Auto sales dip 9.4% in November, marking 9 months of declines

Auto sales in Canada were down for the ninth straight month in November, dipping 9.4 per cent to 143,668 vehicles.

This year will mark the first since 2009 that auto sales have not expanded, but 2018 will still be second only 2017 in sales volume, according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. Annual sales are 44,000 lower to date.

In November 2018, 158,653 light cars and trucks were sold and annual sales passed a record.

Passenger car sales fell 11.4 per cent compared with last year to 30,031 sold. Light truck sales were down 8.7 per cent to 104,737, but continue to dominate the North American market.

General Motors, which last week announced it was closing its Oshawa assembly plant, saw its sales slide 18.3 per cent annually to 19,296 vehicles.

All the Big 3 automakers saw declines, with Ford down 10.7 per cent to 21,223 and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles down 35.1 per cent to 12,366.

Toyota took over the claim to third largest sales with 16,787 cars and light trucks sold, an 11.5 per cent increase.