OTTAWA, May 15 (Xinhua) — Canada’s automotive market witnessed a stark divergence in March as electric vehicle sales surged nearly 75 per cent despite a general cooling of the broader motor vehicle sector, according to data released by Statistics Canada on Thursday.
The country saw 176,500 new motor vehicles sold during the month, a 6.6 per cent decline from March 2025. Sales value decreased 3.6 per cent compared with a year earlier, said the national statistical agency.
Over the same period, the number of new passenger cars sold fell by 4.3 per cent, while the number of new trucks sold saw a decline of 6.9 per cent, said the agency.
However, the market for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) defied the downward trend, posting a staggering 74.7 per cent year-on-year increase with 21,574 units sold.
New ZEVs comprised 12.2 per cent of total new motor vehicles sold, compared with 6.5 per cent in March 2025, said Statistics Canada.
