Kings of the Hill
Trucks take Top 2 spots on the list of Canada’s 15 best-sellers in 2017
Canadians bought 2,038,798 cars, trucks and SUVs last year, more vehicles than any other year in Canadian history. Last year’s total vehicle sales gained 4.6 per cent over 2016’s equally strong results.
Again, Ford was the No. 1 seller overall in 2017 (308,474 units, up 1.6 per cent), but it was followed closely by a surging General Motors (302,826 units, up 13.3 per cent). GM is now poised to take the top spot in 2018 with a slew of new models on tap, including some new trucks, the type of vehicle Canadians buy most.
Of all the vehicles sold in Canada in 2017, these were the Top 15, with the number of sales and percentage increase or decrease over 2016.
15 Chevrolet Cruze: 27,520, +3%
Year-over-year sales of the redesigned compact Cruze were up three per cent, thanks largely to a new hatchback model that enjoyed a strong increase in sales for the first half of the year. One of the few compact cars to offer diesel, the Cruze fell from being the fourth most popular compact to fifth behind the redesigned Mazda3.
14 Mazda3: 27,862, +1%
Mazda’s refreshing of its breadand-butter car in 2017 didn’t spark a big sales increase, but the compact pulled steady sales, close to the 30,000 mark, off its once-routine showing in the 40,000 sales club. A redesigned model for 2019 with new high-compression Skyactiv-X engines could reinvigorate the model.
13 Hyundai Tucson: 30,467, +28%
All new in 2016, the Hyundai Tucson benefited from good discounts and financing in 2017. Sales were already up 14 per cent by mid-year, finishing 2017 with a 28-per-cent gain as newer models got technology updates, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
12 Nissan Rogue: 43,418, +8%
Despite the introduction of the smaller Nissan Qashqai, the larger Nissan Rogue continued to pull good numbers, the result of good incentives and a refreshing in 2017.
11 Hyundai Elantra: 46,112, -6%
Hyundai was down 6.1 per cent in sales overall in 2017 and also lost market share, which affected Elantra sales, despite a new, value-packed Elantra hatchback. Sales sagged to 46,112 units in 2017, down from 48,875 in 2016, a drop of six per cent.
10 Dodge Grand Caravan: 46,933, -9%
A lack of upgrades, aging architecture as well as an attractive alternative in the form of the Pacifica hurt Grand Caravan sales again, despite the pioneering van being the darling of rental and fleet managers.
9 Ford Escape: 47,880, +3%
Still off its peak sales of a few years ago, the Ford Escape nevertheless managed a three-per-cent gain for 2017, a year that saw revised exterior styling and minor interior improvements. Good incentives also helped boost sales from 46,661 in 2016.
8 Toyota Corolla: 50,332, +10%
Despite the rush to compact and small utility vehicles, the Canadian-made Corolla pulled off an impressive 2017, in part from the inclusion of the former Scion iM under the Corolla banner, to become the second-most popular car in Canada.
7 Honda CR-V: 50,433, +13%
The best year for Honda CR-V sales still wasn’t quite good enough for it catch the Toyota RAV4, but it was close; sales were separated by only 451 units. A much improved interior, optional turbo engine and attractive exterior made the Canadian-made CR-V the second-most popular CUV in the country in 2017.
6 Toyota RAV4: 50,894, +4%
Cracking the 50,000-unit threshold for the first time, Toyota’s aging RAV4 risks losing its top CUV spot to the newer and surging CR-V, despite a strong return for 2017 in which sales gained four per cent to make it the bestselling Toyota model. A new RAV4 based off the FT-AC revealed at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show hints at a new model in the works.
5 Chevrolet Silverado: 59,066, +32%
Huge incentives and generous year-end clearouts ahead of a new, 2019 model sparked a big increase in Silverado sales. Together with the Sierra, the twin General Motors trucks outsold the Ram pickup, though both GMs were not able to outsell Ford’s F-Series. The 2017 Silverado sales were in sharp contrast to a 3.2-per-cent decline over 2016.
4 GMC Sierra: 61,883, +21%
There’s a reason we see so many Sierras on the road in Canada; GM sells more than 60,000 of them in a year. While 2016 sales were good, 2017 boosted numbers further with special editions, excellent incentives and good financing options.
3 Honda Civic: 69,030, +7%
Canada’s bestselling car for 20 years running, the Honda Civic was just shy of cracking 70,000 units sold — almost 40-per-cent ahead of its nearest rival. A redesign for the 2016 model year was joined in 2017 by the high-performance Si and Type R models.
2 Ram: 98,465, +11%
Despite the lack of a diesel model because of emission issues, Ram pickup sales remained brisk through the year compared with 89,048 units in 2016, a gain of 11 per cent. Large incentives helped push Ram sales to their best year in history. Spy shots of a new Ram being tested point to a 2019 model to go on sale sometime later this year.
1 Ford F-Series: 155,290, +7%
A gain of seven per cent in F-Series sales in 2017 followed a 22-per-cent jump in 2016, making Ford’s F-Series trucks the most popular vehicle in the country and the most popular truck for the 52nd year in row. A refreshing of 2018 models includes new front and rear styling and a diesel engine will join the lineup this spring.