In photos: The slumping sales of Canada's best-selling small cars
Sales of Canada's most popular cars continue to slump, with compact sales down 3.8 per cent on the year, and subcompact off 12.8 per cent, according to figures from DesRosiers Automotive Consultants. Here is a look at sales of the top seven best-selling cars through the first quarter. All are compact cars, save for the Hyundai Accent, a subcompact.
<b>Ford Focus Sales slump:</b> down 17.3 per cent <b>The skinny:</b> Powertrain and other improvements are nice, but the overall Focus has not been significantly remade for years. Ford has been spending billions on the new F-Series pickup, and that means models like the Focus are starved for development funds.
<b>Chevrolet Cruze Sales slump:</b> down 14.8 per cent <b>The skinny:</b> A recent modest update has not been enough to stave off defections from the Cruze. It’s never been a segment leader in terms of styling and road manners.
<b>Mazda3 Sales slump:</b> down 7.3 per cent <b>The skinny:</b> The most entertaining compact car in its price class, and a stalwart in the segment, is fuel efficient, yet the newish design hasn’t kept sales from slipping.
<b>Honda Civic Sales slump:</b> down 5.6 per cent <b>The skinny: Honda recently showed a concept version of the next-generation Civic and it couldn’t come too soon. The current model has struggled to match the success of previous generations of Civics.
<b>Hyundai Elantra Sales slump:</b> down 5.1 per cent <b>The skinny:</b> The Elantra’s old design is in desperate need of an update. That’s coming for 2016. That said, the Elantra is a reliable and affordable.
<b>Volkswagen Jetta Sales slump:</b> down 5.1 per cent <b>The skinny:</b> The Jetta has aged and its shows. But you can get one with a small diesel engine which delivers terrific fuel economy – at a price premium, of course. VW needs to remake the Jetta and in a hurry.JAMES HALFACRE
<b>Toyota Corolla Sales slump:</b> down 2 per cent <b>The skinny:</b>The Corolla received a modest makeover in the past 18 months. No one buys a Corolla because it’s sexy; they go Corolla because it’s a safe purchase. But safe may no longer be enough.Paul Giamou