New motor vehicle sales plummeted during the early part of the pandemic only to be faced by supply chain issues, red hot inflation, rising borrowing costs, and an economic slowdown.

Recent data from Statistics Canada, however, suggest the sector is in recovery mode.

The number of new motor vehicles sold in Alberta was up 9.9% year-to-date in June compared to the same period in 2023.

While this is encouraging, the sector is not quite out of the woods.

Despite improving inventory levels, the number of new vehicles sold in Alberta over the first five months of the year was 2.6% below the same period in 2019 before the disruptive effects of the pandemic were in play.

On the flip side, pent-up consumer demand due to past inventory shortages, population growth (up 4.4% in Alberta from last April), and the promise of lower interest rates should help the sector continue to recover.

Answer to the previous trivia question: Bill Bryson is the author of At Home: A Short History of Private Life.

Today’s trivia question: When was the first Formula One World Championship race held?