The Future Of Scion Canada

Toyota's Scion division is now a semi-active participant in the Canadian automotive market. The $17,200 2011 Scion xD, $18,270 2011 Scion xB, and $20,850 2011 Scion tC are on sale in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. The Greater Toronto Area's population of 5.6 million people in a vast country of just 34.3 million people indicates why Scion may be going about its launch slowly, even if The Good Car Guy disagrees with the theory of selling only to part of the country.

With an anticipated base price of just over $15,000 in Canada, the 2011 Scion iQ may well boost Scion sales in Canada and in the United States. However, with approximately one month of Canadian selling complete and little data yet in circulation, the expectation for Scion greatness in The Great White North seems to stand in contrast to what Scion's been able to accomplish south of the border in the ol' USofA.

Scion began selling Californian cars in the United States in 2003. By that we mean, Scion sold cars only in California. With just two models, Scion quickly gained popularity and the "youth/budget" brand of Toyota's spread to dealers across the country. Scion added a coupe model, the tC, and eventually replaced the dowdy xA with the xD and the small and boxy xB with a newer, larger, less boxy xB. Sales began to disappear.

In fact, the whole Scion brand has been out-sold by Mini through September of this year in the USA. Through those first three quarters of 2010, Scion sales fell 29.7% from 2009 levels. Scion xD sales are down 34.9%. Scion xB sales are down 23%. Scion tC sales are down 34.6%.

Is Canada supposed to be excited that Toyota has finally delivered to us a brand Americans have seemingly rejected? Read more after the jump for a look at the cold, hard, numbers.

To be truthful, yes, Canadians should be excited, if only for the sake of increased competition. Perhaps a little pressure from the Scion xB will make the purchase of a 2011 Kia Soul even easier. And the Scion iQ is will be an ingeniously modern tool for effective and fun urban transportation.

But....

In calendar year 2009, Scion sales were nearly chopped in half, dropping 49.1%. Every model posted steep declines. In 2008, sales dropped to 113,904 from 130,181. tC sales, in particular, fell off a cliff. 2007 sales were down 24.7% from 2006 levels. In 2007, xB sales plummeted from 61,306 to 45,834; tC sales dropped precipitously from 79,125 to 63,852; and combined sales of the xD and xA (20,495) couldn't come close to matching xA sales from the year prior (32,603).

If Americans have roundly fallen out of love with Toyota's youth-directed value brand, why should we Canadians even begin a flirtatious encounter with Scion? Perhaps that's a silly question. Certainly, Americans never would've elected Jean Chretien to the White House, yet we kept the Son Of Shawinigan in office for more than ten years. Last Wednesday, fewer than 10,000 people watched an NHL game between the Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks in Columbus, Ohio. In Canada, almost anywhere in Canada, 18,000 fans would be a sure thing. On the automobile front, America's favourite car is the Toyota Camry. Canadians didn't even make the Camry one of the country's 20 best-sellers in September 2010. So we have different tastes. Just because America has turned its back on Scion (and hockey) doesn't mean we will too.

Except, with dealerships residing only in Canada's three biggest cities, Scion is open to less than half the Canadian auto market, a number, it could be argued, which is actually closer to one-third. Even with plans to eventually move out to other cities in Canada, Scion is extremely late to a small party. The Kia Soul is crushing the Nissan Cube. Latecomers like the Volkswagen Tiguan, Kia Borrego, the aforementioned Nissan Cube, and the Honda Insight are all struggling to gain traction in segments where others trod long before. Consider Mitsubishi, as well, a brand which left Canada way back when but returned in 2002. It's not working out.

Are the Scion xB, Scion xD, and Scion tC bad cars for Canadians? No, not necessarily. From an analyst's perspective, however, it seems likely that Canadians will be more receptive to car brands they know and love, brands selling what happen to be, quite frankly, better and more exciting products. The first Scion sales numbers for Canada should be out in the next few days. With nothing to compare Scion's one-third-of-the-market-sales-volume against, it'll be difficult to gauge success. One year from now, Scion should be selling elsewhere and watching sales rise. If not, Scion can officially be labelled a failure.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
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Toyota's Scion Brand Will Come To Canada In 2010
Canada Auto Sales By Brand

Top Gear V8 Blender Video

Jeremy Clarkson and the crew at Top Gear are convinced that there are ways to keep the V8 alive even as car consumers and automakers are rejecting the bent-eight in favour of a turbocharged V6 or even inline-four.

One such recycled use is for the 6.2L V8 from the Chevrolet Corvette to power a blender. Goodness, if governments outlawed the 2011 Chevrolet Corvette, what use would its engine have other than in your kitchen? 

What does all this have to do with GoodCarBadCar.net's usual regimen of Sales Stats, Sales Stats, and more Sales Stats? Sales of the Chevrolet Corvette in 2010 in Canada were 316 through the first three quarters of the year. U.S. sales of the Chevrolet Corvette totalled 9798 through the end of September 2010. In other words, Corvette sales in the country with cheaper fuel are 31 times stronger than in the country with more expensive fuel (Canada) even though the Canadian market is only seven times stronger. Hmm. V8s are dying? 

Watch the Top Gear video below for a taste, as it were, of what a V8 can do outside of a car's engine room.



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Review: How To Design Cars Like A Pro - Tony Lewin And Ryan Boroff

"What was once crashworthy is now dangerous," Jaguar design chief Ian Callum writes in the foreword to How To Design Cars Like A Pro.  As an analysis on the state of automotive design in 2010, this statement is concise but profound. That said, this sentence isn't representative of Callum's self-promoting foreword. In fact, this sentence's representativeness of the foreword is akin to how unrepresentative the book's title is to its subject matter.

How Pro Designers Have Designed Cars would be more depictive. For the faintly automotive-interested, How To Design Cars Like A Pro is a terrific book to lay out on the coffee table. Picture and page quality is top notch. For the guy or gal who knows his shoulderline from his firewall, the book will hold his or her attention for hours. And for the person in between, the one who likes cars but won't ever consider the designing of cars anything more than a doodling habit, How To Design Cars Like A Pro will be interesting, to say the least.

As for aspiring car designers, How To Design Cars Like A Pro is neither a textbook, a guide, or a cheat-sheet. General automotive enthusiasts, on the other hand, will love this book regardless of its out-of-context title; regardless of their career aspirations.

Criticism of the book's mission taken care of, consider these ten reasons for buying this book as the perfect Christmas gift in 2010.

It's thick. Serious readers of automotive media ignore the thin stuff.

It's professional. Written by two men in the know - Tony Lewin and Ryan Borroff - with working examples provided by Jaguar's Ian Callum, Land Rover's Oliver le Grice, the Royal College Of Art's Dale Harrow, Peugeot-Citroen's Jean-Pierre Ploue, Aston Martin's Marek Reichman, Kia's Preter Schreyer, Renault's Anthony Lo, and BMW's Adrian von Hooydonk, the new edition of How To Design Cars Like A Pro has the sort of brain you'd find in a hockey book in which contributors ranged from Sidney Crosby to Alex Ovechkin, Martin Brodeur, and Shea Webber. This isn't a rinky-dink little colouring book put together for 7-year-old boys who know that Pontiac's dead but have never heard of Oldsmobile. 

It'll hold your attention. Pretty colours usually do the trick. Pair those pretty colours with beautiful cars, tons and tons of beautiful cars, and you'll struggle to put the book down.

It's educational. Although it's doubtful that you'll complete the book, put it on the shelf, and start working for Ford Motor Company and J Mays in Detroit next week, there's plenty to learn from de Grace's week-long diary of a designer's life. "Last thing today," he says, "we are meeting to discuss new design tools for the studio. This means computer software mainly, not pens and pencils these days."

It's current. How To Design Cars Like A Pro was first published as a completely different book in 2003. Remember, concepts in 2003 included the Dodge Kahuna and the Mercedes-Benz Vision CLS. Today's Chrysler minivans look nothing like the Kahuna and the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class has already outdated the Vision CLS. Thus, a new book was required. Sure, there's plenty of looking back - even decades back - but the design world has moved on, and so has the new edition How To Design Cars Like A Pro.

It's realistic. Seven pages are devoted to the Volkswagen Golf. Not everyone cares how the angles play with light on the latest French supercar concept.

It's dreamtastic. There's a two-page spread of the divine 2010 Peugeot SR1 Concept.

It's opinionated. Of the 1991 Golf Mk3, the writers are clear that "it represented a serious lapse of form for VW and is the only generation of Golf not regarded with affection by enthusiasts."

It's practical. Though not enough, 14-17 pages are given over to tuturials by Allan Macdonald.

It's historical. Style, a factor at play when you dressed for work this morning and even in the food you'll eat at a fancy restaurant this evening, must look back if it is ever to look forward. How To Design Cars Like A Pro takes a look at Harley Earl, Battista Farina, Bruno Sacco, and.... golly, Chris Bangle. There's even a section on right ideas introduced at the wrong time. Audi A2, anyone?

How To Design Cars Like A Pro - By Tony Lewin and Ryan Borroff
Quayside Publishing Group - November 8/2010
www.motorbooks.com
208 Pages
337 Colour Images, 66 B/W Images
$29.99 - £16.99 - $32.99 Canadian
$19.79 From Amazon

Top 10 Best-Selling Japanese SUVs In Canada - September 2010

Light trucks, an official category in which all vehicles mentioned below fall, has made up 53.9% of the Canadian new vehicle market so far this year. Import nameplates, a category in which all vehicles mentioned below fall, has made up 53.7% of the Canadian new vehicle market so far this year. Contrast these numbers with passenger cars (46.1%) and General Motors/Ford Motor Company/Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep (46.3%). Now you're seeing part of the why and how sales of SUVs and crossovers like the ones below have risen sharply in 2010. 

Mazda Tribute sales in 2010 are up 8.9%. Honda Pilot sales are up 19.3% through the first nine months of 2010. Mazda CX-7 sales dipped by four units in September but are up 48.7% on the year. Acura MDX sales rose 11.8% in September 2010. Subaru Forester sales are on the level. Nissan Rogue sales jumped 60% in September. Sales of the 2010 Honda CR-V are up 43.3% through the first three quarters of 2010. Only the Toyota RAV4 (up in September), Mitsubishi Outlander, and Lexus RX have failed to match last year's totals.

One interesting final note before you examine the list of Canada's best-selling Japanese SUVs. Canada's 2010 Mazda Tribute out-sold its U.S. counterpart by six units in September 2010 and is up by 1676 sales through the end of last month. The U.S. new vehicle market is seven-to-eight times larger than the Canadian new vehicle market. Explanation? 

#10 - Mazda Tribute: 299
#9 - Honda Pilot: 416
#8 - Mazda CX-7: 425
#7 - Mitsubishi Outlander: 502
#6 - Acura MDX: 522
#5 - Subaru Forester: 705
#4 - Lexus RX: 727
#3 - Nissan Rogue: 1247
#2 - Toyota RAV4: 2233
#1 - Honda CR-V: 3057

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Japanese SUVs In Canada - October 2010
Top 10 Best-Selling SUVs In Canada - September 2010
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Top 10 Best-Selling Japanese Cars In Canada - September 2010
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Top 10 Best-Selling Japanese Cars In Canada - September 2010

Following the month-by-month rundown of Canada's best-selling cars, it becomes obvious that the Honda Civic will also be Canada's best-selling Japanese car. After all, rarely does a month go by in which the Honda loses its overall crown.

Comparing this list with its U.S. equivalent is more interesting than heaping added praise on the Honda Civic, however. Missing from the Canadian top 10 (but present in the American top 10) are the Subaru Outback, Toyota Prius, and Toyota Camry. Present in the Canadian top 10 (but missing in the American top 10) are the Toyota Yaris, Toyota Venza, and the individualized might of the Toyota Matrix. So far, the only list of this nature compiled by The Good Car Guy for US Auto Sales Stats is for the first three quarters of 2010.

America's best-selling Japanese car, the 2011 Toyota Camry, has a base price in Canada of $25,310. On the upper end, the Camry XLE V6 with navigation costs $38,340. On the other hand, the 2011 Toyota Camry is sold in the United States with a base price of $19,720 and tops out at $29,370. Meanwhile, Canada's best-selling Japanese car, the 2010 Honda Civic, has a base price of $15,990 in Canada but is just $385 cheaper in the United States. This, in part, explains why the six best-selling cars in Canada in September were smaller than a midsize sedan while six out of America's eight best-sellers in September were of the midsize variety.

#10 - Toyota Yaris: 967
#9 - Honda Accord: 1025
#8 - Toyota Venza: 1293
#7 - Nissan Versa: 1375
#6 - Nissan Sentra: 1493
#5 - Toyota Matrix: 1550
#4 - Nissan Altima: 1685
#3 - Toyota Corolla: 3307
#2 - Mazda 3: 3756
#1 - Honda Civic: 5972

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Top 10 Best-Selling Japanese Cars In Canada - October 2010
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In Canada - September 2010
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Canada Auto Sales By Brand - September 2010
Top 10 Best-Selling Japanese SUVs In Canada - September 2010

Top 10 Best-Selling European SUVs In Canada - September 2010

One month of European SUV/crossover sales in Canada amounts to very little volume in the grand scheme of things. Compare the best-selling European utility vehicle from September 2010 in Canada, the Volkswagen Tiguan, with Canada's overall best-selling SUV, the Ford Escape. For every Tiguan sold, Ford sold eight Escapes. 

On the other hand, one look at the financial value of these European SUVs and CUVs makes the automakers' wealth readily apparent. 460 GLKs were sold in September in Canada. The 2011 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 is in Canadian showrooms with a basic MSRP of $43,500. Elementary math puts the worth of 460 GLK350s at $20,010,000. Or how about the handsome new 2011 Porsche Cayenne? Porsche's Cayenne Turbo is on sale at $123,900, but even if all 112 Cayennes sold in Canada in September 2010 were the V6-engined $58,200 basic Cayenne, the value of those 112 SUVs stands at $6.5 million. 

Ever wonder why traditional sport sedan and sports car builders jumped into the SUV business? Quit your wondering. These were Canada's ten most popular European SUVs in September 2010.

#10 - Volvo XC90: 109
#9 - Porsche Cayenne: 112
#8 - Audi Q7: 120
#7 - Volvo XC60: 122
#6 - Audi Q5: 219
#5 - BMW X3: 256
#4 - BMW X5: 285
#3 - Mercedes-Benz M-Class: 310
#2 - Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class: 460
#1 - Volkswagen Tiguan: 473

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Top 10 Best-Selling European Cars In Canada - September 2010
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Top 10 Best-Selling European Cars In Canada - September 2010

Instantly, when a North American automotive consumer hears the words, "European car", he thinks of premium, luxury, expensive nameplates..... and Volkswagen. Well, Volkswagen is frequently priced on a premium scale, too. Then there's low-volume players like Mini, smart, Ferrari, Maserati, Bentley and the like.

In Europe, European automakers obviously include Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Volvo, Saab, and Jaguar. But less famous European cars are made by value-oriented brands like Citroen, Skoda, Dacia, and Fiat. Not to mention Renault, Peugeot, Vauxhall/Opel, SEAT, and Alfa Romeo. 

In the end, Canada's best-selling European car models are made, in essence, by three conglomerates and are represented by just five nameplates. That's all well and good, but wouldn't you like to be given the chance to drive a mainstream European car that isn't a Volkswagen? The Fiat 500 will give you that chance early on in 2011. Alfa Romeo should be selling cars here eventually, too. But how 'bout that Citroen DS3 you had your eye on during holidays in Paris? No can do. The Renault Twingo your little sister fell in love with whilst studying in Cambridge? Not gonna happen. Oh, the Skoda Roomster The Good Car Guy fell in love with during the World Hockey Championships? Can't have. 

What you can have is the 2011 BMW 535i or the all-new and much cheaper 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. There are even deals on the 2.0 TFSI versions of the 2011 Audi A4.

These are the ten most popular European cars in Canada, a list that likely isn't going to change too much in the near future.

#10 - BMW 5-Series: 174
#9 - Mercedes-Benz B-Class: 262
#8 - Volkswagen Passat: 275
#7 - Mercedes-Benz E & CLS: 338
#6 - Mini Cooper: 451
#5 - Audi A4: 615
#4 - Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 664
#3 - Volkswagen Jetta: 867
#2 - Volkswagen Golf: 1462
#1 - BMW 3-Series: 1631

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Top 10 Best-Selling American SUVs In Canada - September 2010

Four of Canada's best-selling American SUVs/crossovers are actually just about as Canadian as they are American. Although by GoodCarBadCar.net standards, all ten of the utility vehicles listed below are officially American, the Chevrolet Equinox; Ford Edge; GMC Terrain; and Lincoln MKX are all built in southern Ontario. Incidentally, the Dodge Journey is built in Toluca, Mexico.

By government standards, SUVs and most crossovers are part of the "light truck" category. Light trucks have made quite a comeback in 2010 in Canada, grabbing 53.9% of the market through the end of September compared with 48.1% in the same period of 2009. For that you can thank vehicles like the immensely popular Ford Escape. September 2010 sales of the Escape were up 75.9%. The introduction of the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee spiked Jeep sales in September. In fact, more than one quarter of all Grand Cherokee sales this year came in the month of September alone.

Canada's best-selling American SUVs are in the list below.

#10 - Jeep Liberty: 412
#9 - Lincoln MKX: 567
#8 - Jeep Wrangler: 602
#7 - GMC Terrain: 653
#6 - Jeep Patriot: 905
#5 - Jeep Grand Cherokee: 1039
#4 - Chevrolet Equinox: 1327
#3 - Ford Edge: 2176
#2 - Dodge Journey: 2327
#1 - Ford Escape: 3790

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Top 10 Best-Selling American Cars In Canada - September 2010

When asked to find deals on domestic crossovers for Sympatico Autos, The Good Car Guy instantly began research on vehicles built by Ford, Lincoln, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler. It then became clear that a truly domestic crossover in Canada isn't necessarily built by a Detroit-based automaker, but is actually built in Canada. That list included the Acura MDX and Lexus RX350, for example.

For this list, however, "American car" means.... well, American car. The logo on its grille represents an American company, even if said American company is owned by an Italian automaker which also owns Ferrari. The Detroit-based auto industry - General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep - have combined to form 46.3% of all vehicles sold in Canada through the first nine months of 2010. That's up from 44% in the same period of 2009. GM's market share in Canada is down from 17.7% to 15.6% in 2010. Chrysler's market share is up from 10.9% to 13.2% in 2010. And Ford, the beneficiary of all-new models and significant model revamps, has improved its market share more dramatically, taking a whopping 17.4% of the Canadian automotive market, up from 15.4% last year.

Evidence of the Canadian market's price sensitivity is exhibited in the best-selling American car in Canada, the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. Outdated and now replaced, the Cobalt has been available with wild deals; the sort of deals Canadians can't ignore regardless of how stellar the alternatives may be. The 2011 Ford Fiesta, albeit smaller, displays its relatively small sales figures as evidence of the contrary - Canadians struggle to pay top dollar when fewer dollars nets a competent A-to-B car.

Of cars built by Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Lincoln, Buick, Cadillac, and Chevrolet, these are Canada's best-sellers from September 2010.

#10 - Dodge Caliber: 323

#9 - Ford Mustang: 345

#8 - Buick LaCrosse: 399

#7 - Chevrolet Aveo: 567

#6 - Chevrolet Impala: 706

#5 - Ford Fiesta: 907

#4 - Chevrolet Malibu: 998

#3 - Ford Fusion: 1525

#2 - Ford Focus: 1634

#1 - Chevrolet Cobalt: 2875

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Large SUV Sales And Large Luxury SUV Sales In Canada - September 2010

Once this month, and just the once, any extra analysis sought out by you, the reader of GoodCarBadCar.net, will be done by yourself. But first, there'll be quite a bit of extra data available for you to sink your teeth into. Large SUVs and their luxury counterparts - knowingly coined large luxury SUVs - are something of an enigma to those who find them unappealing. "Who buys these these things?", they ask. "Why do they buy these things?", they ask. "How do they fuel these things?", they ask again and again. As a result of their somewhat mysterious image, particularly in Canada where vehicles and fuel are more expensive, tracking the sales figures of large SUVs and their luxury counterparts is a bit like chasing a fruitfly around the kitchen. You won't learn anything about his patterns - he has none - and you'll spend a lot of time accomplishing nothing. Nevertheless, here's some data.

Chevrolet Suburban sales in 2010 are double 2009 levels. Chevrolet Tahoe sales were up 34.7% in September compared with September 2009. Ford Expedition sales dropped 29.2% in September. The 2011 Ford Expedition is still powered by V8s only despite the addition of a V6 and a turbocharged V6 to the 2011 Ford F-150 range. GMC Yukon sales jumped 167% in September. GMC Yukon XL sales would need to increase more than 90% to match Chevrolet Suburban sales. Kia Borrego sales have dropped 41.7% so far in 2010. With another 36 sales, Nissan could say Armada sales had tripled so far in 2010. Toyota Sequoia sales increased 5.6% in September.

On its website, Infiniti says the 2011 Infiniti QX56 has "an ingenious suspension system that drives like a sport sedan". Land Rover's Canadian website says the Range Rover is "the world's most capable luxury vehicle". Cadillac believes its "Escalade SUVs are in a class by themselves". Lexus says the " GX 460 can challenge the most formidable off-road conditions with absolute confidence" and the 2011 Lexus LX570" sets the standard for luxury cruising, rugged off-roading and full-out towing capacity. Of the Navigator, Lincoln feels that its "power-deployable running boards command attention". Mercedes-Benz Canada makes the strong suggestion that the GL-Class is "taking luxury to a new level". "Inside the G-Class", Mercedes says, "you'll always be perfectly comfortable." Bold claims for bold vehicles.

CLICK GRAPH FOR LARGER VIEW

CLICK GRAPH FOR LARGER VIEW

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Small, Midsize & Large SUV Sales In Canada - September 2011
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Midsize SUV Sales And Midsize Luxury SUV Sales In Canada - September 2010

274% year-over-year sales increases aren't normal. The 2011 Ford Edge, however, has provided Ford with the kind of boost one would expect from an exciting, mega-hyped, all-new model. Nonetheless, the significantly refreshed 2011 Edge is the segment leader and Canada's sixth-best-selling utility vehicle in September 2010. 

An appropriate comparison for the new Ford Edge is the 2010 Toyota Highlander. Respected as a Camry-inspired-and-derived SUV and even a former Good 12 Supersize winner, Highlander sales through the end of September 2010 total 2964 in Canada. This figure comes as Edge sales nearly reached 2200 in September alone. Ford dealers were selling eight Edges for ever Highlander sold in September. Has the tide turned?

Moving over to the luxury side of the midsize SUV equation, the Edge's fraternal twin, the 2011 Lincoln MKX, started selling like mad in September, as well. MKX sales jumped 224% last month in Canada; year-to-date the MKX is up from 1751 to 3036 sales. Still trailing the nearly indomitable Lexus RX by a healthy margin, the elephant-nosed Lincoln makes a monthly victory or two in its segment seem probable.

CLICK GRAPH FOR LARGER VIEW

CLICK GRAPH FOR LARGER VIEW

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Small, Midsize & Large SUV Sales In Canada - September 2011
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Small SUV Sales And Small Luxury SUV Sales In Canada - September 2010

Month: September 2010. Segment: small luxury SUVs and crossovers. Uniqueness: nearly everyone's a winner.

Indeed, there was a great levelling off among small luxury utility vehicles in Canada last month. Compare the first graph's evenly-cut pie slices with the long and short bars in the Graph below for a better understanding. Sure, the $44,950 Land Rover LR2s weak performance pales in comparison to the $43,500 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4Matic's continued success in Canada, but the LR2 was only 67 units behind the $39,995 Volvo XC60. And the XC60 was less than a hundred sales from the $41,250 Infiniti EX35; the Infiniti trailing the $41,200 Audi Q5 by a virtual handful of customers. Even then, from fourth position to second, the $41,780 Cadillac SRX is in tight with the soon-to-be-replaced $39,900 BMW X3; a model only six sales behind the $39,990 Acura RDX. Okay, so the GLK won - but this is fiercely competitive stuff.

How unlike the stuffed-full mainstream small SUV segment, then. Although there are seemingly thousands of competitors, the 2011 Ford Escape's effective base price of $19,999 certainly makes life difficult for its rivals, even successful utility vehicles like the Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and Chevrolet Equinox. You've heard of GM's success with the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox and 2010 GMC Terrain? Combined sales of those two were 2109 behind the Escape's sales total in September 2010.

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CLICK GRAPH FOR LARGER VIEW

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Small, Midsize & Large SUV Sales In Canada - September 2011
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Niche Car Sales And Niche SUV And Truck Sales In Canada - September 2010

Going back to April, average sales of the Jeep Wrangler in 2010 in Canada were standing at 1273 per month. In September 2010, Jeep Wrangler sales dropped to 602, not nearly enough to place the 2010 Jeep Wrangler among Canada's best-selling SUVs. What happened? Actually, normality kicked in. Despite the drop from 731 sales last September to 602 last month, Wrangler sales are still up 68.6% year-to-date in 2010. 

Do the poor Canadian sales of the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight spell doom and gloom for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and 2011 Nissan Leaf in the Great White North? Out-of-the-ordinary hybrids have been mostly rejected in Canada, a country which seems to recognize (for the most part) that there's little-to-no financial benefit from owning or leasing these cars. Prius sales fell 71% in September and are down 22.6% in 2010. The more expensive Volt and Leaf are technofests which make the Prius and Insight seem Luddite-inspired, but still one must wonder: are Canadians ever interested in spending more without gaining something financially? 

The U.S. car market was seven times the size of the Canadian market in September 2010. Sales of the 2010 Toyota Prius in the United States were 74 times stronger. Honda Insight sales were 24 times stronger. Based on these figures, Chevrolet and Nissan's expectations in Canada should be low.

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CLICK GRAPH FOR LARGER VIEW

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