Saskatchewan consumers are sporting some new wheels.
Sales of new vehicles in the province have been tracking behind 2025 so far this year but, when the numbers for May were released by StatsCanada, it showed the gap had narrowed considerably as new vehicle purchases were on the rise.
These numbers track movement of new vehicles, excluding used or previously owned cars and trucks. More than 5,200 new units left dealer lots in the month of May this year which is roughly 100 fewer than in May of last year. That gap is an improvement over previous months which had seen year-over-year comparisons showing a differential of as much as 400 or 500.
New vehicle purchases are an important element of consumer confidence calculations: they are big ticket items that project a positive outlook for the mid- to long-term picture. We’ve seen consumer spending holding its own in the province for the past year but this might be a signal of something of a breakout – that confidence levels are bouncing back and discretionary spending is poised to grow.
