Looking back at 2021, the impact of the pandemic on light vehicle sales in each province was unevenly spread, according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants (DAC).
“The semiconductor shortage ensured that provincial markets were not governed solely by local economic performance,” said Andrew King, Managing Partner of DAC. “And while some provinces saw a respectable gain in sales in 2021, others struggled to post any increase from the dismally low sales of 2020.”
The light vehicle market in Saskatchewan experienced the poorest performance among the provinces with an increase of only 2.6% over 2020. Ontario, described by DAC as “the tone-setting juggernaut” despite difficulties with sales, managed a sales increase of only 3.2%.
Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia fared better, with increases of 12.8% and 12.2% respectively. And larger volume provinces like British Columbia and Quebec managed to up their sales by 10.8% and 10.0% respectively.
In December 2021, provincial sales totals were mostly down compared to the same period a year earlier. Only Quebec and Newfoundland saw increases compared to December 2020.
