Big rides roll up on 2019’s choice vehicles
Last year, Canada’s top 10 bestsellers mostly weren’t cars
The numbers are in, and they confirm what we already knew: everybody is buying crossovers (and trucks).
Canadians bought 1.92 million vehicles in 2019. That was a slight decrease over the previous year, by roughly four per cent.
There are few surprises in the top 10, with the Ford F-series pickup retaining its top spot since time immemorial. It sold more than three times as many models as the 10th-place car, the Hyundai Elantra. The Elantra is only one of three cars to appear on the list: the rest are all crossovers or pickup trucks.
Another fun fact: the top 10 accounted for around 35 per cent of all 2019 car sales on its own. The average entry MSRP is $27,444, with the fifth-place Honda CR-V the closest to that number at $27,690. The cheapest car to get into is the 10thplace Elantra; the most-expensive, the Ram 1500. Three offer two-door models: the Honda Civic, Chevrolet Silverado and Ford F-series. Only the cars offer a manual transmission, including the hardcore Civic Type R.
With all that said, here are the bestselling cars, trucks and SUVs of 2019, in ascending order of sales figures:
10. Hyundai Elantra: 39,463 units sold
Hyundai’s evergreen compact remains a strong seller, retaining the spot from last year despite a 5.6 per cent decrease in total sales. The Elantra’s strength is its variety: it comes in both sedan and hatchback forms, with a dash of sport in models like the N Line. A responsive and fuel-efficient 2.0litre engine is standard: the N Line gets a muscular 1.6-litre turbo.
We half expect this to be the last year for the Elantra on this list. Its upstart sibling, the Kona compact crossover, got off to a strong sales start in 2019, and should be nipping at the old guard’s heels 12 months from now.
9. Ford Escape: 39,503 units sold
The Escape keeps bucking the industry’s crossover trend by selling less each year. Its 2019 total was its worst in nine years, shaving 9.9 per cent off 2018. Once the bestselling utility vehicle in Canada, it now sells roughly two-thirds what the segment leader does.
Ford rolled out the brand-new 2020 Escape in the final months of the year. The Blue Oval will be banking on the softer, more car-like looks to turn the sales figures around, especially as the company continues to wind down its traditional car lines. The 2020 Escape comes with a choice of two turbo gas engines, plus a hybrid model.
8. Toyota Corolla: 47,596 units sold
Of the car class, the humble Corolla made it out of 2019 with the least bruises. Sales of Toyota’s compact dropped just 2.5 per cent versus 2018. No doubt helping was the Corolla’s newfound sense of fun. It started with the hatchback model, and 2019 saw the rollout of the sedan, sharing the new TNGA-C platform. The current model ships with either 1.8- or 2.0-litre four cylinders, a choice of sixspeed manual or a CVT (now with a physical first gear for better off-the-line performance). New for North American shoppers is the Corolla hybrid. It’s essentially a Prius without the Prius shell, and for some, that’s a pretty powerful proposition. That slug of electric torque makes it surprisingly fleet around city streets, too.
7. Chevrolet Silverado: 53,484 units sold
Welcome to Truck Town. No fewer than four pickups grace this list, with the Silverado showing up first in seventh. Sales fell 3.3 per cent this year, mirroring its corporate cousin, the sixth-place Sierra.
With a wide range of bed, cab and engine options, the Silverado covers the spread from basic workhorse to luxury cruiser. An available diesel engine in the half-ton model helps at the pumps, too.
6. GMC Sierra: 54,400 units sold
The Silverado’s better-looking relative sold just about 1,000 units more than the Bow Tie this year. Like the Chevy model, the Sierra saw a slight dip in its end-of-year figure, but not enough to swap spots.
If we ignore the different badges and merge both GM truck totals, they’d comfortably overtake the surging Ram pickup. Still not a patch on the Ford though.
5. Honda CR-V: 55,859 units sold
The CR-V was Honda’s bestselling vehicle not called Civic in 2019, adding a few hundred units to its bottom line for its best-ever performance. Over its five generations the CR-V has morphed from its “Comfortable Runabout Vehicle” to a dedicated family hauler. The 2019 CR-V came with a 1.5-litre turbo-four hooked up to a CVT. A hybrid option joins the lineup for 2020, pairing a battery with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder… but only south of the border.
4. Honda Civic: 60,139 units sold
The Civic is in free fall, shedding 12.8 per cent of its sales total over last year. That was enough for it to forfeit the nonpickup sales crown to the RAV4. It’s still Canada’s favourite car, but even the Civic can’t halt the march of the crossover.
Current Civic buyers have myriad options, more so than many of its competitors. There’s the roomy sedan, a sporty-looking coupe, and a five-door hatchback option. The fun and frugal Si, with its turbocharged 1.5-litre, 205 hp engine and six-speed manual is available in both sedan and coupe form. Want the Nürburgring-dominating Civic Type R? That’s manual-only too, and offered only in the hatchback shape.
3. Toyota RAV4: 65,247 units sold
The RAV4 was the success story of 2019, swelling sales by17.8 per cent year-on-year and becoming the bestselling non-pickup in Canada. That came on the back of a successful new model launch, with a butch exterior and a variety of trim levels for all tastes. Just in case it needed repeating: people want, and get, crossovers.
Even bigger here is the hybrid model’s success: the batterybundled crossover saw a staggering 82 per cent sales increase over the 2018 model, shifting 14,246 units. That officially made the RAV4 the bestselling Toyota hybrid of the year too: yes, beating out the Prius.
2020 sees the addition of a TRD Off-Road package for the gasoline model, while a 302 hp plug-in hybrid called Prime will become the second-quickest vehicle in Toyota’s lineup.
2. Ram pickup: 96,763 units sold
Ram’s core model was another big winner, surging up 14 per cent versus 2018. It’s easy to see why: handsome new looks, plenty of trim options, and — like the Silverado — an available diesel model in the light-duty 1500 range adds up to a hugely appealing package.
1. Ford F-series: 145,064 units sold
What can we say about the Fseries that hasn’t already been said? A slight, 0.4 per cent decrease wasn’t enough to stop it from claiming the crown once more, again by an absolutely huge margin. Just as shocking: sky still blue, water still wet, etc.
The F-150 is just about due for a model change soon, but we wouldn’t expect Ford to drastically change the formula. Why would it? Expect the next model to arrive with a similar lineup of model options, with one big difference: an all-electric version. The Mustang Mach-E will lead the Blue Oval electric charge this decade.