Following a similar pattern, second-place Ram sold just 3,059 Pickup trucks, resulting in a 37.4-percent slowdown MoM, although YoY this unusually “unpopular” half-ton experienced a tumultuous 63.3-percent tumble. Of course, second on the sales charts makes the Ram 1500 very popular, but unfortunately the current health crisis is wreaking havoc on the auto industry.
Canada’s economic woes haven’t hurt General Motors’ trucks when it comes to this top-10 list’s rankings, however, with the GMC Sierra remaining solidly in third place thanks to 2,318 deliveries, plus the automaker’s Chevrolet Silverado jumping up one position from fifth to fourth due to 2,228 sales of its own. This said, both trucks’ April numbers were impacted negatively, devolving another 23.9 percent beyond March lows for the Sierra, and down 21.7 percent MoM for the Silverado. Like the others, GMC and Chevy’s YoY full-size truck results were worse, sliding by 51.2 percent and 55.3 percent respectively, but kind of on the faintly hopeful positive side, the two familial pickups once again combined for second-place in the standings, at least when categorizing their sales by automaker instead of brand.
Slipping from fourth to fifth was Toyota’s RAV4 due to a mere 1,432 deliveries, which while continuing to lead the SUV sector in sales, nevertheless saw its usual high numbers decrease by 50.1 percent MoM and 77.1 percent YoY. Likewise, the Japanese brand’s Corolla compact sedan and hatchback, which was the best-selling car model in Canada for the second consecutive month despite only 928 sales, saw its output fall by 55.8 percent MoM and 79.7 percent YoY.
It would’ve been nice for Honda if its seventh-place Civic was immediately followed by the CR-V, but the brand’s most popular SUV didn’t even make the top-10 for April, leaving the four- and five-door compact car with 923 units sold in April, resulting in a 51.0-percent reduction MoM, and an 82.4-percent drop-off YoY.
Ford’s Escape moved up from 10th to seventh overall last month, with 874 sales that represented a 35.9-percent MoM downturn, and a deep dive of 79.3-percent YoY, while the ninth-place Hyundai Elantra, reappearing in the top-10 for the first time since December of 2019, found 807 new buyers for an 80.9-percent YoY downslide. Lastly, the 10th-place Nissan Rogue, which climbed back onto the top-10 list for the first time since January, eked out 781 deliveries for a 74.2-percent slip in sales.
As bad as all this looks, remember that these were the 10 best-selling vehicles in Canada last month, meaning that plenty of brands and models suffered far greater sales losses. While we’re just early into this health crisis, the economic effects of temporarily closing down our economy may have far greater negative implications long-term than any of us can even imagine right now.