Mazda sales rise in May


By GREG KEENAN
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail


Vehicle sales jumped for Mazda Canada Inc. last month, but slid for three other Japan-based companies as some auto makers released sales results for the most important month of the year.

Mazda sales jumped 21 per cent. Honda Canada Inc., Nissan Canada Inc. and Toyota Canada Inc. all reported lower sales, however, from year-earlier levels.

Honda's sales tumbled 22 per cent, Nissan's sales dropped 16 per cent and Toyota's slumped 7 per cent.

Mazda's gain to 8,917 sales from 7,361 a year earlier represented the best May in the company's history and was led by the hot-selling Mazda3 compact car.

Dealers sold 5,040 of the Mazda3 model last month.

Honda reported sales of 12,776, compared with 16,732 a year earlier.

Nissan's sales fell to 6,503 from 7,549.

Toyota's sales dropped to 19,641 from 20,910, with declines in two key passenger car lines, Corolla compact and the mid-sized Camry.

Nonetheless, May sales were the second best in the company's history, Toyota said in a statement.

Numbers from companies reporting Tuesday suggest industry sales will be down overall, Toyota said. Other manufacturers such as DaimlerChrysler Canada Inc., Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd., General Motors of Canada Ltd. are scheduled to report their sales figures Wednesday.

A decline from year-earlier levels would not be a surprise, industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers, president of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc., said Tuesday.

"Last May was just a shocker month," Mr. DesRosiers said, pointing to sales that topped 182,000 in the month for the just the second time.

The highest May sales on record came in 2002 at 183,500.

 

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