Canada March/Q1 2023: Toyota RAV4 (+66.9%), Ford F-Series (+31.7%) shine in market up 5.4% over Q1

Sales of Toyota RAV4 surge ahead over Q1.

Local consultancy DesRosiers Automotive has the Canadian market up just 3.7% year-o-year in March to an estimated 146,000 units. This is a paltry result considering March 2022 was off -19.8% on the year prior. The Q1 2023 tally is up 5.2% to 348,000, up 5.4% to 355,000 when including Tesla. The Top 4 groups all outpace the market, led by General Motors posting a fantastic 28.1% uptick. In 2nd place, Hyundai-Kia gains 12% ahead of Ford Motor (+9.1%) and Toyota Motor (+9.1%). Stellantis skids -5.6% and Nissan-Mitsubishi loses -2.7%. The Volkswagen Group edges past the market gain at +6.7% whereas Honda Canada (-24.4%) continues to implode as it is still handicapped by microchip and stock issues. Mercedes Canada (-1.3%) underperform while the BMW Group (+14.4%) is solid.

Over in the brands ranking and over the First Quarter, Ford (+9.2%) widens the gap with #2 Toyota (+5%) with Chevrolet (+27.4%) even more dynamic at #3. Hyundai (-3.8%) struggles at #4 above GMC (+20.3%) in excellent shape. Ram (+15.5%) advances to #6 ahead of Kia (+38.1%) lodging the biggest gain in the Top 15. Below, Nissan (-8.3%), Honda (-25.8%), Jeep (-24.7%) and Mazda (-12.3%) all sink. Notable increases further down the charts include Volkswagen (+17.1%), Lexus (+42.3%), Cadillac (+24.8%), Buick (+143.1%), Genesis (+52.5%) and Maserati (+89.8%).

The Ford F-Series (+31.7%) widens the gap with the Ram Pickup (+10.5%) from just 3 units over Q1 2022 to 3,868 this time, while the Toyota RAV4 (+66.9%) roars up to #3 with an outstanding year-on-year lift. The GMC Sierra (+16.5%) and Chevrolet Silverado (+4.6%) are down to #4 and #5 as a result. The biggest gainer in the Top 25 is the Kia Seltos (+101%) cracking the Top 10 at #10. The Hyundai Tucson (+32.5%) and Nissan Rogue (+27.3%) also make themselves noticed in the remainder of the Top 10. The Hyundai Elantra (-9.7%) is the best-selling car at #9, distancing last year’s leader the Toyota Corolla (-1.5%) and a freefalling Honda Civic (-42.6%).

Previous month: Canada February 2023: Kia (+32%), Lexus (+52.4%) outstanding again, market up 5.1%

One year ago: Canada March 2022: Monthly sales down -19.8%, Q1 down -12.3%, Hyundai (+7.5%) shines again

Full Q1 2023 Top 15 groups, Top 45 All brands and Top 292 All models below.