P.E.I.'s summer of the truck drives auto sales

Truck sales in July and August have boosted what was a stagnant year for auto sales in the first half of 2017, according to a report released Tuesday by Statistics Canada.

Auto sales, as measured in dollars, were up just 1.6 per cent in the first half of the year.

But dealers got much busier in the summer, and by the end of August sales were up 4.6 per cent.

Summer sales were all about trucks, a category that also includes minivans and SUVs. Truck sales were up 17.5 per cent in July and August. Meanwhile, passenger car sales fell 11.3 per cent.

Sales are still well off the pace set in 2016, when sales rose 16.9 per cent.

Those sales were also driven by trucks, with sales up 24.7 per cent.

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