By car

Cars are central to our economy and the force behind the expansion of our metropolitan areas and suburbs. In 2002, there were 18.6 million road motor vehicles registered in Canada. Of this total, 17.5 million (94%) were passenger cars and light vehicles such as pickup trucks and minivans. The remainder consisted of 79,300 buses, 350,000 motorcycles and mopeds, and 644,300 truck tractors and trucks. Canada had a population of 25.2 million people aged 16 and older in 2002. This means that there were nearly three registered road motor vehicles for every four potential drivers in the country.

New vehicle sales reached a record in 2002 as Canadian dealers sold 1.7 million new vehicles, up 8.5% from 2001. Aggressive incentive programs, including zero percent financing, stimulated Canadians’ appetite for these large purchases. The average price of a new car was almost $25,000, while the average light truck cost nearly $34,000 and a heavy truck lightened the average wallet by $107,000.

The types of cars that Canadians buy changed over the last several years along with the shifting needs of the Canadian family. By 2002, sales of trucks—including minivans, sport utility vehicles, light and heavy trucks, vans, coaches and buses—accounted for half (798,614) of all the new vehicles purchased by Canadians. These types of vehicles are particularly popular on the Prairies: in Alberta, trucks accounted for 61% of all vehicles sold in 2002. Trucks are least popular in Quebec, where they represented only 35% of all new vehicle sales in 2002.