Canada Auto Sales By Brand - November 2009

*updated 12/17 @10:26AM EST*

Overall, Canadians bought fewer cars and trucks this November than they did in November of 2008. To be more specific, passenger car sales were off less than a percentage point while light truck sales dropped nearly 5%. Still, many automakers competing in Canada posted huge sales gains in November, helped no doubt by the fact that last November was the worst November in a long time. Managing to sell more cars this November than last is a good thing, but these Numbers are still quite a ways beneath what some automakers managed in years gone by.

Check Out November 2010's Canada Auto Sales Recap

Arranged by total volume, these are the Sales Stats from Canada for the eleventh month of 2009. Have a look at the October edition here. Sometime around the middle of the month the sales of Ford Motor Company; General Motors; and Chrysler will be split up into their individual brands. Added to the mix will be some of the exoticar companies, as well. For now, it appears as though "Ford" beat Toyota by about a thousand vehicles - it'll be a tighter squeeze once genuinely Ford-badged vehicles are tasked with taking the fight to Toyota.

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Ford: -2.7% to 15,259

Toyota: +27.4% to 14,829

Chevrolet: -15.6% 8,566

Dodge: -18.4% to 8,224

Honda: -4.3% to 7,955

Hyundai: +26.2% to 7,022

Mazda: +1.9% to 5,117

Nissan: +6% to 4,749

GMC: -8% to 3,640

Kia: +28.2% to 3,464

Volkswagen: +12.3% to 3,190

Subaru: +50.4% to 2,215

Jeep: -48% to 2,145

BMW: +13.6% to 2,083

Mercedes-Benz: +26.4% to 2,071

Pontiac: -70.5% to 1,392

Lexus: +11.5% to 1,284

Mitsubishi: -8.8% to 1,174

Chrysler: -19.6% to 1,091

Audi: +47.4% to 1,086

Acura: +3% to 941

Suzuki: -23.7% to 713

Lincoln: +50% to 626

Buick: -41% to 608

Infiniti: +25.1% to 563

Cadillac: +24% to 499

Volvo: +2.3% to 484

Mini: -3.4% to 346

Saturn: -74.5% to 236

Land Rover: +38% to 196

smart: -4.5% to 169

Porsche: +8.7% to 125

Jaguar: +25% to 50

Saab: -71.3% to 25

Hummer: -75% to 17

Mercury: +66.6% to 10

Maserati: -10% to 9

Ferrari: -12.5% to 7

Lamborghini: -16.6% to 5

Bentley: -69% to 4

Maybach: +infinitely to 1

PROFILING HYUNDAI CANADA'S RAPID CANADIAN SALES GROWTH - NOVEMBER EDITION

In October, the badge on the second best-selling SUV in Canada was the italicized H of Hyundai's. Meanwhile, October's fourth best-selling car in Canada also featured the italicized H. The Santa Fe and Elantra aren't newly introduced models, either. These are established players. Yet buyers don't appear to be put off by the Hyundais even if the North American consumer world has become accustomed to the look of the latest Santa Fe and Elantra.

With this background in mind, it's no surprise to see another astounding month of sales success at Hyundai Canada. Numbers published by Hyundai overnight show an increase of 1,459 sales over November of 2008. Canada Auto Sales figures from October reveal Hyundai to be the sixth best-selling automotive brand in Canada, just behind Honda, a brand succumbing to falling sales of late. Worldwide, Hyundai is ranked fourth in terms of volume. For all the details on Hyundai's last thirty days, keep scrolling. Check out the October version here.

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26.2 - percentage increase in year-over-year Hyundai Canada sales for the month ending November 30th

11 - consecutive months of double-digit sales increases posted by Hyundai Canada

10 - consecutive months with record-breaking sales figures posted by Hyundai Canada

7,022 - total Hyundai sales in Canada last month

2,206 - total Hyundai Elantra sales in November, including 513 Elantra Tourings

2,042 - total Hyundai Santa Fe sales in November, nearly double the number of Santa Fes sold last November

970 - total Hyundai Accent sales in November, the Accent being one of five Hyundai models to suffer lower sales this November than in November of '08

802 - total Hyundai Sonata sales in November (down from 1,391 Sonata sales last November), a month where Hyundai revealed initial images of the next Sonata

680 - total Hyundai Tucson sales in November, up 17% from last November

113 - total Hyundai Genesis Coupe sales last month, 1 more than the total of Hyundai's Genesis sedan which, somewhat surprisingly, sold fewer units this November than last

92 - total November sales of the Hyundai Veracruz, a model which starts just $2,000 below the Genesis sedan

3 - total sales of the Hyundai Azera in November, down 85.7% from last November, even as Hyundai extinguishes the model from its website

2011 AUDI A8 GALLERY

Miami hosted the introduction of Audi's 2011 A8 last night. A huge selection of pictures are now available in the Gallery below, along with a brief outline of specs and dimensions.

The third-generation Audi A8 is longer and wider than its predecessor on a wheelbase that stretches 117.7 inches. Each headlight includes 22 white LEDs and 22 yellow LEDs. Audi will be continuing with aluminum space frame technology for the A8, a weight-saving advantage which is necessary to offset heaviness incurred by Quattro all-wheel drive. The interior, says Audi, is a "wellness lounge for the senses" - a very catchy and believable turn of phrase. Audi interiors are always top-notch, and the A8 is a top-notch Audi. We expect greatness inside. Although Audi doesn't appear to have moved the game on substantially, the A8's innards are lovely and the centre tunnel (including the shifter) is truly eye-catching.

Luggage capacity of 18 cubic feet is no joke. That's more than Mercedes-Benz offers in the S-Class; substantially more than BMW provides 7-Series owners. Horsepower stats come with a big number, too: 372-bhp generated by a 4.2L V8. Anticipate a hybrid, W12, or alternative fuel and diesel options in the relatively near future. Audi uses direct-injection in this V8 and links up with an 8-speed automatic which sends 60% of the power to the rear wheels in normal operation.

Check out GoodCarBadCar.net Renderings of an Audi A8 Hatch & Wagon

An exhaustive array of safety and "assistance" systems will be standard fit with the A8 when it goes on sale later in the new year. What really sets one uber-luxury sedan apart from another, however, isn't the array of acronyms or the best of beastly powertrains or even the loveliness of the logo. In this market, style is a major consideration.

From the front, this is typical new millennium Audi. The gigantic grille dominates the scene even though nobody's about to miss spotting those headlights, either. Viewed from the rear, the big brute of an Audi loses much of its charisma but still possesses a clean look, not deviating too far from the older A8's design. Unfortunately, it's in the profile view - the most important angle in my mind - where the A8's designers let their foot fall off the gas. See, Audi has a basic design credo that places the beltline at an approximate height and generally appropriates the proportions. Outside of that, one expects artistic flair to take over. Between the A8's wheels, the flanks appear to sag as a result of an amalgam of factors. One swooping line this way poses shadow issues that way and eventually we notice what feels like the weight of the doors pulling the car down just aft of the door line.

See how Audi's sales compare with its competitors in the USA

Whether or not every subjective eye will agree with that analysis, the 2011 Audi A8 is very good-looking car. In fact, the A8 may be more traditionally attractive than its competition. That being said, it's my belief that the 2011 Audi A8 does not look as expensive as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or BMW 7-Series. The Lexus LS and Jaguar XJ lack in that department to an even greater degree. Make up your own mind by inspecting the photos below. You like? Feel free to spend around $80,000 on a new A8 4.2 as an early Christmas present next year.