It has been a rough ride for new vehicle sales since the pandemic first started disrupting supply chains and consumer behaviour back in 2020.

Has the ride gotten any smoother?

With data for all of 2023 now in hand, we can say that 2023 ended on a strong note, and was a better year overall, than 2022.

Here in Alberta, the value of sales was 21% higher than in 2022 and 18% higher than in 2019 before the pandemic began. Fourth quarter sales were, moreover, 32% higher than the same quarter in 2022. It remains to be seen if the cumulative impact of higher interest rates will slow this momentum.

It is a similar, but more muted, story nationally with annual sales 12% higher and fourth quarter sales up by 21%.

However, when we look at the number of new vehicles rolling off of lots, the impact of the pandemic and supply chain challenges is still evident.

Compared to 2022, the number of units sold in Alberta was a solid 14% higher last year, but was still 7% below the 2019 total. The average price of new vehicles sold in Alberta was 27% higher than in 2019.

Again, it is a similar story nationally, with 2023 unit sales 13% higher than in 2022, but 12% lower than before the pandemic while the average price of new vehicles sold in Canada went up by 28% between 2019 and 2023.

Answer to the previous trivia question: Saint Valentine is believed to have been imprisoned, tortured, and martyred in Rome on February 14, 269.

Today’s trivia question: What kind of car did Bandit (played by Burt Reynolds) drive in the 1977 action comedy film Smokey and the Bandit?