.3%) are significantly outpaced by the market. Complete market data is available for the Q2 and H1 2020 periods, with the majority of carmakers now reporting quarterly instead of monthly. Over Q2, General Motors (-35.5%) fares the best of all groups in market and teases Ford Motor (-44.8%) at 50.074 sales vs. 50.503. Hyundai-Kia (-38.8%) and Mazda (-39.4%) are the only other manufacturers keeping their loss under -40%. No other Top 10 group outpaces the market, with Mercedes (-42%), Tesla (-42.3%), Volvo (-42.4%) and Jaguar Land Rover (-44%) doing best outside the Top 10 groups.

GMC (-27%) is the best performing brand in the Top 18 over Q2 2020.

In the brands ranking, Ford (-44.9%) is untouchable at 49.000 units above Toyota (-48.7%) and Honda (-45.5%) while Chevrolet (-43.7%) and Hyundai (-43.4%) ensures the Q2 2020 Top 5 is identical to the H1 2020 order. Justifying its parent group’s top performance, GMC (-27%) sports the best hold in the Top 10 (and Top 18), with Kia (-30.6%) coming right behind and both Ram (-39.3%) and Mazda (-39.4%) also successfully containing their Quarterly loss. Nissan (-56.3%) on the other hand is in total freefall. Further down, Cadillac (-9.6%) manages the only single-digit drop in the entire Canadian market over the period, with Buick (-18.7%) also vastly outperforming the market. Only McLaren (-33.3%), Lamborghini (-38.8%), Lincoln (-39.2%) and Land Rover (-39.8%) eep their decline below the 40% mark just as Chrysler (-76.7%), Infiniti (-71.1%), Mitsubishi (-58%), Jaguar (-55.1%), Genesis (-53.2%) and Volkswagen (-48.5%) struggle.

The Hyundai Kona breaks into the Canadian Top 10 over Q2.

Model-wise, the Ford F-Series (-37.6%) and Ram Pickup (-38.4%) hold onto the Top 2 spots but pale in comparison with the GMC Sierra (-19%) and Chevrolet Silverado (-25.6%) shooting up to #3 and #4 respectively both over Q2 and H1 and mirroring the U.S. situation. The Honda Civic (-49.7%) is back up to #5 whereas the Toyota RAV4 (-61.9%) free falls to #6 above the Toyota Corolla (-64.2%) and Hyundai Elantra (-56.2%). The Hyundai Kiona (-32.3%) breaks into the Top 10 over Q2 at #10 vs. #13 over H1 and #15 over FY2019. The Kia Seltos (#19) is by far the most popular recent launch, distancing the Mazda CX-30 (#44), Hyundai Venue (#52) and Buick Encore GX (#58). The Ford Explorer (+32.2%), Ranger (+38.7%) and Honda Pilot (+1.4%) are the only gainers in the Top 50.

Previous month: Canada May 2020: Market fall reduces to -44.2% as dealerships reopen

One year ago: Canada June 2019: Toyota RAV4 (+27.2%), Ford F-Series (+13.1%), Ram (+6.8%) survive in 16th straight market drop

Full June 2020 sales for selected groups and brands below.

Full Q2 2020 Top 15 groups, Top 40 brands and Top 290 All-models below.