Car sales up 9.2 per cent in March, though signs of weakness increasing: Desrosiers

DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. says March auto gross sales have been up 9.2 per cent from final yr, nevertheless it marks a slowdown from a report February achieve.

It says an estimated 159,000 items have been bought final month, whereas gross sales for the primary quarter general totalled 401,000 autos, up 15.3 per cent from the primary quarter final yr.

DesRosiers says final month’s gross sales nonetheless stand far beneath pre-pandemic March gross sales of greater than 180,000 autos.

Andrew King, managing accomplice at DesRosiers, says pent-up demand from provide chain woes continued to spice up gross sales exercise as automobile availability approached normalization.

However, King says there are growing warning indicators as a divide begins to emerge within the automobile market.

He says a slowdown within the luxurious market is changing into extra evident because the mainstream automobile market stays comparatively regular.