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The hottest-selling cars in Canada

Updated Fri. Aug. 15 2008 12:52 AM ET

Jeremy Cato, Autos.CTV.ca

With gas prices averaging more than $1.26 a litre across Canada, you would think that fuel-efficient runabouts would be hard to get - and you'd almost be correct.

The 2008 Nissan Versa, a compact sold as both a hatchback and a sedan (starting at $14,598 not including incentives) is selling faster than Nissan can build it. The Versa on average moves off a Canadian dealer lot in five days. Five days! Now that's fast.

Typically a new model sits on a dealer lot for more than 60 days before a buyer comes along. Hot sellers move in 25 or 30. Sizzling demand? Twenty days or less.

In the car business this is called "turn rate" -- as in how fast a car turns from seller to buyer. And the list of the top 10 fastest vehicles to turn in Canada right does include several fuel sippers.

The Toyota Corolla is there. And the Pontiac Vibe, which is General Motors' version of the Toyota Matrix hatchback and all new for 2009. Two gasoline-electric hybrids are there, too: the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and the Lexus RX 400h.

Yet even with $1.26 gas, the top 10 list of hard-to-get vehicles shows that many Canadians want and need more than just sub-$20,000 grocery getters. The hottest cars in Canada cut across a broad range of classes and sizes.

Supply of the 2009 Lexus RX 350, an upscale crossover wagon built in Canada known, is tight. The same can be said of the BMW 2009 BMW 128i. This smallish and very racy coupe is fast and stylish and hugely in demand.

The 2009 Subaru Forester and 2009 Dodge Journey are both all new for the latest model year and both are moving fast. The Forester blends practicality with a more compact size in a crossover wagon. The Journey, which starts below $20,000, can be had with up to three rows of seats and is a good minivan alternative for buyers who shun mom-mobiles.

And then there is the 2009 Toyota Sequoia. Large sport-utility vehicles such as the Sequoia now make up just one half of one per cent of the entire new vehicle market in Canada. The Sequoia is THE hot seller in this segment and Toyota is also limiting supply in a cost-savings effort.

This list of most-wanted vehicles comes courtesy of data provided by the Power Information Network. The PIN information reflects real-time sales data collected at the dealer level. It measures how fast new models are moving and also suggests dealer inventory levels. A vehicles with a fast retail turn rate means some dealerships may have sold out of a vehicle, have only a few on the lot or may not have the style or trim you desire.

For the most part, the cars that are most popular and hardest to get are ones with new styling, new engineering and new features. Buyers, despite higher fuel prices and issues around the credit crunch still want to own the newest and brightest new models.

The Corolla has been vastly improved for '09, as has the Forester and the Highlander Hybrid. The Journey has hit a sweet spot among family buyers with its affordable price, utter functionality and edgy looks - all in a crossover that does everything a minivan does, but without the sliding side doors that make people think they are driving a milk truck.

The Mazda5, however, is a minivan, but a smallish one with a bit of style and three rows of seating. At a starting price less than $21,000, the Mazda5 is affordable, too.

In general it is also worth noting that crossover vehicles such as the RX, the Journey and Forester seem to be stealing the type of customer who once gravitated to large, comfortable family cars like the Ford Taurus, Chevrolet Impala and Toyota Avalon. The bigger, more versatile crossovers do all the things old-style family cars do, with similar fuel economy and at a similar price. So they make sense to consumers.

The good news for buyers is that they have options like never before. And that will not change. For the next four years auto makers plan to introduce an average of 42 new models every year. If you have a taste for luxury or need fuel efficiency, there is something out there for you.

The bad news is that in some cases - where the turn rate reflects high demand -- you might need to wait for the car you really want.

TOP 10 HOTTEST SELLERS BASE ON 'TURN RATE'

2009 Nissan Versa
Base Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: $14,598
J.D. Power Retail Turn Rate: Five days
May be hard to get because: The Versa is fuel efficient, large for a compact car, and the plant is Mexico where it is built is running flat out to meet demand in both Canada and the United States.

2009 Toyota Corolla
Base MSRP: $15,785
J.D. Power Retail Turn Rate: 14 days
May be hard to get because: The Corolla was completely restyled for 2009 and given a more powerful and more fuel efficient engine. Known for its reliability and strong resale value, Corolla sales are up about 35 per cent this year.


2009 Lexus RX 350
Base MSRP: $42,950
J.D. Power Retail Turn Rate: 14 days
May be hard to get because: The original luxury crossover is a practical wagon with excellent safety features and impressive reliability. This model has been a winner since arriving in the late 1990s. Buyers remain loyal because they have not been burned in the past.

2008 BMW 128i
Base MSRP: $33,900 (coupe)
J.D. Power Retail Turn Rate: 17 days
May be hard to get because: This is the newest, sexiest Bimmer. BMW launched the 1-series with a campaign that played on its spiritual successor, the legendary 2002 of the 1970s. It has worked.

2009 Pontiac Vibe
Base MSRP: $19,210
J.D. Power Retail Turn Rate: 18 days
May be hard to get because: It's a fuel-efficient hatchback that is all-new and pretty stylish. The Vibe is the Pontiac version of the Toyota Matrix and both are built in the same plant in California. This car makes in a time of soaring fuel prices.

2009 Subaru Forester
Base MSRP: $25,795
J.D. Power Retail Turn Rate: 18 days
May be hard to get because: The Forester has received a thorough update and is an affordable, all-wheel-drive crossover wagon with an excellent reputation for reliability.

2009 Dodge Journey
Base MSRP: $19,995
J.D. Power Retail Turn Rate: 18 days
May be hard to get because: Canadians see it for what it is - a practical, affordable, fuel efficient minivan replacement. The Journal is sold in both front- and all-wheel-drive versions and can be had with up to three rows of seats.

2008 Mazda5
Base MSRP: $20,795
J.D. Power Retail Turn Rate: 18 days
May be hard to get because: The Mazda5 is a minivan with up to three rows of seating. Mazda builds the Mazda5 for the world and fuel-efficient, four-cylinder wagons like this are in high demand not just in Canada, but around the world. Good price, too.

2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Base MSRP: $41,075
J.D. Power Retail Turn Rate: 20 days
May be hard to get because: The Highlander Hybrid, along with the regular Highlander, was redesigned for 2008 with a sportier look, more interior room, more power and decent fuel efficiency. This is the second generation of Highlander Hybrid and buyers know that this technology here is reliable and delivers better fuel economy with strong performance.

2009 Toyota Sequoia
Base MSRP: $44,675
J.D. Power Retail Turn Rate: 21 days
May be hard to get because: The Sequoia has a good reputation among large SUVs. Toyota is also controlling production as SUV sales in general falter, so it may be harder to get as a result of production decisions by the parent corporation.

2008 Lexus RX 400h
Base MSRP: $53,650
J.D. Power Retail Turn Rate: 21 days
May be hard to get because: Toyota produces a limited number of RX hybrids and they are in huge demand with higher pump prices. The RX 400h has also developed a reputation for reliability and it gives wealthy buyers with environmental concerns a crossover wagon to drive.

   

Hard to believe some of those cars on the list are outselling the VW TDI or the Toyota Yaris.