Top 10s: 2011 Canadian Best-Sellers

What were the best-selling new cars and trucks in Canada last year? Check out my top 10 list at MSN Autos Canada. Full story after the jump.

By John LeBlanc

The final sales numbers have been tallied for the 2011 calendar year, and overall, Canadians purchased about the same number of new cars and trucks as they did in 2010. In total, 1,587,434* new vehicles were sold last year, up two per cent over 2010. It's almost surprising that number didn't end up on the negative side. Despite natural disasters that hit Japan and Thailand that forced automakers around the world to halt production for months, severely limiting supplies on dealer lots, and an economy that is still in recovery mode, apparently Canadians still like to buy new cars. In regards to the best-selling individual nameplates, it was déjà vu all over again. All 10 of the best-selling new vehicles — four passenger cars and six trucks — from 2010 also made the list in 2011.

10. Toyota Corolla

When it comes to buying new cars in this country, Canadians like them small. For example, the four passenger cars that made this year's top 10 are all in the highly competitive compact class. But it could have easily been five, as the Corolla just beat out the Chevrolet Cruze, selling 36,663 copies versus 33,900 examples of the Chevy. While the Toyota compact can still claim top 10 status, more worrisome for Toyota Canada is the long-term erosion of Corolla sales. Sales were not only down five per cent in 2011, but as recently as 2009, Toyota was selling almost 55,000 Corollas annually.

9. Mazda Mazda3

Like the Corolla, the compact Mazda3 is a perennial Canadian top 10 bestseller that seems to be losing ground with customers. While the Mazda brand's overall Canadian sales were down only 12 per cent last year, Mazda3 sales in particular were down a consequential 22 per cent to only 37,224 units, dropping the car four places from its fifth-place finish in 2010. It will be interesting to see if the Mazda3 will make the top 10 in 2012.

8. Chevrolet Silverado

Once again in 2011, Canadians bought more new light trucks (including vans, SUVs and crossovers) than passenger cars: 873,020 versus 714,414. In fact, truck sales were up nine per cent, while car sales were down two per cent. And the first of the 'big four' full-size pickup truck nameplates to break into the top 10 is the Chevrolet Silverado. Although sales were down in 2011 by three per cent, from 41,737 in 2010 to 40,523, the Silverado continues to be the Chevrolet brand's bestselling vehicle in Canada.

7. Ford Escape

Despite Ford already promoting an all-new 2013 Escape that will go on sale later in 2012, the existing model (that's been on sale for over a decade) retained its seventh-place sales position from 2010. With sales increasing by three per cent in 2011 (from 43,038 to 44,248), the small SUV remains the second bestselling model in Ford Canada showrooms, right behind the top-selling F-Series pickup.

6. Hyundai Elantra

During the first few months of 2011, the compact Elantra was not only the bestselling Hyundai (surpassing the smaller Accent), it was the bestselling car in Canada — period. By the end of the year, though, the Honda Civic ultimately surpassed the Hyundai for the bestselling car crown. However, Hyundai shouldn't be complaining. Elantra sedan and Touring wagon sales jumped 57 per cent last year, to 44,970 units sold, moving the Elantra from tenth spot in 2010 to sixth in 2011.

5. GMC Sierra

ed on General Motors' brand hierarchy, the automaker's mainstream Chevrolet brand should sell more vehicles than its premium GMC brand. But it seems when it comes to full-size pickups, Canadians don't care about such formalities. Instead, last year, new truck buyers went out and bought 46,680 Sierra pickups — 6,148 more than its near-identical Chevy Silverado twin, moving the GMC truck up one spot on the list.

4. Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan

The 2011 model year saw a host of new and updated competition for Dodge's Caravan/Grand Caravan minivans. Toyota, Nissan, and Honda all rolled out new or substantially redesigned people movers. Based on the year-end sales figures, however, that didn't seem to stop Canadians from buying the segment's most popular choice. Even with sales down three per cent, and a drop from second place to fourth overall, 53,406 Canadians bought a Dodge minivan last year.

3. Honda Civic

You have to hand it to the loyalty of Civic Nation: yes, Civic sales were down by four per cent to only 55,090 units sold in 2011. But on top of the twin disasters in Japan and Thailand that crippled parts supplies and limited vehicle availability at dealerships, the threat from new competition (i.e. Hyundai's Elantra), and the introduction of a new-generation model that was panned by many critics, the compact Honda managed to retain its bestselling new car title in Canada, and hold onto third place onto third-place overall.

2. Ram Series

With 230,992 total new cars and trucks sold in 2011, Fiat's Chrysler Group — made up of the Fiat, Dodge, Chrysler, and Ram brands — moved into second place behind Ford. Interestingly, more than half of Chrysler Group sales came from just two vehicles: the aforementioned, fourth-place Dodge Caravan minivan, and the Ram brand's lineup of full-size pickups. With sales up 18 per cent to 64,297 Rams sold compared to the previous year, the pickup moved ahead two spots in our top 10 in 2011, and now sits right behind the ever-popular Ford F-Series as the second bestselling new vehicle in Canada.

1. Ford F-Series

As you may have gathered by now, Canadians like small, compact new cars. But they really love trucks. And the truck they love the most is Ford's F-Series. With 275,850 new Ford and Lincoln vehicles sold in Canada last year, Ford was the top-selling automaker in Canada for the second year in a row. And, once again, the F-Series of full-size pickups led the way. Although sales in 2011 were down two per cent compared to the year before with 96,325 F-Series sold, it still topped the list of cars and trucks sold in Canada, and the bestselling pickup in this country for a record 46th consecutive year.

* Source: Automotive News Data Centre and Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada. Based on retails sales in Canada between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2011.

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