Auto sales down 3.6 per cent in September from last year, DesRosiers says

DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. says vehicle sales in September were down 3.6 per cent from the same month last year.
The agency estimates 157,000 units were sold in the month. Year-to-date sales were up 8.1 per cent compared with the first nine months of 2023.
DesRosiers says the sales numbers align with its forecast of slowing sales activity following consecutive gains in the last few months.
Andrew King, managing partner at DesRosiers, says September 2023 made for a strong year-over-year comparison because it was one of the initial months when vehicle availability started to improved.
He also said there were three fewer selling days in September this year because of the Labour Day holiday, which helped lead to a slight sales decline last month.
The agency says it will be closely watching economic announcements this month, including the inflation and employment data, as well as the U.S. dockworkers strike, which could affect vehicle production.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2024.