Ford leads Canadian auto sales higher, Toyota lags

Ford of Canada

The one exception during the month was Toyota Canada (7203.T), which reported a 24.5 percent drop in vehicle sales from the year before.

Ford, which has made a big push in the car market this year, sold 18,382 vehicles in the month. Car sales were up 23.2 percent while truck sales gained 13.2 percent.

Ford is leading the Canadian market in sales this year for the first time in 50 years, having risen to prominence following the auto industry's 2008-09 tailspin.

Conversely, Toyota, which jumped into the No. 2 spot in 2008, has fallen back after a series of high-profile recalls.

Sales of Toyota brand vehicles fell 26.8 percent year-over-year to 10,861 units, while sales of its luxury Lexus line of cars and SUVs dropped 18 percent to 1,053.

General Motors of Canada (GM.N) (GMMu.TO) -- formerly the country's dominant automaker -- said it sold 15,063 vehicles, for an increase of 33.7 percent over last year. Car sales rose 24.7 percent, while truck sales climbed 5.7 percent.

GM, which was forced briefly into bankruptcy protection last year and needed government funding to stay afloat, made its return to the stock market last month in the biggest initial public offering in history, listing on the New York and Toronto exchanges.

The company is profitable again, but is still restructuring and is in the process of culling some of its brands.

Including only its four core brands -- Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac -- GM's November sales were up 50.3 percent to 13,390 vehicles. Car sales were up 48.4 percent, while truck sales rose 51.2 percent.

Chrysler Canada said it's sales rose 33.6 percent to 15,308 vehicles. Car sales slumped 46.2 percent while truck sales rose 47.1 percent.

Honda Canada (7267.T) saw sales rise by 22 percent to 10,876 units. The company's Honda division was up 19 percent, while the luxury Acura division gained 54 percent.

"We are encouraged by steadily increasing vehicle sales in the Canadian market, which shows that market conditions are experiencing gradual but continuing signs of recovery," Jerry Chenkin, executive vice-president of Honda Canada, said in a statement.

Hyundai Canada (005380.KS), which released its sales numbers late on Tuesday, saw a 10.2 percent increase in November, to 7,739 vehicles, for 22 consecutive months of sales gains. The company said it has already sold 9,170 more cars and trucks in 2010 than it did in all 12 months of 2009.