Automakers see Canadian sales fall 17.8%

Automakers are reporting a drop of 17.8 per cent in Canadian sales for April compared with a year ago, with only a handful of foreign companies posting gains.

All of the Big Three suffered declines, led by Chrysler Canada, which saw sales plunge by 36.8 per cent to 15,242 units, according to a tally released Friday by DesRosiers Automotive Consultants.

General Motors sold 29,476 vehicles, down 23.6 per cent from last April, while Ford of Canada sold 18,828 units, a decline of 10.5 per cent.

Most Japanese automakers fared just as badly, with Honda selling 13,295 vehicles, a slump of 29 per cent. Toyota saw a 17.9 per cent decline, selling 19,599 Toyotas and 1,621 Lexus units. Nissan sales, including Infiniti, fell 20.1 per cent to 7,074 vehicles.

The only bright news came from Germany's Mercedes-Benz, Japan's Subaru and Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia.

The German premium automaker sold 2,267 vehicles, an increase of 21.3 per cent. Japan-based Subaru said it sold 2,050 of its all-wheel-drive cars and crossovers, up 4.1 per cent. Hyundai sold 10,809 vehicles, an increase of 14.8 per cent, while Kia's sales rose 15 per cent to 4,276 units.