Luxury car ownership in province has risen since 2014

If you’re in the market for a luxury vehicle in Saskatchewan, you’re likely not alone.

Industry stakeholders say they’ve seen increased demand in the province over the last five or six years. While the trend coincided with the resource boom, it doesn’t appear a downturn in that sector has affected people’s desire to drive in style.

“That’s when we saw the increase in vehicle numbers go up, and especially in the luxury vehicle line, because people had a little bit more disposable income,” said Susan Buckle, executive director of the Saskatchewan Automobile Dealers’ Association.

“I don’t know if we really ever saw a dip in the numbers, even though we’ve had a few quieter years with respect to industry in this province.”

The association represents more than 100 new car franchises in Saskatchewan. Buckle said luxury brand dealerships make up a small portion of its membership, but they ’re here and making sales.

“Really, we haven’t had an opportunity to buy some of those luxury brands in our province before, and over the last ... five or 10 years, we’ve seen a few more brands coming in,” she said.

Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) data on well-known luxury brands like Jaguar, BMW, Porsche and Ferrari indicates the number of luxury cars registered in the province since 2014 has grown. Last year, SGI registered 20,502, an increase of 4,362, or 27 per cent, compared to 16,140 in 2014.

SGI indicated Aston Martin was the only one of the 12 luxury brands that saw a reduction — 13 Aston Martins were registered in 2017 compared to 17 in 2014. Audi saw the largest jump, with 4,035 cars registered in 2017 compared to 2,792 in 2014.

Dealership staff in Saskatoon said the trend has been reflected on their showroom floors. In 2017, the Wyant Group opened the city ’s first Maserati-Alfa Romeo dealership. Chief operating officer Michael Wyant said local attitudes toward luxury cars are changing.

“People aren’t afraid to drive a luxury vehicle anymore,” he said. “They ’re not embarrassed to drive a nice car. The old Saskatchewan mentality was a little bit different than it currently is now, and so we’ve seen more and more people coming into our showrooms, which has been very, very positive for these brands.”

Wyant said luxury vehicles have become more accessible because many manufacturers have started building smaller models at a lower price point. The majority of luxury cars the Wyant Group sells range from $50,000 to $75,000.

“We’re selling more vehicles to customers that we hadn’t seen in these showrooms before, because the vehicles themselves are more affordable.”

In early 2017, the B.C. government passed legislation requiring owners of luxury vehicles worth $150,000 or more to purchase private insurance with higher premiums, so average ratepayers would no longer subsidize claims for more costly repairs to luxury cars.

SGI spokesman Tyler McMurchy said the higher numbers of luxury cars in Saskatchewan isn’t cause for concern in terms of pressure on the province’s auto fund. Issues like auto theft, distracted driving and extreme weather are among the “more pressing issues” in that regard, he said.

“We’re talking thousands of claims every year and tens of millions of dollars. One vehicle here or there isn’t, from a broader perspective, the biggest concern,” he said.

Owning a high-performance car doesn’t make anyone above the law, McMurchy said.

“No matter how fast your car is capable of driving — even if it’s a Ferrari — speed limits are there for a reason and that’s a good thing to keep in mind.”