Auto Industry News
Manitoba auto dealers part of April sales slump
Tuesday, 15, June 2010
THE retail auto industry recovery has stalled in Manitoba and many other parts of the country, and one local industry leader is at a loss to explain why.New seasonally adjusted data issued Monday by Statistics Canada showed sales of new cars and trucks declined for the second consecutive month in April, both in Manitoba and nationally.Manitoba dealerships sold 3,539 new cars and trucks during the month, a decline of 1.6 per cent from the previous month. That came on the heels of a 4.2 per cent drop in March.
The president of the Manitoba Motor Dealers Association said he's surprised and perplexed by the recent slowdown."I think the general attitude was that we were going to see a little more robust gains this year, given the difficult year we had last year," John Carey said.Carey said he doesn't know why sales have declined and wondered if some prospective buyers are waiting to see if car manufacturers roll out attractive buyer-incentive programs this summer before making their purchases.