Toronto, Ontario — The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) published its first ever data report on Thursday, recapping what it called a “tumultuous” 2022 for Canadian auto dealers.
In spite of this gloomy outlook, CADA reported that average total sales per dealership was up 20.6 percent from 2021, the bulk of which is made up in new vehicle sales (37.2 percent).
Bodyshop services, however, were the clear lowest performer among dealership operations, representing only 5.4 percent of all sales.
Out of the 3,430 operating dealers in Canada, Ontario is home to the largest population of new light vehicle dealerships at 1210, followed by 860 in Quebec and 408 in British Columbia.
General Motors boasts the most dealerships at 448, narrowly outpacing Stellantis at 443 and Ford at 432.
Concerning owners, CADA’s report found that a vast majority own no more than five dealerships (92.4 percent), while a miniscule portion of the population actually own more than 25 dealerships (0.72 percent).
British Columbia continues to lead the nation in electric vehicle (EV) sales despite seeing fewer total registrations this year, recording a market share of 15.9 percent, as compared to ten percent in Quebec and 6.3 percent in Ontario.
Nationwide, 8.7 percent of new vehicle sales in 2022 were EVs, building from 5.4 in 2021 and 3.5 in 2020.
Thwarting what one may have heard about a rapidly retiring Baby Boomer workforce, CADA’s report found that it is actually Gen Z technicians who experience the most turnover at 64 percent, while Boomers and Gen X saw only 22 and 23 percent of its workforce leave a job in 2022.
Gen Y-aged employees (aka “Millennials”; born between 1981 and 1996), were the most hired demographic of the past year, particularly in the sales consultant and service advisor positions, making up 51 and 46 percent of new hires respectively.
