The Honda Civic is still Canada's best-selling passenger car, but could soon lose that title to Hyundai's fast-charging Elantra, industry figures show.
Sales data from DesRosiers Automotive Consultants show that the Civic was the most popular car in Canada last month and for the first nine months of the year.
But Civic sales slumped more than 20 per cent last month and are down almost 12 per cent year-to-date.
The Korean-made Elantra, on the other hand, is enjoying double-digit increases, with sales this year up almost 35 per cent.
It isn't just the Civic that has recorded slower sales. Sales of the two other traditionally big-selling Japanese models - the Mazda 3 and the Toyota Corolla - are all down significantly.
"The three Japanese models are all struggling," says auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers. "Some of this is due to supply issues related to the tsunami, but also with the increased competitiveness from the Koreans and Detroit-based brands."
DesRosiers says the Chevrolet Cruze has entered the top 10 list because General Motors has been "reasonably successful picking up entry level share with the Cruze."
Volkswagen's Jetta has also made an appearance in the top 10. "VW has positioned and priced the Jetta to be more of a mass appeal vehicle and are having considerable success with this strategy," DesRosiers writes.
In the light truck market, the best-selling vehicles continue to be Ford's F-Series pickups - well ahead of the No. 2 Dodge Ram. But DesRosiers notes that Ram sales are up more than 14 per cent this year, which he attributes to Chrysler being "very aggressive with incentives in this segment."
Total vehicle sales in Canada in the nine months ending Sept. 30 came to 1,224,149. That's up 1.5 per cent from the same period last year.
Source: CBC
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