2022: 9.2% average drop in sales

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New vehicle sales fell by 9.2% in 2022, compared to 2021. A situation which is of course explained by a shortage of parts and, consequently, of vehicles, but also because automakers are less and less attracted to the idea of ​​selling in Canada. A place where the weak dollar makes them lose a lot of money to US sales. And then there is the economic uncertainty combined with the meteoric rise in the price of vehicles, such as financing or leasing rates.

Of course, some builders have fared better than others. This is the case of the Americans, for whom sales have increased. Mainly thanks to full-size pickups, which are lucrative and easier to get in Canada than some very popular models south of our borders. As proof, of the 240,325 vehicles sold by Ford, 114,729 were F-Series models. General Motors, which ranks second, sold 228,003 vehicles, including 105,559 Silverado/Sierra trucks. Then, Stellantis sold 75,740 Ram pickups, for a total of 169,179 vehicles. Slightly less than Toyota, which ranks third in national sales, with 175,181 vehicles, but not without suffering a drop in sales of around 12.1%. 

Korean duo Hyundai and Kia performed well against the backdrop, with declines of 9.8% and 13.8% respectively. A feat considering the rarity of several of their electrified models, for which the waiting lists are only getting longer. Among the German luxury brands, Audi stands out with an increase of 1.2%, while BMW and Mercedes-Benz are down 9.4% and 5.3% respectively. On the other hand, things were much more difficult for Volkswagen, which saw its sales plummet by 22.1%, in particular because of the disappearance of the Golf. 

• Listen to Benoit Dutrizac's interview with Antoine Joubert, columnist for the car guide on QUB radio:

Which builders have suffered the most in 2022 now? Jaguar and Land Rover, among others, with declines of 44.1% and 36.5%. Jaguar only sold 1,020 vehicles domestically in 2022, including 821 F-PACEs. Also, several major Japanese brands, such as Mazda (-19.8%), Nissan (-22.4%), Subaru (-22.6%) and Honda (- 30%).

In the latter case, this drop is partly explained by a transition from the CR-V to a new generation, and by the marked increase in the prices of the models. The Civic, whose entry price for a base LX trim is now set at $28,730, saw sales slump 31.8%, leading to the loss of its nation's best-selling car title , now owned by the Toyota Corolla. For its part, the CR-V saw its sales decrease by 37%, while it is in a very fashionable market segment. 

What is now the brand with the biggest increase in 2022? Unsurprisingly, this is Genesis, the luxury division of Hyundai. Indeed, Genesis saw its sales increase by 25.8%, thus exceeding that of Infiniti, in full drift. As proof, only 5,446 vehicles were sold in the country in 2022, despite the arrival of a new generation of the QX60, which accounts for 41% of Infiniti's sales.

In closing, although Tesla's sales figures are not made public, one can imagine that they have increased. However, you should not rely on the figures sometimes put forward by the manufacturer, which are always rounded up and unfortunately impossible to validate. In 2021, Tesla Motors mentioned having sold 12,800 Model 3, 6,400 Model Y, 1,000 Model X and 600 Model S. In sum, 20,800 vehicles. Beautiful round numbers, which seem to embellish the truth…