Chrysler, Ford, GM sales rise in May

Chrysler Canada, General Motors Canada and Ford Motor Company of Canadaeach reported Tuesday increasedsales of their cars and light trucks in May.

Ford sales improved by 19 per cent, to 26,122, while Chrysler's rose53 per cent to 20,887 from 13,657 in the same month a year earlier.

The number of minivans sold in Canada by Chrysler nearly doubled to almost 5,800 from just under 3,000 a year ago good news for the hard-hit city of Windsor, Ont., which makes all of Chrysler's minivans.

The increases are significant, but also reflect a crash in sales last year as the economy struggled to recover.

A year ago, Chrysler's parent company was in court protection from creditors in the United States, leading to the shutdown of all its North American assembly plants and the cutoff of the supply of vehicles to Canadian dealers.

Overall Canadian vehicle sales for May were less dramatic, edging up to 154,285 units, a gain of 0.2 per cent compared with a year ago when two of the industry's biggest players, General Motors and Chrysler, were in the middle of a massive restructuring. according to data compiled by DesRosiers Automotive Consultants.

GM Canada reported a 15.4 per cent increase in combined salesof its four core brands: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac to 16,454.

Toyota Canada's volumes fell 16.1 per cent to 17,879 Toyota and Lexus cars, trucks and SUVs.

Honda sales fall

Honda Canada reported a drop incombined salesby itsHonda and Acura divisions to 11,587, a 26 per cent decrease from last year, while Nissan Canada's sales fell 1.9 per centto 8,232.

Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. reported an increase in sales of 13 per cent to 12,620.

Volkswagen Canada sold4,587 units, an increase ofnine per cent.

Subaru Canada, Inc. announced a new record for May with sales of2,436 units, up 25.6 per cent over the same month last year, for a fifth consecutive month of growth.

Kia Canadaannouncedsales of 5,731 vehicles an increase of 13.9 per cent over the previous May and itsbest sales month in the company's 11-year history in Canada.

Mercedes-Benz Canada sold3,109vehicles, anincrease of 23.3 per cent.