Ford Canada sales rise 8% to hold No.1 spot

Car and truck sales at Ford of Canada (F.N) rose 8 percent in October, maintaining the company's market-leading position as rivals General Motors of Canada GM.UL and Toyota Canada (7203.T) lost ground.

Ford sold 19,664 vehicles in Canada for its best October since 1999, it said. The performance was driven by an 18 percent rise in sales of both cars and crossover utility vehicles, while truck sales edged up 5 percent.

"We're focused on delivering more cars and crossovers with the best fuel economy in the industry," Ford Canada Chief Executive David Mondragon said in a statement.

"This approach is attracting new customers to Ford."

For the year, Ford Canada's sales are up 20 percent, putting it in a position to wrest the top spot in yearly sales away from traditional leader GM.

Ford's rise to prominence follows the auto industry's 2008-09 tailspin, which forced GM and Chrysler temporarily into bankruptcy protection. Toyota Canada, which jumped into the No. 2 spot in 2008, has since fallen back after a series of high-profile recalls.

According to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, Ford Canada's market share year-to-date is 17.3 percent, ahead of General Motors at 15.5 percent and Chrysler at 13.1 percent.

CANADA SALES UP 1.4 PCT-CONSULTANCY

DesRosiers said overall industry sales in Canada rose 1.4 percent to about 123,200 vehicles in October.

Sales of GM Canada's core brands -- Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac -- rose 11.1 percent year-over-year to 14,514 units in October. Car sales rose 24.7 percent, while truck sales climbed 5.7 percent.

However, overall sales at GM Canada fell 5.4 percent, when factoring in discontinued inventory such as Pontiac brand models, which were sold at heavily reduced prices last year.

Toyota Canada's sales dropped 22.7 percent to 14,540 as sales of Toyota branded models dropped 24.7 percent year-over-year, while luxury Lexus models fell 16.4 percent.

Honda Canada (7267.T) said it sold 12,856 vehicles during the month, up 14 percent from a year earlier and its best October performance in five years.

Sales of the company's Honda branded cars climbed 21 percent, while the luxury Acura division reported a 17 percent decrease.

Chrysler Canada sold 15,168 vehicles during the month, up 6 percent from the year before, driven by brisk sales of its minivan and small truck models.

Through the first 10 months of the year, the automaker has already surpassed its total sales for 2009, it said.