Automotive News Canada - October 2017 - 27

* OCTOBER 2017

September sales:
It's raining records

STAYING AGILE IN A
RAPIDLY CHANGING
AUTO WORLD TAKES

CAT-LIKE
REFLEXES
As Canadians fall
head over heels
for luxury utility
vehicles, Jaguar
Land Rover's
biggest concern
is capacity

Sales through the
first nine months
of 2017 sit at 1.59
million units, as
much as for some
other full years
By JEREMY SINEK

TORONTO CORRESPONDENT

Jaguar Land Rover global
chief Ralf Speth says that
companies need the ability
to turn on a dime
to be competitive.

(PHOTO: JAGUAR LAND ROVER)

By JIL MCINTOSH

single buildings with a signature grey exterior. All new Canadian dealerships will be built
with the design, and existing ones will convert to it, but since many already have a simTORONTO - JAGUAR LAND ROVER
ilar look, they won't be required to renovate
isn't a high-volume automaker, but its global
immediately.
chief Ralf Speth thinks that's a benefit.
"Our Arch implementation will finish
"Big is not everything," Speth said. "We
around 2020," said Wolfgang Hoffmann, presiwant to have profitable, solid, sustainable
dent of Jaguar Land Rover Canada. "Last year
growth. We don't need volume, we need cars
[we announced] six additional dealerships
with character. As long as we deliver cars
in Canada, and we will go from 25 to 31 dealwith substance and desire, I
ers. The network will have the
have no fear with Jaguar Land
new look and more capacity
Rover in the future. We are
than before. Our biggest chalagile and we see more change
lenge is capacity, because the
than ever, and that's the quality
two brands are experiencing
of smaller companies."
significant growth."
The
Land
Rover
Range
Speth spoke in Toronto
The product mix is shifting,
Rover Velar arrives at a time
before the opening of the
and while Speth doesn't see
when
luxury
utility
vehicles
Invictus Games for wounded,
gasoline or diesel going away
are hot. More stores are
injured and ill war veterans.
anytime soon - the automakcoming, along with a new
Jaguar Land Rover is a sponer maintains an average 11 per
"Arch" design for them.
soring partner.
cent diesel take rate in Canada
(PHOTO: JAGUAR LAND ROVER)
The automaker has a special
- electrification is playing a
hiring program for veterans, which launched
growing role. The company has electric conin Canada in September. The first placement
cepts and race vehicles, and will offer its
was at Jaguar Land Rover Edmonton. The
Range Rover and Range Rover Sport as plugprogram began in Britain in 2013, followed by
in hybrids by the end of the year.
the United States in 2016, where almost 200
"I cannot predict the future, but I'm optiveterans have been hired.
mistic that electric-vehicle sales are going to
"We began this program because we
accelerate, and more than we expect," Speth
had ex-servicemen living under bridges in
said. "We work with battery manufacturers
England," Speth said. "We are sending these
all around the world, and we are instrumental
people to the most awkward situations, and
in the U.K. with Oxford, Cambridge and other
when they come back there is nothing for
universities working together to create a scithem. This is not just marketing. We have an
entific base for battery [improvement].
obligation."
"We can produce the cars, but what's going
The program is run in conjunction with
on is [with] the infrastructure. I am quite
consulting and technology firm Calibre. In
sure we will have enough energy, but we also
addition to a website for job opportunities,
have to have infrastructure. We need stanthe company works with the military to idendardization to protect the customer, with how
tify potential candidates. They must still be
the sockets fit together. It's not a small thing.
"the best candidate for the job," Speth said,
The industry has to come together and someadding that many veterans are a good choice
one take over the
because they've received specialized technical
lead to give us
training through the military.
standards."
- ANC
OSHAWA CORRESPONDENT

'ARCH' STORE DESIGN

Jaguar Land Rover has also announced
a new global - and mandatory - "Arch"
design for its dealerships, which
brings both brands together in

The upcoming Jaguar I-Pace will be
the company's first all-electric vehicle.

(PHOTO: JAGUAR LAND ROVER)

AUTO SALES IN CANADA
seem to be almost hurtling
toward a new record in 2017.
In September, sales surged
7.8 per cent to 187,266. It was
the second-highest gain in a
year that has seen only one
down month (and then barely).
With the traditionally biggest-selling months
already in the bank, year-todate sales stand 5.5 per cent
ahead of last year's pace.
The January-to-September
total of 1.59 million means
that even if sales in the final
quarter were flat year-overyear, full-year sales would
easily break two million for
the first time. Last year, 1.95
million vehicles were sold.
"It was not that many
years ago when 1.59 million in sales represented a
good year for total annual sales, let alone sales for
sales through the end of the
third quarter," said David
Adams, president, Global
Automakers of Canada.
Ford Canada remained
the top-selling company,
growing its sales 2.4 per cent
to a September record. GM
cemented its ascension to
second place in the rankings
with a seven-per-cent gain,
while FCA Canada's sales
dropped 6.6 per cent.
That left GM, Ford and
FCA sales growing 1.6
per cent, combined, while
members of the Global
Automakers Canada surged
12 per cent. Detroit's year-todate market share remains,
however, at 43.2 per cent,
which is close to the 43.4 per

MOVERS
& SHAKERS

(Compared with the
same month a year ago)
* Lincoln MKT: +2,167%
* Jeep Compass: +268%
* Audi A5: +214%
* Ford C-Max: +153%
* VW Tiguan: +151%
* Ram ProMaster: +148%
* Volvo XC60: +140%
* Volkswagen brand: +51%
* Smart: -92%
* Cadillac XTS: -91%
* Nissan Leaf: -87%
* Ram ProMaster City: -75%
* Chevrolet Malibu: -66%
* Cadillac CTS: -64%
* Mercedes S class: -61%

FULL OF SURPRISES
*Kia cars: +40%
*Kia trucks: -5%

Sales soared for fresh small
utilities such as the Jeep
Compass, top, and the
Subaru Crosstrek.
(PHOTOS: FCA, SUBARU)

cent in the same period of
2016.
Ford, Nissan, Subaru,
Mercedes-Benz, Porsche,
Toyota, Jaguar Land Rover,
Ram, Kia, Cadillac and
Honda all claimed record
September sales.
The trend to trucks
was particularly strong in
September, barely missing a
70 per cent share of the market. Combined sales of Ford,
GM and Ram full-size pickups rose 14 per cent, led by a
30-per-cent spike for the GM
trucks. The Ford F series set
an all-time any-month record
with 16,323 sold, which is
more than the three best-selling passenger cars combined.
GMC, an all-truck brand,
had its best September since
1999.
Compact utility vehicles
were also hyperactive, especially the freshly redesigned
models such as the Jeep
Compass (up 268 per cent),
Volkswagen Tiguan (151 per
cent) and Subaru Crosstrek
(64 per cent).
Despite the competition
from new nameplates, the
Toyota RAV4 had its best
sales month ever, with 5,530
sold, while the Ford Escape
and Honda CR-V both also
grew their sales to more
than 5,000 copies (a monthly
record for the CR-V).
September records were
also posted by the Toyota
Highlander and 4Runner
and Lexus RX utility vehicles, while combined sales of
Nissan's compact and midsize utilities advanced 31 per
cent.
All this utility activity,
however, seemed to be at
the expense of the segment's
patriarch brand: Jeep sales
slumped 28 per cent.
Going against that
flow, Kia claimed record
September sales based largely on sharp gains for its
Forte (up 78 per cent) and
Rio (63 per cent) small cars.
And for something completely different, Ford
reported its first sales of the
GT. Six units of the supercar
were delivered to Canadian
customers. At the same time,
Ferrari, Lamborghini and
McLaren all grew their sales.
- ANC

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - October 2017