Driving by the numbers Canada’s 10 best-selling car brands in 2022

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Canadian auto sales plunged to their lowest level in 13 years in 2022 as sales fell by about 150,000 from 2021 levels.

Not since 2009 — the global financial crisis forced banking giants to close, Canada’s unemployment rate surged above 8%, major automakers needed government bailouts, and new car sales in Canada sold only 1.46 million units — very low. Early indicators show that 1.5 million trucks, vans, SUVs and passenger cars will park on Canadian driveways in 2022, down 9% from 2021 levels.

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In late 2020 and most of 2021, there was abundant evidence that the early pandemic recession from early 2020 was easily reversed. Strong demand, based on consumer confidence, ample household savings and cheap funding, fueled the strong recovery. But the recovery gradually stalled as automakers suffered from a severe shortage of microchips. As global supply chains have weakened, automakers’ ability to meet strong market demand for new vehicles has diminished. then collapsed. Then it collapsed.

By the midpoint of 2022, Canadian car sales were nearly 12% off the 2021 recovery pace. The third quarter was not good. However, despite continued shortages of new car inventory in dealer lots, there were not enough vehicles, often in advance It has been sold and has arrived at the dealer.

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But the results aren’t identical across the spectrum, even among the country’s best-selling automakers.

10th Jeep: Sales up 0.5% to 60,266 units

Strengthened by the addition of the long-wheelbase three-row Grand Cherokee and now the brand’s second model, Jeep posted a significant year-on-year improvement before a sharp slowdown in the fourth quarter. showed. Jeep sales in the fourth quarter he fell 27% to basically match 2021 production. The Wrangler remains Jeep’s top model with 23,994 sales, an increase of 20% for him, meaning four-tenths of Jeep’s sales are Wranglers.

9th place Kia Motors: 68,258 units, down 14%

Kia’s sales, which lost about 11,000 units compared to 2021, were at least partly due to the brand’s 38% increase in sales to 17,785 units, which was well above Nissan. improved by four quarters of strong performance. Kia says November was his best November ever, followed by his best December ever for the brand. Gone are the days when the Sorento was near the top of Kia’s sales charts — Seltos will lead the way in 2022 with 16,165 units.

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8th place Nissan: 70,965 units sold, down 23%

After a 43% drop in sales of Nissan Canada’s most popular model, the Rogue, in the first nine months, the fourth quarter was a breath of fresh air. Rogue’s sales rose 28% to his 5,729, matching Kicks, Qashqai, Pathfinder and Murano combined. In 2021, Nissan finished his year as his sixth-ranked brand in Canada.

7th Ram: Sales up 6% to 81,483 units

One of five traditional Detroit brands on the list of Canada’s 10 best-selling brands in 2022, rum’s 6% rise is fully in line with improved market share for Canada’s ‘domestic’ brands. I’m here. (Canada’s seven top-selling Asian and European brands all report lower sales in 2022.) Ram’s line of pickup trucks is the best-selling product for parent company Stellantis. Pickups accounted for 93% of Ram’s sales and 45% of Stellantis Canada’s sales, with a total of 75,740 units sold.

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6. GMC: 87,133 units sold, up 9%

This is what volume recovery looks like after a virtually complete pandemic. In 2019, GMC sold 86,887 units, 246 less than GMC managed in the headwinds of 2022. GMC’s pickup truck sales actually fell slightly in 2022. of the company’s entry-level terrain. Sales of small SUVs nearly doubled to 14,224 units, accounting for one-sixth of the brand’s sales.

5th place Honda: 91,882 units sold, down 30%

Which car brand will see a bigger year-over-year decline in Canadian sales in 2022 than Honda? The virtually non-existent Fiat brand (54 units total), Jaguar and Land Rover, and Honda’s own Acura brand. Honda’s market share plummeted as the brand’s sales volume fell more than three times his industry-wide decline rate, falling victim to severe supply chain restrictions. How bad was 2022? In the 2020 pandemic year, Honda sold 131,254 of his cars. In the depths of the 2011 post-tsunami inventory crisis, Honda sold 107,849 of his cars. During the 2009 global recession, Honda sold 122,918 of his cars.

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4th Hyundai: 112,559 units sold, down 11%

Hyundai narrowly missed out on the podium with a margin of just 1%, equivalent to 36 sales per week, but retained its fourth-place finish, the same as a year ago. Missing from the Hyundai brand tally are the extras produced by its offshoot, the Genesis brand. Though paltry for the time being, the Genesis is seeing his 26% jump in 2022, outselling far more established premium his brands such as Land Rover and Infiniti.

3rd place Chevrolet: Sales up 5% to 114,436 units

GM’s largest brand closed out 2022 with a significant jump in the fourth quarter, equivalent to 7,734 additional sales (26,899 total), as improved supply pulled Bowties away from import competitors. Chevrolet reported year-over-year growth in its Blazer, Volt, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Malibu, Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe.

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2nd place Toyota: 175,181 units sold, down 12%

Toyota’s 12% year-over-year decline from 2021 levels masks a year-end rebound (4Q sales were up 8%) and a number of model-specific highlights. For the first time, the Toyota Corolla became Canada’s best-selling passenger car. The RAV4 was his best-selling SUV/crossover in Canada for seven years in a row. In the medium-duty pickup truck category, the Tacoma takes the lead.

1st Ford: 232,709 units sold, down 1%

Potential year-over-year growth was hampered by a slowdown in the fourth quarter, but Ford Motor Company’s namesake brand captured significant market share in 2022, selling more than 57,000 units of its nearest rival. . As expected, the F-Series truck lineup includes the Blue Oval, which accounts for less than half of the brand’s sales. But Ford also hit big numbers with its SUVs and crossovers. 87,552 in total.